Recording relic from Nuremberg adds authenticity as businesses collaborate to explore the legacy of war

The war thread emerged by coincidence as musician and photographer Stewart Baxter realised how “Bombed Buildings – House” had inadvertently joined the dots from his childhood memories of Hessle Road, back to stories of the devastation caused by two World Wars, and incorporating the lathe which is still used every day by Ben Pike at Rare Tone Mastering.

The result will be a live performance on Tuesday 7 October at Maister House in High Street, Hull. The event will also mark the launch of 20 vinyl records, each of them a limited edition of one with a unique B side featuring spoken comments from well-known figures in arts and culture.

The drummer in acclaimed Indie band LIFE, Stewart began to explore ambient music when the pandemic put paid to touring. He had heard from others about the impact of the war and he has first-hand experience of the demolition and renewal process years later in the streets off Hessle Road.

He said: “When houses were demolished as part of the regeneration we nicknamed them ‘Bombed Buildings’. I have so many memories of playing in them. It was such a big part of my childhood and I can still smell the brick dust.”

The music took shape with input from Dr Mark Slater, a composer, producer and musicologist at the University of Hull, and Danny Thompson, the creative director, producer and founder of Eclectic Music.

A conversation with Josh Williams at  G F Smith, founded in Hull as paper merchants in 1885 and with people and premises devastated by both World Wars, led to the idea of hand-making some vinyl records.

Now the UK’s largest specialist paper company, G F Smith created the sleeve to a design which draws on the building’s character, from the scuffed surface on the flooring at the entrance to the colour schemes of the stairwell and studios. The screen printing was done by Makerspace at Hull Central Library and by local firm Misc Print Co.

The product was taken to the next level by Rare Tone Mastering, where Ben’s Presto 28N double lathe is believed to be the last working machine of its kind in the world. 

Made in 1941 by the New York firm Presto Recording Corporation – described in archives as “a powerhouse in the broadcast and recording industry” – the lathe was one of five shipped to Germany at the end of the Second World War by the US Armed Forces to make transcription discs of the Nuremberg trials, which ran from November 1945 until October 1946.

Afterwards it is believed the lathe went to Radio Free Europe, before being dismantled for storage in Germany and then Switzerland. A contact of Ben’s in Manchester drove to Switzerland in a Transit van to collect it. Ben helped to rebuild it, and then bought it.

Between them, Ben and Stewart came up with the idea of making each record completely unique instead of the standard of them all being the same.

Stewart sent the track to 20 people around the world – writers, poets, friends – and asked them to listen, write something and send a voice note. Contributors include rap musician Chiedu Oraka, aka the Black Yorkshireman, Kate Stables of This is the Kit, French musician and actor Jehnny Beth, and Hull-based poet Audrey Dunne. 

Stewart said: “Each buyer will be the only person in the world with that record – it’s the opposite of Spotify and music for the masses, where you are always chasing numbers and streams.”

Ben added: “I really liked the music and the concept. It’s always nice to work on something that’s a bit different from a standard three and a half minute song. Stewart explained the whole thing about the building he is in and how it had informed the performance. It just seems the right fit to do it on this vintage machine when it has so much history itself.”

For booking details for Bombed Buildings – House visit https://unthinkablefilmfestival.com/