From the outside, Furnace Record Pressing looks like any other nondescript Alexandria warehouse. But once you get past the glass front doors, a whole music-geek world unfolds before you: thousands of freshly pressed records in all sorts of enticing colors. This 50,000-square-foot facility can right now crank out 11,000 records a day. Some hold tunes from superstars such as Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, while others feature more esoteric fare.
Furnace was founded as a much smaller operation in 1996 by Eric Astor, who’s also a musician and label co-owner. But this new plant—which started making disks in November—has recently transformed it into one of the country’s biggest vinyl-manufacturing outfits.
The plant’s eight refurbished Toolex Alpha machines squeeze puck-shaped balls of molten PVC between two stamper plates, creating the grooves that hold the music. “Vinyl-record pressing is still hands-on,” says Astor. “It’s very much a craft because every record is a little unique.”
When we stopped by Furnace, press operators John Garman and Andre Butler showed us how they made an album by indie band the Mercury Program, which they pressed on limited-edition blue vinyl. From this point, the disks went through a quality-control process, then got slipped into jackets, wrapped in plastic, and boxed up to send to distributors. “I look at records as being almost meditative,” says Astor. “They allow you to slow down a little bit and enjoy people’s art being translated through a format that goes back over 100 years.”
This article appears in the February 2019 issue of Washingtonian.
Join the conversation!
Share
A Look Inside One of the Country’s Biggest Vinyl Record Plants
We went behind the scenes at Alexandria's Furnace Recording Pressing.
From the outside, Furnace Record Pressing looks like any other nondescript Alexandria warehouse. But once you get past the glass front doors, a whole music-geek world unfolds before you: thousands of freshly pressed records in all sorts of enticing colors. This 50,000-square-foot facility can right now crank out 11,000 records a day. Some hold tunes from superstars such as Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac, while others feature more esoteric fare.
Furnace was founded as a much smaller operation in 1996 by Eric Astor, who’s also a musician and label co-owner. But this new plant—which started making disks in November—has recently transformed it into one of the country’s biggest vinyl-manufacturing outfits.
The plant’s eight refurbished Toolex Alpha machines squeeze puck-shaped balls of molten PVC between two stamper plates, creating the grooves that hold the music. “Vinyl-record pressing is still hands-on,” says Astor. “It’s very much a craft because every record is a little unique.”
When we stopped by Furnace, press operators John Garman and Andre Butler showed us how they made an album by indie band the Mercury Program, which they pressed on limited-edition blue vinyl. From this point, the disks went through a quality-control process, then got slipped into jackets, wrapped in plastic, and boxed up to send to distributors. “I look at records as being almost meditative,” says Astor. “They allow you to slow down a little bit and enjoy people’s art being translated through a format that goes back over 100 years.”
This article appears in the February 2019 issue of Washingtonian.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Roe v. Wade Was Overturned. These Protests Are Happening Around DC.
Anti-Abortion Clinic Protests Are Getting Bigger and More Aggressive
A Massive Asian-American Led Protest Is Happening Saturday. Here’s What You Need to Know
Death and the All-American Boy
“The Handmaid’s Tale” Is Filming on the National Mall and the Photos are Kinda Intense
Washingtonian Magazine
July 2022: Summer Music Guide
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
July 2022: Summer Music Guide
Why Everyone’s Talking About Bartees Strange’s New Album, ‘Farm to Table’
Guest List: 5 People We’d Love to Hang Out With This June
Not Just Foxes: 5 Animals You Might Spot at the US Capitol
More from News & Politics
Devastation, Joy, and Fury: Reactions From the Supreme Court
Roe v. Wade Was Overturned. These Protests Are Happening Around DC.
PHOTOS: DC’s British Embassy Caps Off Queen Elizabeth’s Platinum Jubilee
Photos from the Supreme Court: Roe v. Wade Has Been Overturned
50 Years After Title IX: Why Survivors Still Need More Protections
Anti-Abortion Clinic Protests Are Getting Bigger and More Aggressive
“Reading Lolita in Tehran” Author Azar Nafisi on How Freddie Mercury of Queen Helped Her Survive Life in Iran
This Maryland Start-Up Is on the Brink of Winning a Prestigious XPRIZE