Czech this out

Everybody’s doing it, so why can’t you? That is, why not put out your demo on luscious 7” or 10” vinyl for a fraction of cost you might expect, via the strange route of Eastern Europe? GZ Digital Media is the pressing plant currently favoured by many of those on the Irish D.I.Y vinyl revival scene. Based in Lodenice in the Czech Republic, the company is inundated with business from Irish bands with bags of talent but a shortage of dosh, bands such as The Dudley Corporation, Dot Creek, Nerdlinger, the NPB, The Frames and The Jubilee Allstars to name but a few.

GZ DM describe themselves as “the most important manufacturers of audio and data carriers in Central and Eastern Europe,” citing decades of experience, skilled staff and modern equipment as the reason for their success. Presumably, offering one of the most competitive deals is also a factor. The company formerly known as Gramofonov Zavody, before its name update last year, was founded in 1948 – the first LP was pressed in 1951, cassette production started in ‘72 and they’ve been making CDs since ‘88. Other services include premastering, CD replication, label printing, picture discs and cassette duplication.

Roscommon punk band Nerdlinger released their first vinyl 7” Roadkill Stew EP through GZ DM. Frontman Cormac Sheehan explains: “The company is being used by pretty much all the small Irish independent labels. The thought of putting out a record can be quite daunting, but it’s a lot simpler than you’d imagine. We mostly communicated with the company via e-mail. We sent them our DAT tape and the artwork for the cover and ordered 300 copies, sending a money transfer order to their bank account. It worked out at something like £1 per record, which is really cheap.”

“There was quite a long delay,” he adds. “They were supposed to be ready by August, but it was well into the next year before they finally arrived. But that was mainly due to problems with the artwork at our end, rather than solely the plant’s fault. And you do get the boxes delivered straight to your door, so it’s nice and handy.”

Dublin indie label Scientific Laboratories use GZ DM to press vinyl for The Dudley Corporation, Joan Of Arse and The Asteroids. Label manager, Joss from the Dudleys, reckons the current growth in popularity plus: “The recent demise of some British vinyl pressing plants means GZ DM are currently overrun with orders. Other labels I know which use the plant include Julius Geezer and Alpha Relish. The vinyl prices are listed on their website and they are definitely cheaper than most other plants, and fairly trustworthy. There were rumours that some German Nazi punk music had been pressed there, but the plant claimed they were sent the music without any info as to what was on it, so they weren’t to know. They say they try to vet anything offensive or illegal.”

Daragh Keogh of Catchy Go Go Records is another regular customer: “Everybody’s using them, just because they’re the cheapest and quite reliable. We operate on a basis of taking people’s advice on the best way to go about releasing records and this was recommended. So far Catchy Go Go have had several pieces of vinyl pressed with them, including the NPB’s ‘Plastic Love’ and ‘Sadder Day Blues’ 7-inches, the ‘This Is My Happening…’ 10-inch, the El Diablo singles and the recent 46 Long record.”

Daragh admits that operating with a small and distant European outfit can have drawbacks. “The 46 Long one took a lot longer to get done than we expected. The person we normally dealt with left the company and nobody told us. Somebody else took over but she went on holiday for a few weeks, and the person standing in had hardly any English. But it got sorted out in the end. I think there’s a high turnover of staff in the summer, plus the plant was under a lot of pressure recently what with plants in the UK shutting down.”

There’s also the small matter of taxation. Boxes arriving through customs, containing what may or may not be retail product have a 50/50 chance of being stuck with a hefty tax wallop. “We’ve always been taxed on all the records,” says Daragh. “It’s unlucky ‘cause plenty of people do get away with it.

“We’ll definitely continue to use them, at least until there is a better alternative,” he goes on. “I’ve heard mixed reports about the quality, but our records have always been grand. We send over our artwork on film, which makes it a lot easier. Plus the company are cool about sending back test copies.”

If nowhere in Ireland or the UK is successfully fulfilling the demand for cheap good quality vinyl, Eastern Europe seems the place to go, assuming a single small operation can continue to cope with the growing demand. At GZ DM vinyl record quantities range from 100 to 3000, with prices varying accordingly. A pressing of 300 records would average out at about fifty pence sterling per record, with additional costs for processing from CD or DAT and special services such as editing, pause cleaning and engraving. All details are available from the GZ DM website: www.gzcd.cz