Minneapolis' Outta Wax is keeping vinyl alive and well
Lovers of old-school records in the Twin Cities, listen up: you can get a record made in your own backyard.
Alex Stillman is a record presser with Outta Wax. The small business got its start during COVID when Stillman's business partner, Sara Pette, decided to give record-pressing a spin.
"My job at the time was non-existent because of COVID, so I sort of freaked out and wanted to start another business," Pette said.
She also saw a need in the Twin Cities.
"When you are an independent artist with no label, it's really hard to get your foot in the door to get stuff made like this," Pette said.
So, they got their hands on antique lathe machines which grooves music into plastic discs. They also got their hands on a more modern set-up. The record-pressing process begins with a machine called the extruder, which turns plastic into a pre-mold that looks like a hockey puck.
"We call it a puck or a cake," Stillman said.
The puck then goes into the press for about 50 seconds. That's where a combination of water and steam puts the music on the mold.
"We would take it from there and put it on the trimmer to get rid of the excess material and that's how you get a record," Pette said.
The excess trim from the records they've pressed gets recycled and made into new records.
A machine called a dinker adds the finishing touch — a hole in the middle of the record. The vinyl is then put in sleeves and shipped out.
Outta Wax has done dozens of orders for all kinds of bands, some with names you can't forget, like Bobby Joe Ebola and the Children McNuggets.
Pette and Stillman are musicians themselves. They believe records have come full circle, with younger generations now discovering a love for vinyl. It's a record renaissance they hope will play on.
"There is a reason why it has sustained for 90 years because it feels like a very human act to listen to music this way," Stillman said. "It's like a book. You want books to continue to exist."
Pette and Stillman say they're unique nationwide because they make 12-, 10- and 7-inch records, which are also known as 45s. They also give credit to Pette's brother, John, for being a big part of their start-up.
