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Journey continues for RI music after opening of Jakarta vinyl pressing plant
Almost half a century ago, Indonesia shuttered its only vinyl record pressing plant after Lokananta switched to duplicating cassette tapes.
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An Allegro-I pressing machine operated by PHR Pressing. (The Jakarta Post/Courtesy of PHR Pressing)
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lmost half a century ago, Indonesia shuttered its only vinyl record pressing plant after Lokananta (then PN Lokananta) switched to duplicating cassette tapes.
After the plant’s closure, cassette tapes and, later, CDs became the predominant format, and vinyl records were pronounced "dead".
In recent years, vinyl has somehow defied the odds and experienced a resurgence, mostly propelled by younger generations of music enthusiasts who are drawn to its sound quality and artistic appeal.
But for musicians and record labels who want to press their music on wax, releasing records has been a hassle, as they have had to manufacture the product overseas, and with most pressing plants experiencing backlogs, it can take months for the process to be completed.
Those difficulties may now be coming to an end. On Aug. 5, PHR Pressing, a partnership between the record store PHR and the independent music label Elevation Records, officially launched a state-of-the-art pressing plant in Cengkareng, West Jakarta, with the primary aim of breaking the impasse.
PHR Pressing is trying to capitalize on the vinyl boom, which began in the country in the mid aughts.
At the time, independent labels such as Grieve Records, Grimloc and FFWD were among the first to press music on vinyl, including releases by legendary bands Kelelawar Malam, Homicide, The SIGIT and Southern Beach Terror.
