How does Latvia's only vinyl record factory work? Interview with Semikols founder
Vinyl records were pressed in Latvia before World War II, but production then stopped for several decades. Since August 2017 it has resumed in Riga, at the Semikols workshop on Jūrkalnes Street.
Vinyl record production in Latvia has a long history, dating back to before World War II. However, after the war the industry fell silent for several decades, leaving the country without any company engaged in record manufacturing.
That changed in August 2017, when production resumed in Latvia. Since then, vinyl records have once again been made in Riga, on Jūrkalnes Street, at the workshop of the company Semikols. It is currently the only company in the country producing vinyl records.
The factory's operations and history were discussed in an interview given to the LSM.lv portal by Semikols' founder. The conversation covered how the record-production process works and how this craft, once forgotten in Latvia, has been revived.
Vinyl record production has also been experiencing a revival elsewhere in the world in recent years, as the popularity of the analogue sound format among listeners has not faded. In Latvia's case, a tradition that began before the war now continues in a single workshop — a small but notable step in restoring the industry in the country.
