The Okki Nokki Is a Hi-Fi Record Cleaning Machine That's Not Stupidly Expensive

A customer cleans ABBA’s Super Trouper with the Okki Nokki record cleaning machine

Record cleaning machines are not cheap. In fact, you can expect to pay roughly $1,000 for a good one. Despite this cost barrier—and the fact that not everyone in the world is the type who's gearing up for Record Store Day on April 19, (believe it or not)—there are over a dozen of record cleaning machines on the market. But too many of them are either cheap and shitty or too expensive.

Then there’s the Okki Nokki, potentially the most beloved of all. Created by the Dutch entrepreneur Johan Bezem, it's a cheap and effective option.

From what it sounds like, Bezem is surrounded by the type of beatnik jazz fans who skulk around in cafes, wear all black, and brag about their record collections, and he invented the machine for his friends. The Okki Nokki machine fits the high-profile record collector with a vacuum system planked on a turntable, which cleans records with a vacuum and a secret formula fluid. Basically, it scrubs your grooves.

It all began in 2004, but Bezem is a dude who is still working on improving the Okki Nokki’s performance. The Rotterdam-based businessman spoke to us about his record collection, the hi-fi scene, and his invention that keeps on inventing itself.

The Okki Nokki record cleaning machine

NOISEY: How do you feel about vinyl collecting today? Is it still active?

Johan Bezem: Of course, there are a lot of record collectors and the hi-fi scene who play records. There are three different kinds of people—people who collect records, some of which have a really good hi-fi system, people who collect and listen to records on a really good hi-fi system, and the hi-fi scene who have expensive hi-fi and the most collectible records. But the people who are collecting and playing vinyl is expanding all the time. The market is getting bigger and bigger.

Are you sure?

People are buying new records, so you always need an Okki Nokki when listening to records. You’re never at the point where you never buy new records—or second hand records—anymore. People need it, absolutely.

How many records do you own?

[Laughs] I own about 4,000 records. I have friends who have 15,000 high-end, exclusive jazz records. A lot of people with a big jazz hobby listen to jazz music on vinyl. I am also listening to jazz, but I am a Mickey Mouse in this world.

Would you say the Okki Nokki is a vacuum cleaner? It sure sounds like it.

There is a vacuum cleaning motor inside of the machine, but it’s not a vacuum cleaner. It’s a machine. It cleans the dirt on the records, the only thing the vacuum cleaner does is suck it up and put it in the reservoir. You can clean old records, but you also have to clean new records. With vinyl, when the record is made, there are all kinds of dirt in the grooves. You cannot see it, but it is there from the process of making the record.

Can you hear the difference before and after cleaning a record with the Okki Nokki?

There are curtains over on top of your speakers when you play a record without cleaning it, while when you clean it; the curtains are away from the loudspeaker. It’s like putting your hands over your mouth. The sound is more clear, you have more depth, the music picture is wider, all of those kinds of things.

What about the fluid that cleans the records?

The formula? It’s a secret. Not a lot of manufacturers know how to make a fluid. We have a professional fluid made by a chemical maker of fluids for over 20 years.

How did you come to invent this in 2004?

More than 20 years ago, I started listening to vinyl. I got into hi-fi equipment, and I started distributing record players in the Netherlands. I was [one of] the first big distributors who sold record players. What we learned from the beginning is that you have to clean your records because it sounds much better than not cleaning it. The problem was that the record cleaning machines were too expensive, like 1,000 Euros. That’s too much money. It should have all kinds of options. We started with this cheap machine at 275 Euros and had a big success from the beginning. We developed the machine over the past 10 years into something really professional. The whole design is created with the price in mind, the end price. The record cleaning business is done by all types of people making hi-fi equipment. This business, people don’t care about the end price. They make the Rolls Royce versions, and people don’t care because it’s audio. It’s a very strange world for these audio manufacturers. They don’t sell anything, but that’s something they don’t realize. The concept of the Okki Nokki is different. I designed a machine based around the price point.

How many countries is it in now?

About 60 countries at the moment, there will be this year and next year, many more countries. In South America, a lot of countries and Asia and we recently began in China and Asia. There’s a big demand for our project because it’s unique and it’s the cheapest in the world and one of the best. We have the lowest price and its one of the best machines on the market. Our biggest clients are in Germany and America.

How many have you sold?

We’ve sold about 20,000 machines up until now. People buy them for life.

Nadja Sayej lives in Berlin and keeps her records spotless. She's on Twitter - @nadjasayej.