Special Broadcast Of
Vintage Recordings
www.RadioDismuke.com
Special Broadcast Of
Vintage Recordings
www.RadioDismuke.com
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Spring 2026
Kurt Nauck has announced that
Nauck's Vintage Records will not be holding its usual
spring auction this year. As a result, there will be no
spring edition of the Nauck's Vintage Records Broadcast
for 2026. The next Nauck's broadcast will take place
later this year in conjunction with Kurt’s autumn
auction.Radio Dismuke's New Process Viva-tonal Broadcast (Hosted by Dismuke and Matt From College Station) May 16 and May 17 Accordingly, we have decided to produce a broadcast of our own to air in its place and are pleased to announce the upcoming Radio Dismuke New Process Viva‑tonal Broadcast, hosted by Dismuke and Matt from College Station. During the broadcast, Matt and Dismuke will take to the turntable to spin popular music and jazz 78‑rpm records from between 1925 and 1935 made by either the American or British branches of Columbia Records, as well as by labels Columbia acquired in the 1920s, such as OKeh in the United States and Parlophone and Odeon, which came under Columbia’s control with its purchase of the German‑based Carl Lindström Company. What all of the records we will be playing have in common is that they were manufactured with Columbia’s super‑quiet “New Process” laminated surface, introduced in 1923, and were recorded electrically—that is, using microphones rather than acoustic recording horns. Columbia began making electrical recordings in 1925 and advertised them as “Viva‑tonal Recordings.” Columbia and its arch rival Victor/His Master's Voice both used the electric recording system devised and licensed by Western Electric, which was vastly superior to any of the other electrical recording systems used in the 1920s. Victor and Columbia both had excellent engineers and produced top‑quality recordings. What makes Columbia's records from this period especially distinctive, however, is their laminated “New Process” surface, which significantly reduced surface noise compared with other records of the era. This, combined with the fact that Columbia and its subsidiary labels featured many of the era’s top artists, makes surviving copies in excellent condition a pure joy to listen to. And even when the records are in less‑than‑ideal condition, it is not uncommon for them to deliver a far better performance than their visual appearance would suggest. Here at Radio Dismuke, these records are especially appreciated, as their “New Process” surface makes the audio‑restoration work needed to clean the recordings up for inclusion in the Radio Dismuke playlist far easier than records from any other label in comparable condition. Indeed, when such records are in near‑mint condition, apart from restoring period‑correct equalization, the amount of additional work required is minimal. This broadcast is our tribute to what we regard as the finest records, in terms of production and manufacturing quality, made during the late 1920s and early 1930s—and to the enormously talented artists who appeared on them.
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