“5 easy dems” – 8″ Collector’s Vinyl

In 2024, I put out a collection of one-off lo-fi iPhone Memo-demos made with a drum machine and looper setup called 5 easy dems on Soundcloud. Two years later, to put a new spin on the EP, the tracks have been formally cut in a small batch of 25 8″ clear vinyl by Philly-based DIY outfit Consonant Collective, featuring a fresh (original) cover art and different shapes. Check out the photo shoot of the finished product:

The folks who run Consonant Collective, Katie and Joe, emboss the grooves using a combination of artisinal lathes and custom stones for the styli. In this case, the stylus they used was amythest. According to their webpage, records are cut monophonically at ~85% fidelity of standard wax vinyl, giving the audio a natural layer of analogue warmth and warble—perfect for playback on Crosleys and vintage systems.

Joe and I originally connected online through the forums of Subvert.fm. I’d been looking for a way to physicalize some of my music and thought the demos, already lo-fi, mono-mixed, and 14-minutes in length, would make a great fit for some exclusive 8″ cuts.

Here are some short videos of the lathe in action during the test batches:

****14 records remain (8 discs, 6 squares)! If you’d like to buy one online, contact me and I’ll mail it out (~$20/record, shipping included)****

Hands-on (update):

The order arrived within a week on March 30th. Holding it in my hands and hearing these tracks played back in a new light was quite a positive sensation. I love how the analogue warmth and crackle enrich the inherently lo-fi-ness of the recordings. Being manually cut, no two discs are made the same—each “copy” sounds and looks unique.