About Retro Progression
Combining a passion for music, film, and upcycling, we create handmade works of art and music memorabilia from recycled materials. Our products include one-of-a-kind vinyl clocks, music posters, and other music-related items.
Josh Staines started Retro Progression in 2012 after graduating from university:
“While more and more people were bringing out their music records from dusty lofts and garages to play,
there were still a huge amount of classic vinyl records 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 also creating something new, useful, and meaningful.”
Retro Progression launched as a market stall in the East End of London at Spitalfields Traders Market. Customers could select a music record that meant something to them, and we transformed it into a clock on the spot. This is something we still do today at all of our market stalls. You can find us at Spitalfields Traders Market and Covent Garden Jubilee Market seven days a week.
About Retro Progression’s Vinyl Record Clocks
The beauty of these retro-style vinyl clocks is that we don’t damage an original record. Instead, we reuse mis-presses and blank records for our laser-cutting process.
At our market stalls, we also sell original record clocks that we don’t cut. The clock mechanism fits through the hole in the middle of the music record, with no modifications or alterations to the record itself. If you wanted to, you could take the clock apart and still play the record.
The original concept was to take old vinyl records that were destined for landfills and upcycle them into collector’s item clocks. Aside from the playable music records, there were still thousands of vinyl music records that were too scratched to play (or display), or too random to be meaningful to anyone alive today.
So, 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 one of our most popular products.
Custom Retro Designs
These days, we create our clocks in our East London workshop using a laser cutter and have over 100 different designs, as well as an expanded range of classic music and movie posters and retro tin signs. We also create custom designs by request–
do get in touch if you’re looking for something unique or ideas for a meaningful gift.
Take a look around the site while you’re here, or come say hi in person at one of our market stalls!
