Vinyl Art x Daniel Edlen
If you’re new here, this is the official MeWeFree blog, CISED, which is an acronym for “Celebrating Ill Shit Every Day.” It’s pretty much just me sharing artwork (which can come in many forms) that I think is dope and bigging up the artist. Today, I decided to share the work of an artist that I came across not too long ago while scrolling social media. The artist’s name is Daniel Edlen and he transforms vinyl records into works of art. He paints white, acrylic portraits of the musician who made the specific album on the vinyl record. “My goal with vinyl art is to take something old and make it new again,” he said in the video above. “To breathe new life into that object; to celebrate both the object and the subject of that record.”
A little background info on Edlen can be found on his official website:
Growing up in the era of the CD, my dad thankfully got me into vinyl. I love everything about it, from the pops and clicks and the ritual of dropping the needle to the blue sticky stuff to weigh down the tone arm just right and the smell of a record cabinet.
When I was a teenager, I was dividing my free time between art classes and used record stores when something clicked. I took one of my many salvaged and beaten old Sgt. Pepper albums and put brush to groove.
As digital music took over, friends suggested I start selling my work. There was an immediate response, probably related to the lack of something to hold of today's format. After a few group shows, word of mouth, and the growth of social media, it all started to come together.
Along the way, I had the privilege to paint pieces for the David Lynch Foundation auction, a VH1 gallery show, and have had my art become part of the Hard Rock Hotel vibe. I've loved being able to give back to the culture, to say thank you with what I do.
So, spinning vinyl is hip again, yet something like 40% of vinyl being bought never even gets played. There's something about the tangibility of the memories, a physical thing, which lends itself to expanding collections. My work fills a niche, and makes for a cool wall of art.
Music has always been a big part of our identity, cultural and individual. Sharing that love of music has always made friends out of strangers and created a community. So we gather. And see the music.
Some may think that Daniel is wilding for painting on sacred vinyls, but he assures naysayers that he only uses records that are nearly beat to death and unusable. After applying the paint to the record, each is framed with the original album sleeve behind it in a shiny, black, aluminum LP frame to give it a “simple and elegant” look. Daniel’s painted vinyls are available for sale at his online shop with prices ranging from $280 (which is the case for most) up to $1,175 for his Led Zeppelin set of four. Check out some of the ones that stood out to me below:
James Brown x Daniel Edlen
Aretha Franklin x Daniel Edlen
Isaac Hayes x Daniel Edlen
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. x Daniel Edlen
Gil Scott-Heron x Daniel Edlen
Learn more about Daniel Edlen’s vinyl art at his official blog.
