In On The Record, we speak with members of the Precious Sound community about their music truths, precious mementos, and more.  

In today’s On The Record, we sit down with Rachael Yaeger, co-founder and producer at Human, a creative and technology studio located in Chinatown, New York that is responsible for our beautiful branding. She also is impressively co-owner of a small but legendary fly-fishing motel in Roscoe, New York. We discuss her career and how creativity encompasses every area of her life, as well as her revered playlist curation skills. 

Rachael Yaeger

Precious Sound: What did music mean to you growing up?

Rachael Yaeger: Music was fun growing up, music could set the mood easily. My parents were always listening to Hootie & the Blowfish while hanging out by the pool or garden growing up. I remember listening to a lot of rock with my dad in the car like R.E.M., Lynyrd Skynyrd, AC/DC. 

PS: And what role does music play in your life today?

RY: I make a lot of playlists (most recent here). I listen to a lot of music driving from Roscoe to the city and vice versa. I share music with my friends all of the time as a way to say I’m thinking of you or to put someone in a good mood. 

Rachael's latest playlist

PS: What’s on your playlist these days?

RY: I listen to a lot of jazz music and piano music. I am really into Hans Otte and I often work or relax to Playing Piano for Dad Album by h hunt. Also Robohands and Resavoir. I recently saw Elori Saxl at Public Records and Yu Su at Nowadays in Brooklyn.

PS: What's an album, song, or piece of music that evokes a precious memory for you?

RY: Valerie by Amy Winehouse! I was in graduate school in London and my best friend Jill came to visit for a month so we would pal and travel around. One random evening we ended up at a piano bar all dressed up and started dancing and singing along to Amy Winehouse. Yesterday I was waiting for the F train and a singer was playing Valerie and it made me smile so much. 

PS: What most excited you about Precious Sound’s silver, gold, and platinum records?

RY: Putting records in precious metals truly honors music in such a significant way. I think it’s an exciting new way to treasure music and musicians and albums. Precious Sound is both a new and timeless way to appreciate music. 

PS: What most surprised you about Precious Sound’s silver, gold, and platinum records?

RY: How beautiful and satisfying the gold record is to hold.

PS: And what song or artist would you like to see (and hear) on a gold record?

RY: I would love to see Nina Simone on a gold record!! 

Rachael and her Human co-founder, Michael

PS: Your agency Human recently turned 10 years old, looking back what is your proudest moment and your biggest learning?

RY: After ten years we finally launched our own website! We have never had a website and have only worked with clients via word of mouth. My proudest moment was scrolling through all of the case studies on our website and knowing every intimate detail of what went into each project. My biggest learning is not to take the little moments for granted, I can be hard myself, thinking we need to be more buttoned up and we need to be charging more, and we could have done a better job on launching a site, but at the end of the day when you go and grab a coffee, getting one for your business partner too is what matters most; taking good care of each other. 

Roscoe Motel, the ultimate fly fishing location

PS: As the owner of Roscoe Motel in upstate New York, how do you think about designing Experiences?

RY: Probably to a fault I under design experiences, letting the people in them inform the vibe and feel, a very humble and easy experience. I love to curate spaces with books, I think books can provide a lot of insight as to what the space is about. At the motel we have so many fly fishing, bird watching, gardening and nature books strewn about and that communicates what we value, people walking into reception can easily see what we’re about. 

PS: As you got the know our Precious Sound team and product, developing our brand, what struck you most?

RY: The longevity of the team. The Precious Sound team is truly invested in creating a world class innovative engineering and design product. The Precious Sound team are marathon runners that understand quality. The team is extremely thoughtful and knowing that good things take time is truly baked into your DNA. 

Our Precious Sound logo, designed by Rachael and Human NYC team

PS: We love the care your team took in originating the Precious Sound logo, especially the marriage of handwriting and type. Could you tell our readers what inspired this choice?

RY: Luxury is in the handcrafted human approach to the Precious Sound product. We wanted to communicate the care, skill and craftsmanship behind the brand and business. Music is also personal and there is something so fitting about having our logo hand drawn. 

Rachael and her dog, Chuck

PS: What does an ideal evening look like to you?

RY: If I am in New York City we have a work studio at 80 Bowery and I love to go for an after work drink at Casetta at 61 Hester Street and sit outside with co-workers, friends and my dog Chuck, it’s such good vibes there and reminds me of sitting outside of a wine bar in Neukölln, Berlin. After that tacos at Playita on Clinton St, walking the dog in Seward Park, holding hands, maybe a watermelon juice from the corner bodega. Tinkering on my laptop answering some emails or making a playlist or prepping for the class I teach at SVA.