Retro Progression

Combining his passion for music, especially vinyl, and up-cycling, Josh started Retro Progression back in 2012.

“While more and more people were bringing out their records from their dusty lofts and garages to play, there was still a huge amount of vinyl being thrown into landfill sites where it would take thousands of years to break down. While we can’t expect everyone to keep their scratched singles or random compilation albums, I knew there had to be something I could do to prevent this waste while creating something new, useful and meaningful.

The original concept was to take records that were destined for landfill, and then we would turn them into clocks. We opened our first ever market stall in the East End of London at Spitalfields Traders Market. Customers could pick out the records that meant something to them, and we turned them into clocks on the spot. This is something we still do now on all of our market stalls. The beauty of these clocks is that we don’t damage the record, and the specific clock mechanism we use fits through the hole in the middle with no modification or alterations to the record necessary, which means the clock can be taken apart, and the record will still work.

However, I still wanted to do something about the thousands of records that are too scratched for display or too random to be meaningful to many people. In 2014, we began creating cut-out designs using a scroll saw in our North London studio. We created striking silhouettes of music legends and iconic album art, now our most popular products.

Today these clocks are cut in East London’s Hackney Wick using a laser cutter, and we have over 100 different designs. We also offer custom designs, as well as a range of classical music and movie posters and retro tin signs, so do get in touch if you’re looking for something unique.”