Houston, we have a record plant. For the first time since Houston Records closed more than 30 years ago, artists can have their own albums pressed on vinyl right here in town.
In June of this year, Houstonian Joel Hoyle opened 610 Record Manufacturing and already he’s been a busy guy putting out two albums and moving through the list of artists. “I had to become an engineer,” says Hoyle whose previous experience is in music and restaurant supply.
He describes spending eight hours a day watching videos online, buying old books and magazines about making records on ebay and cold calling other plants to ask questions of anyone who would answer the phone.
“I was trying to learn anything I could about it,” he says, describing his awe at the fact that people would actually take his calls, answer his questions and let him come in and observe their vinyl plants when possible.
“That’s something that’s completely blown me away in this industry. I’ve never worked in any industry where the people are just completely helpful and supportive in an honest way. There are people who have been making records longer than I’ve been alive and people who have invented things that are now norms in this industry and I can actually call these people.”
When scouting for a location, Hoyle found the East End Maker Hub which opened in 2021. The historic warehouse had what Hoyle was looking for and carried with it the spirit of innovation that he embodies.
“I was online looking for locations and just came across it,” he says of the building which he has cleaned up significantly while respecting some original aspects of the space. “It almost sounded too good to be true because they already had high pressure gas and water and electricity on site. That saved us $100,000 at least and was the difference between us being able to open or not.”
Looking around the space, what sticks out first is the cleanliness and modern sleekness of the entire area, a conscious effort on Hoyle’s part as dust is “the enemy of making records” and can easily ruin them.
The large space is bare with only the two pressing plants in the main room surrounded by bins of rejected material and extra shavings, as well as large containers of the tiny plastic pellets which get combined and smashed with tons of pressure to become the finished product. Numerous metal wheeled carts are lined up around the plant to allow Hoyle and his one man team to safely transport the finished product to the cooling room.
Hoyle preserved the tracks in the room which were used for cranes back in the ‘50’s and add a nice touch of history. Overhead are large pipes which go from the boiler room to the pressing machines creating a loop of steam used repeatedly in the production of the records.
The manufacturing plant also includes a listening room where Hoyle and his employee can check the sound quality of each record, making sure that there are no extra sounds due to dust or damage. Hoyle describes how they enter the isolated room with the goal of listening to any imperfections and trying not to focus on the music, a challenge to the ears when the music is so good.
All of the 610 Records Manufacturing equipment, tools and materials seem perfectly placed to allow the operation to run smoothly with the ability to pump out a record about every 30 seconds if necessary, a speed Hoyle does not strive for as it could lead to mistakes in the process.
“Working in restaurants and retail taught me a lot and influenced me a lot about how I set up this place and how I run it,” says Hoyle who compares the record making process to that of cooking and the importance of having quality ingredients.
The history of making vinyl is long and the technology hasn’t changed very much but with the waxing and waning of interest in purchasing records, the accessibility to the actual machinery needed has shifted.
Hoyle describes a time when people were scouring the world looking for old plants, sometimes traveling to other countries to purchase them based on word of mouth that a plant was closing or had existed previously.
In the case of 610 Records Manufacturing, Hoyle was able to purchase two beautifully designed plants made by Swedish vinyl plant pioneers, Pheenix Alpha.
“We got it easy street,” says Hoyle. “I appreciate all the hard work that everyone before us has done because if they hadn’t done it, I wouldn’t be here and we wouldn’t have been able to open this place.”
It is easy to take for granted all of the hard work, science and innovation that has gone into making vinyl records over the past 76 years. From taking it out of the sleeve to dropping the needle down to listen to the music, it can feel impossible to actually wrap one’s mind around the process that went into creating the final product.
In the eight years since he set off to start his own record plant, Hoyle has gotten to know every step of the process and beyond and it is amazing to know that he not only is the one that pushes that initial button to start the engines but also the same hands seen carefully sealing Bayou City Funk’s latest release, Journey To The Hipside, to give to keyboardist David McJunkin in person.
McJunkin describes how the band was turned on to 610 Record Manufacturing by highly respected Houston sound engineer and producer Chris Longwood. “If Chris says you’re in good hands, I trust him. Honestly, we just wanted to come by and check out the operation because I was so excited about there being a record pressing manufacturing here in Houston.”
It was through Longwood that 610 Record Manufacturing got their first project, Ghost Party’s latest album Ghost Moves. So far 610 Record Manufacturing has continued to acquire clients wanting to press their own vinyl and Hoyle hopes to continue to grow and make products that are meant to be enjoyed for many lifetimes.
Just as a record is really one long groove making the sounds, Houston is surrounded by the giant 610 loop which gave the company it’s name. Appropriately, the 610 loop has long served as a way for teenagers to cruise around, exploring the city and of course, listening to music, an experience Hoyle and his friends also had for themselves back in the day.
Beyond the name, Hoyle hopes to help shine a light on Houston as a historical and important musical hub. He passionately describes the long and often overlooked history of music in Houston, including the recording of what some consider the first rock and roll song “Rock Awhile” by a young Goree Carter at Freedom Records.
“All of those things are part of my mission here,” says Hoyle. “We are in Houston and I want to do anything I can to help the people here. Anything I can do to help anybody help themselves and to put the spotlight on us because we deserve it.”
When asked if after the long and arduous process of opening 610 Records Manufacturing Hoyle ever stops and looks around to consider the importance of what he has done here, he admits he does so daily.
“I’m super duper proud of it,” says Hoyle. “Even if we have to close tomorrow, it would absolutely break my heart, but just the fact that we made it this far I am very, very proud.”
610 Records Manufacturing is open now and located at 6501 Navigation.
This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2024.
