These are glory days for aging hipsters: The availability of both limited-edition vinyl releases and bespoke strains of weed may be greater than ever. Vinyl sales are at a 28-year high in the United States, and cannabis is legally available for medical and/or recreational use in 28 states. Which, perhaps, made inevitable the arrival of the first known record pressed from hash.
“It’s all about putting two old-school vintage mediums together,” says Jon Phillips of Silverback Music, the team that made the LP and manages the stalwart jam band Slightly Stoopid. “Vinyl is an old-school medium, and that’s how we feel about hashish, too.”
The nostalgia trip wasn’t cheap: Each of two prototypes was made using $6,000 worth of bubble hash (a super resinous variety that bubbles when ignited), which cost an additional $1,000 to stamp and master at Los Angeles vinyl-mastering studio Capsule Labs (engineer Gil Tamazyan collaborated).
The first prototype, etched with the grooves of Slightly Stoopid’s “Dabbington” (a jazzy, stoner-friendly instrumental) produced a passable sound, but the office potheads couldn’t help chipping away at it for their own enjoyment. A second attempt produced questionable audio; a third (and final) attempt is planned for early in 2017.
“Originally, we wanted to do this to bring awareness to legalization,” says Phillips (“the sheer wow factor” was a motivator, too). For now, he plans to market Slightly Stoopid branded bubble hash to dispensaries, with a portion of proceeds donated to cancer research.
As for the final record itself, it may be auctioned off for charity or may end up on the wall at Silverback’s office. “It’s not something you’re going to plop on your turntable over and over again,” says Phillips. “For now, this is an art piece.”
This article originally appeared in the Jan. 28 issue of Billboard.