Before magnetic tape, before LPs, before modern studios, music traveled the world on fragile shellac discs spinning at 78 rpm. Excavated Shellac: Voices opens that archive once again, revealing extraordinary vocal performances recorded across continents more than a century ago.
Release Date: December 5, 2025
Label: Dust-to-Digital
Compilation Producer: Jonathan Ward
Restoration: Jordan McLeod (Osiris Studio)
Mastering: Michael Graves (Osiris Studio)
Dust-to-Digital’s Excavated Shellac: Voices continues the label’s acclaimed series devoted to rediscovering rare 78 rpm recordings from around the world. Curated by collector and historian Jonathan Ward, the compilation draws from early shellac discs recorded across multiple continents during the first decades of recorded sound.
“Dust-to-Digital has become one of the most important archival record labels in the world.”
— NPR
Michael Graves’ relationship with Dust-to-Digital spans more than two decades and includes a large portion of the label’s archival catalog. During that time he has worked closely with Ward, whose deep knowledge of early recordings and global musical traditions guides the Excavated Shellac series. Their collaboration has produced several landmark releases, including Excavated Shellac: Reeds, Excavated Shellac: Strings, and the GRAMMY-nominated Excavated Shellac: An Alternate History of the World’s Music. Excavated Shellac: Voices continues that long-running partnership.
One of the remarkable things about early recordings is how well the human voice translates through primitive recording technology. Even with the limitations of early microphones and shellac discs, voices often come through with striking clarity and emotional immediacy. Performances recorded more than a century ago can still feel startlingly present.
At Osiris Studio, restoration engineer Jordan McLeod handled the delicate work of restoring Ward’s transfers, carefully removing surface noise and other distractions while preserving the musical character of the recordings. Michael Graves then mastered the collection, shaping the material into a cohesive listening experience while maintaining the authenticity of the original discs.
“From Mongolia to Morocco, Okinawa to Madagascar, the globe is completely open for this deep excavation.”
— Songlines Magazine
For Osiris Studio, projects like Excavated Shellac: Voices represent the essence of archival audio work: preserving historically significant recordings while making them accessible to modern listeners. Through careful restoration and mastering, these rare performances can once again be heard not as distant artifacts, but as living music.
With this newest installment in the series, Dust-to-Digital and Jonathan Ward continue their extraordinary exploration of the global 78 rpm era, revealing voices from around the world that still resonate across time.