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.
Don’t Miss Another Big Story—Get Our Weekend Newsletter
Our most popular stories of the week, sent every Saturday.
Most Popular in News & Politics
It’s Really Happening: Donald Trump to Leave DC on Wednesday Morning
The New York Energy Mogul Who’s Remaking an Eastern Shore Town
Here’s a Map of the “Capitol Green Zone” (AKA Inauguration Street Closures)
White House Staff Packs for Move Behind Trump’s Back
DC Inauguration Shutdowns: Everything You Need to Know About Metro, Roads, and Other Closures
Washingtonian Magazine
January 2021: Joe Town!
View IssueSubscribe
Get Us on Social
Get Us on Social
Related
Rename T.C. Williams for Meghan Markle? It Could Happen!
Wonder Woman Kicked So Much Butt at Landmark Mall That They Had to Turn It Into a Hospital
How Did Your City Do on LGBTQ Protections?
These DC-Area Albums Are Showing up on Best-of-the-Year Lists
More from News & Politics
The NRA Declares Bankruptcy, Will Keep Offices in Fairfax for Now
Former Congressional Staffers Are Saying Thank You to Current Workers
“Stop the Steal” Protesters Could Be in DC by Early Saturday
How to Talk to Kids About the Attack on the Capitol (and Everything Else)
Looks Like There’s Only One Pro-Trump Rally Officially Planned for DC During Inauguration
DC Inauguration Shutdowns: Everything You Need to Know About Metro, Roads, and Other Closures
It’s Really Happening: Donald Trump to Leave DC on Wednesday Morning
Politico Announces Its New Playbook Team