The Art of the Dubplate | Acetate Dubplate Production Process

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We met Roberto from 'Acetate Dubplates Service' in Barcelona to get an insight into the art of cutting dubplate vinyl.

Acetate Dubplates Service:

Long before digital files and USB sticks took over DJ booths, the dubplate was king. Born in Jamaican sound system culture in the late 1960s, dubplates are custom-cut vinyl records—usually acetate—that allowed selectors to play exclusive, unreleased tracks. Originally used to test mixes or showcase an artist’s latest riddim before mass pressing, dubplates became prized weapons in musical clashes, especially in reggae and dancehall.

The process of cutting a dubplate is as tactile as it is technical. A lathe engraves the audio directly onto a soft, lacquer-coated disc in real time, often with the engineer adjusting EQ and levels on the fly.

While rooted in Jamaican traditions, dubplate culture expanded globally, influencing genres like jungle, drum & bass, UK garage, and later dubstep and grime. In these scenes, dubplates became symbols of authenticity and underground credibility, allowing producers to test unreleased tracks on dancefloors or gift them to trusted DJs.

Today, as vinyl experiences a renaissance and niche scenes seek out physical artifacts of sound, dubplate cutting has found new life among DJs.. Whether as a throwback to a golden era or a statement of sonic identity, the dubplate remains a powerful emblem of music as both craft and culture.

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