Record Label

Nordsø Records

Nordsø Records was Danish vinyl pressing plant in business from 2016 to 2026. Located in the Nordhavn district of Copenhagen, the plant held two German Newbilt pressing machines, a listening studio, a record shop, a bar, and a small stage used for inhouse concerts. Established in 2015 by Michael Hjort (a.k.a, No. 1 (2)) and Henrik Damm Krogh that also manage daily operations, the first records for retail were pressed in October 2016. On 14 January 2026, Nordsø Records ApS announced it's bankruptcy due to e decrease in order flow. Manufacturing process Retail releases The mastering, plating and printing of artwork was outsourced to third parties and Nordsø Records only handled the pressing and packaging: When an order was received from a record company or an artist, Nordsø Records sent the sound files to Railroad Tracks in Germany. Using Direct Metal Mastering technology, they cut a copper-plated master disc and shipped it to OMS in the Netherlands that produced one or more stampers, depending on the size of the order. The stamper(s) were in turn shipped to Nordsø Records for pressing, and OMS stored the master disc for reuse in case Nordsø Records ordered more stampers. Nordsø Records exclusively used new black or coloured vinyl for pressing, and typically pressed between 500 and 1200 records per stamper. Quality control was done in the plant's listening studio on the test press and on pressed record number 1, 76, 151, 226, etc. by comparing the sound to the original sound files. Artwork was printed in Germany and assembled with the vinyl record at Nordsø Records before the finished product was shipped to the customer. Nordsø Records kept the stampers in their storage room so they could be used for repressing in case a record sold well. Private releases Nordsø Records occasionally produced dub plates in one single copy for private use, typically for DJs or for birthday gifts. Such dub plates were cut directly onto a blank vinyl record using Nordsø Records' own lacquer cutting machine, located in the listening studio and operated by Hjort. Logo Presence of the Nordsø Records logo on a record's artwork indicates that the records was pressed by Nordsø Records. It's optional and was decided by the customer when placing an order. Runouts Nordsø Records pressings can be identified by the following matrix scheme in the runouts: NR YY XX NN NNN - sn [signature] yyyy • NR = Nordsø Records plant identifier • YY = year ("2019", "2020"...) • XX = vinyl format identifier (12=12", 10=10", 07=7") • NN NNN = a sequential number, starting with "00 001" every year • s = side identifier (A, B, etc.) • n = digit (1, 2, 3, etc.) • [signature] (optional) = signature of the cutting engineer at Railroad Tracks, often his initials. • yyyy (optional) = year the master disc was cut (e.g. 2022) The full matrix string was added to the master disc by Railroad Tracks during the mastering process. OMS did not add any identifier to the stampers. Hence, it's not possible to distinguish records pressed with different stampers, nor is it possible to distinguish represses from the original pressing from the runouts. Pressing rings Early LPs pressed by NR have two pressing rings: An inner pressing ring with a diameter of 33 mm and an outer pressing ring with a diameter of 73 mm. • Examples: [r=12077019] (2018), [r=35143790] (2023) Following a change in moulds on the pressing machines in late 2023 or early 2024, the outer pressing ring disappears on later pressings. • Example: [r=33029556] (2024) Submission instructions Unless specifically credited otherwise, Nordsø Records should only be credited as pressing plant. The leading sequential NR XX YY ZZ ZZZ part of the runouts can be entered in the catalogue number field. • Examples: [r=9528280] (2016), [r=14302937] (2019), [r=24046709] (2022)