THE D."
Tati: IT MUST SOMEBODY
LIST.
THERE DETROIT IS KNOWN FOR
MAKING MUSIC BUT THIS MAKING
MUSIC IS KIND OF A DIFFERENT
WAY OF GOING ABOUT IT.
Chuck: FOR DECADES ONE
BUSINESS HAS STOOD THE TEST
OF TIME THEY'VE BEEN RIGHT
IN THE HEART OF HAMTRAMCK AS
THE WAY WE LISTEN TO MUSIC
HAS CHANGED OVER TIME ONE
THING HAS REMAINED THE SAME.
THAT'S RIGHT, PHOTO
JOURNALIST ALEX ATWELL SHOWS
US WHAT MAKES ARCHER RECORDS
UNIQUELY DETROIT.
IT IS A MANUFACTURING
CITY.
THIS IS DEFINITELY A BLUE
COLLAR JOB.
THIS IS WHAT WE DO HERE WE
MAKE THINGS.
I'M MIKE ARCHER THIS IS
ARCHER RECORD PRESSING.
OVER HERE IN DETROIT WE'VE
BEEN HERE FOR 51 YEARS.
BACK IN THE MID-80s IS WHEN
C.D.S STARTED OVERTAKING
VINELE AND VINYL REALLY
STARTED TO DECLINE.
AS THE BIGGER PLANTS PEOPLE
HAD TO FIND A PLACE TO GET
IT MADE.
WE WERE STILL HERE TO FILL
THAT NICHE.
SO BASICALLY THAT'S ONE OF
THE REASONS WE'VE BEEN ABLE
TO HANG AROUND.
WE'RE THE RIGHT SIZE WE'VE
ALWAYS MANAGED TO STAY BUSY.
YOU PUT THAT WITH THE FACT
WE'RE HERE IN DETROIT.
IN THE 80s IS WHEN THE DANCE
MUSIC WAS COMING ON AND THE
DANCE D.J. THEY ALWAYS LIKE
VINYL.
YOU CAN SEE WE HUSTLE ALL
DAY LONG HERE WE'RE ALWAYS
KNOCKING OUT RECORDS AS FAST
AS WE CAN.
NOTHING IS EASY RIGHT, WE'RE
DEALING WITH OLD EQUIPMENT
IT'S ALWAYS A BATTLE TO KEEP
THINGS RUNNING.
THESE MACHINES RIGHT HERE
ARE ROUGHLY 45 YEARS OLD.
SO IT'S A BIT OF A BATTLE
SOMETIMES FINDING PARTS.
IT'S BASICALLY YOU LOOK AT
IT AND YOU FIX IT.
THE FIRST STEP TAKES PLACE
AT A CUTTING STUDIO.
CUT THE ARE RECORD THERE.
WHEN THEY'RE DONE WITH IT
THEY SEND IT TO A PLATING
PLANT.
THAT PLATING TAKES THAT LACK
QER AND THE METAL PARTS COME
BACK FROM THE PLATING PLANT
THAT'S WHAT WE LOAD ONTO OUR
PRESSES TO MAKE THE RECORD.
SO THIS IS OUR VIRGIN VINYL.
THE VIRGIN VINYL ARE ALL
BEATS THESE ARE GOING TO BE
ALL RECORDS.
WE TAKE OUR VINYL THIS IS
OUR HOPPER RIGHT HERE.
THE BARREL IS HEATED STEAM
AS THAT VINYL BEADS THROUGH
THE BARREL IT MELTS.
HERE'S WHERE IT COMES OUT.
AT THE SAME TIME YOU GOT
YOUR A-SIDE LABEL WHICH IS
ON THE TOP AND B-SIDE LABEL
ON THE BOTTOM.
ONE THE VINYL GOES INSIDE
THE PRESS THE RAM GOES UP
IT'S ABOUT 100 TONS OF
PRESSURE.
AT THE SAME TIME, WE'RE
HITTING THAT DYE SO WE GOT
HEAT AND PRESSURE MELTING
THE VINYL AND ALL THE
GROOVES.
ONCE THIS IS W
THIS SIDE OF THE PRESS AND
TRIM OFF THE EXCESS VINYL.
WE HAVE A TRIM PLATE THAT
PULLS OFF THE EXCESS WE CAN
GRIND THAT BACK DOWN.
WE MIX IT BACK IN WITH THE
VIRGIN VINYL WE GET ABOUT
80% VIRGIN IT MAKES A LITTLE
BETTER RECORD AND A LITTLE
STIFFER.
THERE'S NOTHING GOING IN THE
GARBAGE.
IT SEEMS LIKE PEOPLE ARE
REALLY PASS FWHAD PROCESS.
WE AIM FROM BUFFALO, NEW
YORK WE JUST PLAYED IN
DETROIT LAST NIGHT.
Reporter: NORMALLY
THEY'LL COME IN HERE WHERE
THEY'RE MAYBE IN A SMALL
BAND WE'LL MAKE A RECORD FOR
THEM.
WE GOT OUR SEVEN INCHES
PRESSED HERE LAST YEAR AT
ARCHER RECORD PRESSING.
Reporter: THEN MAYBE THEY
WILL COME BACK AND DO BIGGER
THEN ALL OF A SUDDEN, BAM,
THEY TAKE OFF.
IT SEEMED COOL, HONESTLY.
WITH THE WHOLE VINYL
COMEBACK.
THE WHOLE MANUFACTURING
THING I MEAN PEOPLE LIKE
SEEING SOMETHING COME FROM
NOTHING.
THEIR MACHINES THEY SAID
ARE DECADES OLD THEY STILL
WORK THEY'RE DOING ONE AT A
TIME.
IT'S KIND OF A COOL PRODUCT.
THEY JUST WANT TO SEE WHERE
IT CAME.
FROM THESE GUYS NAME FROM
NEW YORK.
IT'S COOL SEEING IT IN
PERSON.
WE MADE A RECORD FOR THEM WE
SHIP THEM OUT TO THEM.
THEY HAPPEN TO BE IN DETROIT
THEY SAY WE WANT TO SEE
WHERE THE RECORD IS MADE.
IT'S AWESOME THAT IT'S
STILL GOING.
WE HAVE PERSEVERED FOR 50
YEARS.
YOU DON'T SEE TOO MANY
BUSINESSES LASTING 50 YEARS.
HERE WE ARE ALWAYS WE'VE
ALWAYS HAD THE DANCE
MUNCHING TO KEEP US GOING.
DANCE MUSIC AND BEING AT THE
RIGHT SIZE AND THE RIGHT
CITY.
QUITE HONESTLY IT'S
PERSEVERANCE TO COME INTO
WORK EVERY DAY AND YOU JUST,
YOU KNOW, MAKE RECORDS.
Chuck: WHAT A GREAT
STORY.
I COULD NEVER HAVE GUESSED
WE'VE BEEN DOING THAT THIS
LONG IN METRO DETROIT.
Tati: WHEN THEY WERE
MIXING THE CONCOCTION TO
MAKE THE VINYL.
THAT WAS BEYOND COOL.
Chuck: ON THE WEEKEND
WHEN I'M DOING PARTIES AND