The Acetate Spiral

The cold open

Rain slicks the concrete canyons outside the soundproof glass of Stave & Needle Audiophile Studios at two in the morning. Inside the velvet-lined mastering suite, the heavy vacuum-tube amplifiers glow a dull amber and the sapphire stylus of a Neumann cutting lathe silently tracks across a ruined lacquer disc. Slumped across the mixing console lies Godfrey Marchand, his lips tinged violet and his fingers curled around a shattered glass of aconite-laced tonic.

The victim

Godfrey Marchand, 55, master vinyl mastering engineer and audiophile studio proprietor

The lineup

• Verity Chen
• Rupert Hollister
• Gideon Pryce
• Noelle Kaspar