Today we’d like to introduce you to Heath Gmucs.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I’ve been involved in music starting in the ’80s playing a hosting open mic nights around Cleveland. I ended up meeting other folks and playing in bands. I ended up touring with a band called Hotchacha, and we had a local label, Exitstencil Records, put out our first vinyl on a 7″ in 2009. I found out it was pressed right here in Cleveland, and it blew my mind that there was a pressing plant here. Coming from a blue-collar factory worker background and tired of couch surfing on tour in 2010, I decided to apply.
“Hello, I’m calling to find out if you have any openings for employment.”
“We don’t have any positions open right now.”
“Do you have an application I can fill out to keep on file?”
“We don’t have any applications.”
“Do you give tours of the facility?”
“We sure do!”
So, I scheduled a tour of Gotta Groove Records and showed up with my resume.
I knew before I got there that I wanted to work at GGR, but after I saw the machines running, I was hooked.
It took me three more months to eventually get hired to this new 10-person operation.
I started in the packaging department in 2010 and moved into the pressing operations side in 2011.
We were making the standard splatter variants and half and half color variants at that time, and at the end of those runs, I started experimenting with different techniques of pressing colors together.
I ended up developing a process that, even with different colors, I would get the same design and pattern.
I started Wax Mage Records with the help from a coworker in 2015. After some in-depth time studies, GGR was able to start offering a few of these designs to the public.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When I first started making records, learning the machinery was the biggest adventure. I still, 12 years later, learn new ways to troubleshoot, and problem solve issues that come up with our machinery.
The next struggle was getting familiar with the medium. Heating and cooling parameters for each ever-changing formula and color. Learning what colors have a higher noise floor and how to dial them in to reduce that noise. Beyond that was combining them with other colors to create the least amount of noise shift in one single record made up of multiple colors.
Once I had some of those issues worked out, it was all about creating repeatable designs, time studying them, and then starting to show what I created on my Instagram that was started in July of 2015.
Gotta Groove Records was and still is a huge supporter of Wax Mage Records. Offering at least a dozen designs that anyone can add to their order.
My struggles are different now in that I’m hustling to keep up. The collectability in these limited releases has changed the way audiophiles and collectors look at custom vinyl. My hope is that more record pressing plants allow their operators to experiment ‘throwing wax.’ I’m inspired by so many things, but getting inspired seeing another press operator interpret what they see on my Insta is huge.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m not only the production manager, but I design and build custom handmade records at Gotta Groove Records. I’m the owner and creator of Wax Mage Records. What sets WMR apart is that we took collectability for vinyl to the next level and are still unmatched for our vinyl in the industry. Gotta Groove Records has the highest quality product on the market and I’m proud to work within a company that not only cares about the customer and the product but cares for the crew that makes it all happen.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
For anyone just starting out in the vinyl industry my first piece of advice is to find folks who support and encourage you to learn. Read and research everything you can, make connections in every corner of the industry as possible. Find a good teacher, a person who is already doing what you’d like to do, and connect. Remain teachable even if you’ve hit that 20-year mark in vinyl. Always be teachable, be humble, be kind.
I learn so much from my crew every day. A good leader works for and cares for their crew. I wouldn’t be doing what I get to do every day without them, and I have the highest regard for everyone at Gotta Groove Records.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gottagrooverecords.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/waxmagerecords/?hl=en
- Other: https://www.instagram.com/gottagrooverecs/?hl=en
Image Credits
Robyn Raymond
Matt Chasney
