Michael Dixon

Michael Dixon lives and breathes vinyl recordings. He runs five successful vinyl companies – based on his longtime love of education, records, outsider art, and repurposing junk into handmade art pieces. He makes records by hand, one at a time, on 1940’s record cutting lathes. He runs several record labels and travels the world teaching crowds at events and festivals the secret art of vinyl record production. Michael's vinyl mini-empire is delivering living documents that are deeply rooted in a rich history and treasured artifacts that travel well into the future.

In a world of ubiquitous digital files and streaming audio the lathe cut record is a unique and precious artifact catering to the deep human desire for the tangible. The preciousness of an object that is not mass produced or effortlessly duplicated is becoming more recognized by folks looking for something beyond the hollow take-n-toss culture propagated by big business. All five of Michael's companies PIAPTK, Soild Gold, LatheCuts.com, MobileVinylRecorders.com and The Science Of Sound create these objects, with art and care - and they can play the music forever.


Dixon strives to make musical artifacts that require more than easy, passive consumption. Many releases have built-in, minor, inconveniences to playback or purchase that Dixon feels enriches the experience through intentionality and the investment of one of this generations most valuable resources: time. Whether it is a cassette tape that is bolted together between two records and packaged inside of a faux candy bag, or a 10” with a paint by numbers cover that requires the purchaser to send a photo of themselves holding their painted cover in order to receive the companion CD/Vinyl hybrid disc, Dixon feels that the more someone handles and interacts with an object, the more they will appreciate it.

A partnership with Seattleite Kris Dorr, Mobile Vinyl Recorders specialize in hand cutting records live in front of fascinated audiences since 2011.

Sources:
michaeldixonvinylart.com
mobilevinylrecorders.com
lathecuts.com
thescienceofsound.org
piaptk.limitedrun.com