London-based online radio station Soho Radio is installing a portable cutting lathe in its studio to cut a series of live sessions direct-to-disc.

Created in collaboration with vintage audio obsessive and musician Lewis Durham (Kitty, Daisy and Lewis), the lathe has been custom built using different components from different eras, and is based around a classic Technics SP10 turntable.

This article originally appeared on The Vinyl Factory.

Online Radio goes analogue: London-based Soho Radio has installed a vinyl lathe to cut their sessions direct-to-disc live.

“A cutting lathe is the holy grail of recording and an enchanting piece of machinery,” Soho Radio co-founder Adrian Meehan said.

“We wanted to highlight all aspects of the recording and capture the intense vibe during the performance… Knowing that it’s being cut direct to disc magnifies the sense of moment. When music is being captured in such a final timeless way the whole level of playing, mixing and performance pushes everyone to best of their ability.”

Installed in the studio, the series of live sessions cut direct-to-disc will begin with afrobeat legend Seun Kuti and his 15-piece Egypt 80 band this Friday (24th March), but also aim to cover a vast range of genres, from grime and hip-hop to rock and roll, pop and experimental electronic music. The second confirmed artist Songhoy Blues will act as a trial run for 12 sessions in collaboration with Jaegermeister between April and September. Cut in editions of one, the sessions will then be aired on Soho Radio.

As well as going back to the root of analogue recording, Soho Radio will also take the sessions in the other direction, filming each performance in VR to share the experience more widely and “demonstrate technologies a century apart. For us it feels like a fresh platform to promote independent music and artists in an unregulated manor,” Adrian said.

Read the full article on The Vinyl Factory.