Electro Preorders

Electro Vinyl Pre-orders: Upcoming Albums, 12-inches and Represses

Why pre-order electronic music on vinyl?

Electro vinyl pre-orders reflect a basic fact of the genre: pressings are often small. Many electronic labels press in small quantities, with no guarantee of a repress, and a 12-inch or an album can vanish from stores within days. Ordering before release lets you pick your edition, black or colored vinyl, and compare offers from partner stores before they run out.

The current pre-order lineup spans the whole electronic spectrum: pioneers like Cabaret Voltaire and Coil, Ryuichi Sakamoto, experimental producers such as Arca, club artists like HAAi, Logic1000, Dusky and Two Shell, and the ambient work of Emily A. Sprague and Carmen Villain. From close listening to the dance floor, each format has its own rules.

12-inch at 45 rpm, double LP, repress: reading the listing

In electronic music, the format matters as much as the title. A 12-inch single cut at 45 rpm has wider grooves and a hotter level, which is ideal for DJs. Electronic albums are often spread over two discs to preserve the low end, which explains a higher price than a single LP. Labels such as Warp Records, Ninja Tune, Kompakt and Hyperdub regularly open pre-orders for albums and 12-inches.

• Speed: 33 or 45 rpm, especially for DJ use
• Disc count: single, double or triple LP
• Repress: a new pressing of a sold-out title, not a new release
• Color variant: sometimes exclusive to one store
• Download code included or not

Electronic reissues: classics and rarities back on vinyl

A good share of electronic pre-orders are reissues: remastered landmark albums, label anthologies and hard-to-find 12-inches pressed again. For a classic, compare editions: a new remaster or a straight repress, original or redesigned artwork, bonus tracks or not. Reissues from Cabaret Voltaire or Coil, for example, are closely followed by collectors of industrial and experimental music.

For a club 12-inch, a repress is often the only way to get a track without paying resale prices. Following label announcements and checking back on this page helps you catch those new pressings as soon as they go up for pre-order, rather than finding out once they are gone.

Comparing electronic vinyl pre-order prices

The same electronic record can be priced differently from one store to the next, particularly limited editions. On Vinyles.com, each product page lists the offers available from partner stores: you compare the exact edition, then order from the store you choose. Release dates are estimates, since pressing plants are busy, and delays of a few weeks are common.