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The Church Studios

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Coordinates:51°34′39″N0°07′25″W/ 51.5775°N 0.1237°W/51.5775; -0.1237
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This article is about the English recording studio. For the American recording studio, seeThe Church Studio.

The Church Studios
Company typeRecording studio
IndustryMusic
Area served
London, England
OwnerPaul Epworth
Websitethechurchstudios

The Church Studiosis arecording studiolocated in a former church inCrouch End,North London,England. It was rented and then owned byDave Stewartin the 1980s and 1990s, and was used to recordEurythmics' second albumSweet Dreams (Are Made of This)(1983).David Grayacquired ownership in 2004 before British record producerPaul Epworthbought and refurbished the studio in 2013. It has since been used by notable artists such asAdele,Beyoncé,Mumford & Sons,ColdplayandMadonna.

History

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It was built in the 1850s and served solely for religious purposes for theAgapemonitesect until the middle of the 20th century. As a result of the social changes that took part in the second half of the 20th century, the building became desired within the creative industries. It was eventually split in two halves; one continuing as a traditional church, the other a creative studio that has been through a number of ventures since the 1980s.[1]

In the beginning of the 1980s, animators Bob Bura and John Hardwick bought the building. In 1982 they rented out the church room upstairs toDave StewartandAnnie LennoxofEurythmics.Stewart and Lennox converted the room into a recording studio and used it to complete their second albumSweet Dreams (Are Made of This)(1983). As the popularity and success of theEurythmicsincreased, they purchased the building from Bura and Hardwick and recorded much of their catalogue there. The Church Studios' legacy continued to be established with artists such asBob Dylan,Radiohead,Robert Plant,Elvis Costello,Depeche ModeandMy Bloody Valentinebeing welcomed.[2]

In 2004, singer-songwriterDavid Grayacquired ownership of the studio. Gray recorded four of his studio albums at The Church Studios:Life in Slow Motion,Draw the Line,FoundlingandMutineers.[3]He also welcomed other artists, includingBombay Bicycle Club[4]andKaiser Chiefs,[5]to use the studio. Gray's ownership lasted for almost a decade, however due to the decline of record sales changing the landscape of the music industry, Gray decided to move on and the studio became under threat of falling into the hands of property developers.[6]Eventually music producerPaul Epworth,who was looking for a studio facility of his own, bought the studio and took it over in October 2013.[7]

The 2013 refurbishment

With the help of Walter-Storyk Design Group[8]and Miloco Builds,[9]Epworth transformed The Church Studios into a modern studio complex. While the top floor was left relatively untouched, the downstairs floors were completely refurbished to offer three studios: a large tracking room, anSSL studioand a writing suite.[1]In the large tracking room he installed a 72 channel vintage EMI Neve console consisting of two halves: one fromAbbey Road Studiosand one from the Pathe Marconi Studios in Paris.[9]The downstairs studio, featuring a vintage SSL console, had to be raised off the ground to deal with the high sound pressure levels, as a pair of custom Augspurger monitors were installed.[8]

Artists

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EMI console at The Church Studios

After the renovation of the studios, artists such asU2,[10]London Grammar[11]andLana Del Rey[11]have recorded in the studios.Adelefilmed a live version of her song "When We Were Young"in the main studio in 2015, which has been watched more than 550 million times on YouTube.[12]In 2018,BeyoncéandJay-Zused the SSL studio to mix four of their songs, as well as cut vocals for another, onthe Carters' first albumEverything Is Love.[13]Around the same timeMumford & Sonsused the renovated studio complex to work withPaul Epworthon their albumDelta.[14]Madonna's fourteenth studio albumMadame X,released in June 2019, was part recorded and mixed in its entirety in the SSL studio.Coldplay's eighth studio albumEveryday Lifewas part recorded in the Neve studio in 2019.

Despite 2020 being a difficult year for music, the studios have managed to keep busy and host some of the finest musical acts around the UK.The 1975have partially recorded their albumNotes on a Conditional Formin the SSL studio in January 2020. That same summer, artists such asSlowthai,Arlo ParksandBirdyhave used The Church to work on their albums.

In 2021,Davereleased his second studio albumWe're All Alone in This Together,which was recorded in the SSL studio.

In 2023The Weekndis recording his last album withMike DeanandMetro Boominin The Church. Is coming soon, probably next year

List of artists who have recorded, mixed or filmed at The Church Studios:[15]

References

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  1. ^ab"The Church Studios History - London Recording Studios".Milocostudios.Retrieved19 March2019.
  2. ^"Dylan studio 'could become flats'".Bbc.co.uk.21 August 2012.Retrieved19 March2019.
  3. ^"David announces sale of legendary London studios".Davidgray.Retrieved19 March2019.
  4. ^"Bombay Bicycle Club unveil acoustic album".The Line of Best Fit.Retrieved19 March2019.
  5. ^"Kaiser Chiefs - The Future Is Medieval".Discogs.Retrieved19 March2019.
  6. ^"Singer hits a sour note with Crouch End neighbours as he plans to turn".Evening Standard.20 August 2012.Retrieved19 March2019.
  7. ^"The Church Studio, re-opened by new owner, Paul Epworth".The Music Producers Guild.15 May 2014.Retrieved19 March2019.
  8. ^abMolho, David."The Church Studios / Paul Epworth".WSDG.Retrieved19 March2019.
  9. ^ab"The Church Studio 1".Miloco Builds.Retrieved19 March2019.
  10. ^"U2 'recording' new album in famous Crouch End studios - News - Broadway - Hampstead and Highgate Express".2 July 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 2 July 2014.Retrieved19 March2019.
  11. ^ab"London Grammar - Miloco".Retrieved19 March2019.
  12. ^"Adele - When We Were Young (Live at The Church Studios)".YouTube.17 November 2015.Retrieved19 March2019.
  13. ^"Beyoncé: EVERYTHING IS LOVE: Credits: EVERYTHING IS LOVE".Beyonce.Retrieved3 September2020.
  14. ^Aubrey, Elizabeth (20 September 2018)."Mumford & Sons return with 'Guiding Light' and announce details of new album".NME.Retrieved19 March2019.
  15. ^"The Church, London".Discogs.Retrieved19 March2019.

51°34′39″N0°07′25″W/ 51.5775°N 0.1237°W/51.5775; -0.1237

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