It sounds better on vinyl: Chippewa Falls couple launch custom vinyl record business | Local News

Vinylus, a custom vinyl record cutting company based in Chippewa Falls, is providing the area with a unique outlet to express their love for music. Started in March 2020 by co-owners Eric and Izabella Warner, the couple runs Vinylus out of their home and provides individuals the opportunity to purchase custom cut 7”, 10” and 12” vinyl records complete with custom artwork and track-listings.

“We’re at the intersection of people’s relationships with music,” Eric Warner said. “It’s a gift that’s incredibly heartfelt and personal. It’s different than buying something that is mass produced. Like someone at a photo shop sometimes see images only meant for one person to another, the projects can become very personal and very fulfilling.”

The story of the Vinylus co-owners begins when they met in Australia in 2001 while Eric, an ex-rave promoter was pursuing a master’s degree in electronic arts. From there, the couple moved to Poland and their love for vinyl came to a head. The couple traveled to Germany to purchase a lathe machine from a well-respected audiophile and took it with them when they moved back to the United States.

From there the couple started a record label called Abstrakt Xpressions in 2018 and then partnered on Vinylus to make use of their lathe machine in their free time.

“This is an experience people can live and then relive,” Izabella Warner said. “You don’t just get to listen to a record and then it’s gone. You’ll always have this memento. Music is the ultimate communication medium, because you don’t have to have words, you can just have music and it will say everything you need it to.”

The process for creating a custom vinyl record is incredibly intricate and detail oriented. The first step is Izabella making contact with the buyer and settling on a tracklist, arranging the custom artwork, and from there Eric takes over. A lover of all things audio, Warner takes the time to master the audio for each release prior to cutting their blank French imported raw record, and ensure the product is free of imperfections prior to shipping the final product out to consumers.

The majority of individuals who purchase products from Vinylus are couples looking for a unique gift for an anniversary, a birthday, or a vinyl LP with the music from their first dance at their wedding.

Music makes up the foundation of both the Warners’ relationship and business, so Vinylus is a labor of love for the Chippewa Falls couple. Their days consist of working full-time and raising a family, so spending their extra energy putting music out on vinyl is a project they both welcome with open arms.

“If it isn’t worth putting on vinyl, it isn’t really worth putting out in my opinion,” Eric Warner said. “If it isn’t etched into something that will outlast you, what’s the point in putting it out at all?”

You can find out more about the custom products available from Vinylus at their website https://vinylus.com/ or on Instagram at @custom_vinyl_records.