Skip to main content

Just don’t ask why: This artist cuts grooves into CDs to make them play like LPs

british artist cuts grooves into cds to make them turntable ready aleksander kolkowski s wilcox gay recordette
Image used with permission by copyright holder
Got a bunch of dated CDs you haven’t listened to in years? Are you a fan of the cozy, crackly nostalgia of vinyl recordings? Then you’d do well to take a page from Aleksander Kolkowski’s book, as the London-based musician has figured out a way to transform compact discs into miniature, turntable-ready recordings by using a modified ’50s-era home stereo and recording device to carve playable waveforms into the modern medium. Kolkowski tells The Atlantic that the result is “a nice, warm sound, like it’s been remastered through an overdriven tube amplifier.”

Of course, we’ve heard of people blowing the dust off their LP’s to digitize their old record collections, but this reverse approach spins the idea on its head (oh yes we did).

This process destroys whatever the CD’s original content may have been, but leaves in its wake a series of grooves that can be played back on any turntable.

Kolkowski’s CD-slicing technique revolves around the customized Wilcox-Gay Recordette — a turntable with attached cutting lathe for producing vinyl recordings of AM radio broadcasts and personal/custom audio via included microphone. The artist has modified his Recordette to allow connections from any digital or audio inputs, expanding his recording options from AM radio and grainy mic recordings to just about anything. The connected device sends an electrical signal to the Recordette’s needle, which in turn carves an identical waveform image of the audio directly onto the disc’s physical surface. This process destroys whatever the CD’s original content may have been, but leaves in its wake a series of grooves that can be played back on any turntable. Kolkowski can fit up to two minutes and 50 seconds of audio onto each disc, which in turn plays at 45 revolutions per minute (RPM).

Wax is bigger than it ever has been for the modern listener – in 2012, vinyl record album sales in the United States jumped 17.7 percent to nearly 4.55 million units. Simultaneously, CD sales continued to decline, dropping 13.5 percent from 2011 to 193.4 million units.

Kolkowski admits that his endeavor isn’t just an artistic or cultural statement. “It’s transforming a disposable media storage device made for cloned copying into a one-of-a-kind cult object,” Kolkowski notes before explaining the ironic other half to his work: “In a way, it’s very tongue in cheek. There’s a lot of fetishism about vinyl, but I see this as quite throw-away, really. I do it for free. People bring a CD and I give them one in return. On a few occasions people have asked me to go into commercial production, but that’s not really my intention.”

The musician has taken his art on a tour of sorts, cutting spontaneous recordings for the various people who show up to witness his unique craft. Some have brought flash drives and requested the transfer of a specific song to one of these repurposed CDs. Kolkowski has even ripped audio from an onlooker’s CD to his own laptop, then carved the content back onto the very same CD, albeit in a much different physical format.

Aleks Kolkowski with the Exponential Horn
Aleks Kolkowski with the Exponential Horn. (Image courtesy of The Science Museum) Image used with permission by copyright holder

The project is part of a larger body of work devoted to the recycling nature of art. According to The Atlantic’s report, Kolkowski currently has an exhibition —The Exponential Horn: In Search of Perfect Sound — on display at the Science Museum in London. The show’s centerpiece is a “full-size reconstruction of the giant 27-foot-long ‘Denman horn.'” According to the official page for Kolkowski’s show, the original colossal horn (created by old-school engineer and audiophile Roderick Denman) was a popular highlight of the Museum’s daily tours in the 1930s, and the museum refers to the horn clone as “the UK’s largest audio loudspeaker.”

Alex Tretbar
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Alex Tretbar, audio/video intern, is a writer, editor, musician, gamer and sci-fi nerd raised on EverQuest and Magic: The…
This JBL waterproof Bluetooth speaker is 43% off right now
JBL Xtreme 2 on a beach.

Bring the party with you wherever you go with a portable Bluetooth speaker like the JBL Xtreme 2, which is currently on sale from Best Buy at 43% off. From its original price of $350, it's down to a more affordable $200 for savings of $150. We're not sure how much time is remaining for you to take advantage of this offer though, so if you're interested, you're going to have to proceed with the transaction as soon as possible. The bargain may be gone by tomorrow, so complete the purchase today if you can.

Why you should buy the JBL Xtreme 2 Bluetooth speaker
JBL is one of the best speaker brands with portable audio as its calling card, so it's not a surprise that there are multiple JBL devices in our roundup of the best Bluetooth speakers. The JBL Xtreme 2 isn't the latest version in its line -- the JBL Xtreme 4 has already been released -- but it's still a fantastic Bluetooth speaker by today's standards with powerful audio using your mobile device as the source. If you prefer a wired connection over Bluetooth, the JBL Xtreme 2 also offers auxiliary audio input.

Read more
Apple’s AirPods Pro earbuds are back at their cheapest-ever price
Apple AirPods Pro 2 inside their charging case, near iPhone 14.

The second-generation Apple AirPods Pro with USB-C are back down to their cheapest-ever price of $189 on Amazon, for savings of $60 on their sticker price of $249. If you don't own the wireless earbuds yet, or if you're thinking about upgrading from an older model, here's another chance at this discount. However, like with most AirPods deals, we don't think it will last long, so if you want to take advantage of the bargain, you're going to have to proceed with the purchase right away.

Why you should buy the Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C
The Apple AirPods Pro 2 with USB-C are featured in our list of the best wireless earbuds as the top choice for Apple fans, partly because of how easy it is to pair them with an iPhone or iPad. Just open their charging case, hold it close to your device, and you're done after a few taps. The Apple AirPods Pro 2 also offer solid audio quality with the capability for wireless lossless audio and Apple's immersive Spatial Audio, so you'll enjoy your favorite music even more.

Read more
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones are back at their Black Friday price
Sony WH-1000XM5 headphones seen in silver.

Here's a highly recommended offer from Crutchfield if you're on the lookout for headphone deals -- the Sony WH-1000XM5 for $328, which is what they were going for during last year's Black Friday. If you weren't able to buy them for this cheap for any reason, here's another chance at the $70 discount on their original price of $398. We're not sure how long stocks will last though, so if you want to buy these wireless headphones for a more affordable price, you're going to have to add them to your cart and check out as soon as possible.

Why you should buy the Sony WH-1000XM5 wireless headphones
There are multiple reasons why the Sony WH-1000XM5 reign supreme in our roundup of the best headphones, but it all begins with its impressive active noise cancellation that allows them to stand out among other wireless headphones. They're very comfortable to wear, so you'll be able to maximize their long battery life of up to 30 hours on a single charge with ANC activated and up to 40 hours without it, and they'll allow you to call up Amazon's Alexa or Google Assistant through voice commands.

Read more