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the story behind APC–2july 16, 2026why did we decide to engineer our own professional record cutter?the industry continues to rely heavily on restored vintage lathes, such as the neumann VMS70 and VMS80, while the pool of technical expertise needed to maintain them keeps shrinking. building a new cutting lathe has never been easy. many have tried and failed. companies like neumann spent decades refining the cutting head. that knowledge is partly lost and partly held by a very small number of specialists. swiss inventor flo kaufmann, is one of the few experts capable of repeatedly building cutting heads that match or even surpass the historic originals. his DIALBA cutting heads, used also in SUPERSENSE’s MASTERCUT machines, demonstrated this ability, though each one remains highly time-consuming to produce and production is limited. recreating a new cutting head from scratch is a massive undertaking, with uncertain results.the APC–2 project is a collaboration with our friends at SUPERSENSE. it is designed to produce original playback discs with superior sound quality in real time. it is more affordable than industry-standard machines, easier to use, and suited to serial production.the machine includes a vacuum suction system that holds the record in place while cutting, a custom-designed tonearm for playback, and Wi-Fi-based configuration. it also has a built-in amplifier, power supply, and vacuum pump. all in one system.the first APC–2, on display at supersense in viennabut what makes the APC–2 interesting isn’t only how it works. it’s what it makes possible. traditionally, cutting a record meant entering a closed system that required access, approval, a record label, and resources. for a long time, the machine itself acted as a gatekeeper. we hope the APC–2 can begin to remove that barrier. in that sense, the APC–2 modernizes record cutting and changes who gets to do it, and how.we spoke with florian (founder of SUPERSENSE), oscar (chief development officer), and tomas (senior software developer), all of whom are behind our new industrial record cutter. what is their vision for the future of the APC–2?“it might sound ambitious, but the dream is clear: that this machine will lead to millions of records that would never have existed through traditional pressing plants.

we’re not trying to compete with large-scale production. we’re opening up something different.florian, founder of supersense, and oscar, chief development officerthis is about accessibility: small editions, records on demand, different shapes and sizes, made anywhere. we’ve already seen glimpses of this, capturing a live performance and turning it into a physical record shortly after. that kind of immediacy simply wasn’t possible before. it’s about creating a new environment for making records. not factories, but beautiful spaces where sound can be captured and turned into a physical object in the same moment.i don’t yet know exactly how it scales globally, but that’s the direction. it’s about changing the relationship people have with records. at the same time, we want to introduce the machine slowly, learn from it, and understand how people actually want to use it. what do they make? what do they need? how can we move beyond the limits of the old system?it’s very much in line with our philosophy: offering tools that cover the entire process, from creating music to producing the physical format. and what’s exciting is that this isn’t niche. everyone understands what a record is. this connects with people in a very direct way.”shimmer performing at supersenseat the beginning of june, we soft-launched the machine at SUPERSENSE’s premises in vienna. we invited one of our close friends, Shimmer, who performed for the guests while being recorded live to disc. this marked the first time the machine had been shown in public, working in real time. this record is available at SUPERSENSE.explore APC–2a phonocut session with shimmer, recorded with CM–15, Tx–6 and Tp–7 at supersense in vienna. all audio in the video is recorded from a record made with the APC–2.June 11, 2026miami-based duo INVT, consisting of luca and delbert, are known for their raw, club-focused sound and heavy output. over the past decade, they have toured extensively and released a big catalog of music. last week, they released their 14th album, 8 am Swim, which they describe as their most thoughtfully developed work to date.give us an introduction to INVT.yeah, so we’re INVT, a duo from miami.

we’ve known each other basically forever, since we were like 11. we grew up playing in bands together, one of us on bass and the other on drums, and then in our early teens we started getting into electronic music. we dropped our first record around 18, and it’s been about 10 years now of doing this seriously. since then we’ve toured a lot, played all over the world, and built up a pretty big catalog, over 200 songs. everything we’ve done has been independent, just building the project ourselves over time.do you prefer to work with hardware or digitally?honestly, it depends on what works in the moment. we’re not really tied to one or the other, we use both hardware and the computer, whatever helps us get ideas out the fastest. using hardware is fun because it kind of breaks you out of routine. if you’re always on the computer, things can start to feel a bit stale. switching workflows keeps it fresh. sometimes we start ideas on hardware, sometimes on the laptop, sometimes even on the phone. it really just depends on the project.who or what are your current inspirations?a lot of it comes from our lifestyle, traveling, playing shows, experiencing different places together. touring has been a huge influence on how we think about music, especially seeing how different crowds react. musically, we’ve been into a lot of older house, early 2000s tech house, uk sounds, and also a lot of global stuff. latin rhythms, different club styles, just pulling inspiration from everywherewhat did the process behind 8 am Swim look like?this is probably our most refined project so far. we’ve released a lot over the years, but with this album we really slowed down and focused on making something cohesive. it took about a year, which is the longest we’ve ever spent on a project. it leans more into house compared to some of our older stuff, but it still feels very much like our take on that sound. a lot of it came from touring and learning how to hold a dancefloor over time.

we also wanted to step back from constantly releasing music and instead build something that feels complete as a full body of work.make sure to listen to their new album 8 am Swim here.may 21, 2026swedish artist dj haydn has established himself as a key figure in stockholm’s underground scene. having collaborated with artists such as raghd, kornél kovács, and lover’s skit, he continues to push creative boundaries. expanding his presence within the swedish music landscape, his sound is characterized by a fusion of breakbeats and distorted synthesizers. we had the opportunity to speak with him about his career, artistic influences, and the equipment that defines his creative process.what’s the story behind the name dj haydn?i was obsessed with dj screw when i was a kid, and it pretty quickly felt like you had to have “dj” in front of your name. haydn, i picked that up from some rom-com. it’s been with me since my teens, so i don’t really think about it anymore. you grow a bit distant from it after a while. people often send me photos of classical haydn (you know, the other guy) records, though, and i love that they’re thinking of me when they’re out browsing.what got you into making music?the cd player at home was always warm when i was growing up. it was either hendrix, massive attack, afx, or my sister’s tlc records. i remember really digging into it when i started noticing the difference between sampled tracks and live-played ones. i got my dad to explain sampling and looping in detail, and i guess that’s when it clicked, i just needed to know more. i still don’t fully get it, but i like that. it’s cool in theory.where do you find inspiration?i’m very visually inspired. a lot of my ideas come from things i see or experience, and then i try to translate that into a sonic environment. i also get random eureka moments listening to P2 while doing the dishes, lol.what’s the most unexpected thing you've sampled in a track?everything feels meant to be sampled, in a way. i don’t really believe in ownership of sound. you can’t bottle up air and sell it… ethically.

i’m sure there’s some idiot in la working on that too, but that’s not gonna stop me from breathing. i’ve always wanted to twist and feel every sound i hear, so nothing has ever felt too strange or off-limits to sample. that said, i do think there’s a responsibility. you need to be able to stand behind what you use. whether it’s an old composer or a piece of nature, it has to earn its place in what you’re making. i once made a snare by throwing a rock at a wind turbine. the reverb inside it was kind of insane, actually. that one felt good.what does your setup look like?i try to keep things pretty straightforward and fluid, at least right now. i’ve been glued to my tascam 244 lately, along with my octatrack, my OP–XY, and my TP–7.who inspires you the most at the moment? sofftronic, otiys, akahugo, brenda el rayes, kornél kovács, b12: these people keep pushing their own sound and the creative boundaries around them, whether they realize it or not. it’s really liberating to see, hear, and feel. especially up close.if you were to describe your music as a dish, what would it be? it’s a three-course, for sure.dj haydn just released the first single from his upcoming album, bring the drama. you can listen to it here.dj haydn on spotifydj haydn on soundcloudK.O.–SIDEKICKAPRIL 28, 202615 years ago, we didn't add undo to the OP–1 tape. we wanted to stay true to the feeling of recording at home with your 4-track. but to be honest, sometimes it’s nice to get a do-over. that’s why we are undoing what we did, we’re adding undo.tape undoperhaps the most requested feature on the OP–1. with the tape undo you can now run back the tape, fix your mistakes and have another go. seven stages of undo give you the flexibility to make plenty of mistakes.midi control, improved sync and midi monitoringmidi has been significantly expanded in 1.7.0.