We’re not specialists when it comes to reggae and that’s why we collaborate with the Uphill Sound System to bring some jamaican style flavor on our online radio. Last week, we visited Uphill’s engineer Lester, the man responsible for cutting those duplates that made Uphill’s infamous live reputation. Dubplates are mostly used by reggae sound systems to show off their exclusive recordings when “clashing” against each other. But some use them to play their newly produced tunes at parties while others order them as an exclusive gift for a friend musician or to play new releases in their jukebox, …

You want to keep vinyl alive? You can’t resist the need to play your own music on your one and only personal record? Contact Lester - Belgium’s n°1 dubplate cutting and mastercut service, that is!

info(at)dubplate.be - website - myspace.

This Neumann VMS-70 lathe from 1971 with SX74 cutterhead has been bought in UK and has been assembled following Albert Grundy’s advice who came from the US to spend one week in Lester’s studio.

The cutterhead. When producing large amounts of vinyl records, a record press is used but when dealing with limited quantites or dubplates, the grooves are just cut into the disc.

Helium to make sure the head doesn’t blow.

Choosing the size/speed for the record and launching the process.

Neumann 74B amplifier.

Professor Lester checking that the grooves are right.

We arrived at Lester’s with a CD and a few minutes (and some of the most in-depth explanations) later, we received the first ever Laid Back dubplate featuring two Infinitskills tracks: Solar Heat (prod. by Eric P.) - Gratitude (prod by. LuiGi)

Pictures by Louis Van De Leest aka LuiGi.
Thanks to Lester for sharing his passion for records with us!