Did you know that you can DIY and customise your own vinyl records right here in Singapore? Vinyls are now seen as “retro”, but there was once a time when Singapore actually made and produced their own records. ART/ST Records is one unique spot in Singapore that’s bringing back this vanishing trade and making it cooler than ever with their DIY Vinyl Workshop.
ART/ST Records is a cosy home studio located in the Katong area, and they’re probably the only place where you can customise and design your own vinyl record and EPs. ART/ST works with 8-inch square-shaped lathe-cut records, these are handcrafted one by one, instead of mass-produced like many of the circular vinyls you usually see in-stores. During your private workshop session, you’ll get to design and create your own vinyl cover art, participate in custom audio mastering and watch your audio track being cut into the vinyl record live, in person.
The DIY Vinyl Workshop is priced at $388 for up to 2 persons per session, and includes 1 custom vinyl record you can take home. Even though the workshop is supposed to be 2.5 to 3 hours, you’ll probably spend much longer here: sessions are meant to be relaxed and not rushed, and you’ll learn plenty about the vinyl-making process and history along the way. The intimate workshop is fully guided: you’ll start by designing your cover art using a unique water marbling technique. They’ve got plenty of paint colours you can pick from, and you can select as many (or as little) as you like to create your water marble design. The result: an unpredictable yet beautiful album art cover that’s entirely unique to you.
Before your workshop session, you can send over your own audio recording (up to 7 minutes) to be mastered into a track. For this part, do note that copyrighted commercial or Spotify music by other artists will not be accepted to be used for your custom vinyl record. All audio clips used for the workshop must be royalty-free, to protect the work of all artists involved. Some examples of audio clips that you can use include personal voice recordings, ultrasounds, your own singing or playing of instruments, recordings of ambient sounds and more. If you don’t have any audio clips on hand, not to worry: ART/ST also offers a special Bio-rhythm Recording technique that you can do on the spot. How it works is that you’ll and your partner will be linked up via sensors that will record your body’s internal bio-rhythm and turn that into a distinct, listenable sound.
Then it’s time to cut your audio track onto the actual vinyl record: you’ll be able to see the grooves being cut into vinyl in real time using a specially-imported cutting machine. The finished product is a fully playable, real vinyl record that’s all yours. The final finishing touches is to add your cover art and decorate it even further with their selection of unlimited stickers, deco tape, pens and more. Feel free to also bring along your own keepsakes like polaroids or ticket stubs to make it even more personal.
Even though you don’t have a record player, it doesn’t mean you can’t participate in this workshop—the custom vinyls are designed to be a physical and tangible representation of core memories. They’re like pieces of art that you can put on display to remind you of important moments in life: the heartbeat of your child, memorable conversations between friends or even the words of a loved one who’s passed away. You can enquire for availability and book your session at ART/ST Records directly via their WhatsApp.
ART/ST Records
Address: Katong area (exact address upon booking confirmation)
Opening Hours: By appointment only
