Last week the 2017 Hyundai Mercury prize nominations were announced, and we are so proud to have been involved in many of the albums shortlisted. Of the 12 albums up for the grand prize, five were recorded in our rooms or by our engineers.
Dinosaur – Together As One
Dinosaur spent a week in Livingston Studio 1 recording the entirety of their album Together As One. Using quite a simple technical set-up, in-house assistant Tom Archer says the recording involved much experimenting with pedals, synths and percussion. The studio lent itself to excellent separation, with Elliott’s grand piano, hammond organ and rhodes set-up in the main room, drums in the right-hand room, bass amp in the smaller booth and Laura in the far room.
Glass Animals – How To Be A Human Being
The second album from the Oxford four-piece was Executive Produced by Paul Epworth and recorded in The Church Studios, with four of the album’s tracks mixed by engineer Matt Wiggins.
J Hus – Common Sense
Common Sense is the debut album from London emcee J Hus. The vast majority of the album was mixed with us at Westpoint Studios and The Red Room London by engineer Jake Gordon, who mixed much of last year’s Mercury Prize winning album Konnichiwa.
The xx – I See You
Last year Miloco’s first ever studio, Hoxton’s The Square sadly closed its doors. The xx were one of the last acts to record within its walls when they took on the studio long term to work on I See You.
Stormy – Gang Signs And Prayer
The #1 album from Croydon native Stormzy, Gang Signs And Prayer, was released in February 2017. Miloco engineer Bryan Wilson was involved in the project, engineering across most of the album at an external facility.
Last year’s Mercury Prize winner, Skepta, recorded much of his winning album Konnichiwa with Miloco at Angelic Studios and The Red Room London.
This year’s award show will take place on September 14 at west London’s Eventim Apollo in Hammersmith. All nominated acts will perform on the night, culminating in the announcement of the grand prize at the end of the night.
Posted in Uncategorized |We’re pleased to announce that one of our most unique recording studios, Lightship95, has joined our roster of London long term let studios.
Housed on a boat permanently moored at Trinity Buoy wharf in East London, the studio was purpose built on the ship in what was the engine room!
It has been meticulously designed and built from scratch to offer a superb recording space in a beautiful and inspiring setting. Formally a successful commercial studio, the space is now available to hire on a long term let basis without equipment. The studio furniture can remain if required, including absorbers, difusers, gobos, sofa and the piano.
The price for this exceptional space is £2500 + VAT per month.
The studio is currently available, for all enquiries please e-mail bookings@miloco.co.uk or call us on 0207 232 0008.
With the booze behind the bar, the gazebo up and the DJ (special mention to Gordon Ellington for providing the vibes) spinning, the stage was set for the return of probably the finest football tournament in the World. With 15 minutes until kick off and only half of the teams arrived, things were looking a tad sketchy, but this being the music industry, everyone (well, almost everyone *cough* SB.TV *cough*) arrived just after they were supposed to.
Group Stages
After one or two last minute no-shows, the groups were hastily re-arranged at the last second, and battle commenced under a slightly gloomy Shepherds Bush sky. On pitch 1, the war of the reds (Miloco v Virgin EMI) proved to be every-so-slightly one-sided, as Miloco had clearly taken the selfless decision as hosts to throw their matches in favour of the opposition. Thanks to these frankly heroic tactics, a flattered Virgin ended up with a cool 12-1 victory.
Elsewhere on pitch 2, a rampant SRLV flexed their collective muscles against a slightly jaded Lawrence and the Machine, and stormed their way to another 12-1 victory
Not wanting to feel left out, a menacing Polydor team, kitted out in all-black, completed the hat-trick of first-round 12-1 victories, against a substitute-less Island Records side, who must take the best-dressed award for their beach-themed shirts.
Sadly for a significantly short of breath Island team, there was no let up, as they were straight back into action against a well-organised and pumped-up Natty & the Rebelship, who steam-rollered them 10-1. It was not looking good for Island.
Another dominant performance on pitch 2 saw QPRS sweep aside the Sweat Ent boys in a convincing 9-1 demolition, while back on pitch 1 Miloco carried on their valiant crusade of selflessness by guiding Polydor to an 11-1 victory.
It was straight back into the fray for Polydor as they ground out an impressive 3-1 victory against the mighty Natty & the Rebelship, maintaining their 100% record. Speaking of 100% records, Miloco completed their mission by laying down to an 8-1 defeat at the hands of Island despite their lack of subs, ending their day with a not-too-shabby goal difference of -28
Meanwhile, amongst the sea of one-sided drubbings, a thrilling encounter on pitch 2 between SRLV and QPRS (aka the Clash of the Acronyms, leading to much confusion amongst the refs), finished in a 4-4 draw, surely making it the ‘Match of the Day’ under the shadow of the old Television Centre.
After Polydor, SRLV, QPRS and Natty all handed out a couple more cans of whoop-ass, the group stages were done, leaving the quarter final fixtures to be decided. Due to drop-outs and no-shows, all-but-one team would progress through to the dizzying heights of the Miloco Cup Quarter Finals. On 0 points and -25 goal difference, Sweat Ent were heading home for an early bath, but they weren’t privy to Team Miloco’s master plan… Cue scenes of jubilation as they were informed that they would be going through by a mere 3 less conceded goals.
Quarter Finals
And so it commenced. Knock-out football. No time for games. Play time was over. Other sporting clichés. The scene was set for a mammoth grudge match between Virgin EMI and Polydor in the semis. All they had to do was win their respective quarter finals against SRLV and Lawrence and the Machine.
On pitch 3 it was not looking good for Polydor. 15 minutes played, 5 to go, and they were 2-1 down. Lawrence and the Machine were giving nothing away. With gritted teeth they ploughed on, soaking up the Polydor pressure like a horribly sweaty sponge. But finally, with mere seconds to go, they finally relented, conceding 3 heartbreaking late goals, sending Polydor through to the semis.
But how were Virgin EMI faring over on pitch 1? Shockingly, as it turned out, as they were trounced 8-0 by a rampant SRLV. These boys meant business.
Meanwhile on pitch 2, two undoubtedly strong sides were taking part in a battle royale, with tackles and goals flying in from both teams. In the end, however, Natty and co just proved too much for QPRS to handle, and they ended up with a convincing 7-3 victory. On pitch 4, Island looked to have been brought back from the dead as the cavalry arrived when they needed it most, their two latecomers giving them a whole two subs on the bench for their quarter final against Sweat Ent. While they put up a good fight, the unthinkable happened and Sweat Ent finally put some points on the board, with a hard-earned 7-4 win.
Semi Finals
The semi-finals were upon us. 9 teams had been whittled down to 4. The prize-winners had been decided. But who would win what? For the champions, tracking heaven, as they would have the choice between a day in The Pool or Livingston Studio 1. For the runners-up, a day in the equally alluring Livingston Studio 2. Third place would be mixing some magic through the breath-taking Augspurgers in The Red Room, while fourth place would be relaxing in front of the Augspurgers’ little siblings in the Bridge next door. Everyone’s a winner!
So onto the games. On pitch 1 was a real heavyweight clash. The twinkle-toed magic of SRLV against the hard-hitting boys from Polydor. It was a real back-and-forth, with some fiesty tackles going in, and some absolute peaches being scored. But try as Polydor might, the intricate passing and dribbling of the STLV youngsters just proved to be too much for them, and SRLV sailed through to the final with a commanding 5-2 win.
Pitch 2 saw the ever-consistent Natty & the Rebelship taking on the late-blooming Sweat Ent. Try as Sweat may, they couldn’t stem the flow of goals from the boys in high-vis, who ended up winning the match at somewhat of a canter, with a scoreline of 6-2.
3rd Place Play-Off
Anyone expecting a calm, good-natured game to decide on 3rd place was sorely mistaken. This was a fierce battle from the outset. Tackles flying in, tempers soaring, goals not so much, this was less Ajax Total Football, and more ’88 Wimbledon Crazy Gang.
Things boiled over after the final whistle as cries of ‘ringer’ were heard from the Polydor team, accusations that were never founded nor denied. Anyway, with nothing to separate the two teams (in the heat of the moment, the actual score line was lost for only the hallowed Shepherds Bush turf to remember), it was down to penalties. The penalties were flying in, nets bulging, keepers floundering, crowds gasping, the drama was off the scale. Then up stepped the Polydor captain. You could tell something seemed off. The word ‘ringer’ still echoing round in his head perhaps? Maybe the delicious smell of the Nutkin Café barbeque had distracted him? Or maybe it was just the enormous pressure of the moment. We’ll never know.
But up he stepped, firing just left of the daunting presence of the Sweat keeper. The keeper guessed right, ball cannoning off his outstretched hand. Sweat had secured a podium finish, Polydor dejectedly accepting their fate and slinking away before they’d even accepted their runners-up medals.
The Final
And so, the main event. Ten years in the making. The biggest moment in any music industry professional’s footballing career. The final of the Miloco Cup. SRLV v Natty & the Rebelship. But no sooner than the game had kicked off, Natty was down. The captain, the leader, the talisman. Gasps rang around the theatre of dreams. A wayward SRLV boot had raked Natty’s Achilles Heel. Was it intentional? Sadly video replays haven’t been brought into the Miloco Cup yet (rumour has it they’re on the cards for 2018), but I could certainly see no malice from my vantage point at the bar.
After a couple of heart-in-mouth minutes, Natty finally got back to his feet and jogged it off. He was a different player though. The panache was gone. The turn of pace was diminished. And SRLV could smell blood. They pounced, and pounced again, scoring two in quick succession. The final whistle blew. SRLV had done it. Final score? In truth I don’t think anyone really knows (or remembered to write it down…), but what is for certain is that SRLV were champions.
Prosecco was sprayed, a trophy was lifted, tears of joy were wept.
And that’s how it went down. Thanks to everyone who made it a truly memorable day, and we hope you can make it back again next year to do battle again (and maybe SB.TV will make it this time!)
Check out the photo album on Flickr for all the action shots from the day, and if you haven’t already, please donate to our Just Giving page raising money for Martlets Hospice.
Posted in Uncategorized |Earlier this month saw the release of Oh Wonder‘s stunning second album Ultralife, which we were so pleased to have been a part of. Josephine and Anthony spent many days (and nights!) recording in our flagship tracking room, The Pool, before moving up the hall to The Red Room for mixing.
Last week the duo released Ultralife (Making Of The Album) on YouTube, a 50 minute documentary giving us a behind the scenes look into the recording of the album. You can see Oh Wonder making the most of The Pool’s incredible sound and array of instruments – especially the synths – along with their backing band Yves and George, engineer Tom Fuller, and assistant Jamie. Even our favourite local Indian, Tower Tandoori makes a cameo!
Later you can see them holed in The Red Room, using SSL desk and the whopping Augspurger Duo 15s to get the perfect sound on the record.
Now grab some popcorn and watch the documentary below.
Posted in Uncategorized |This Friday saw the release of alt-pop duo Oh Wonder‘s second album, Ultralife, a follow up to their 2015 self-titled debut.
Since the release of Oh Wonder, the London based duo have had a rigorous touring schedule, sharing their blend of dreamy, synth-driven pop with the world. Earning fans wherever they go has made Ultralife one of the most anticipated local releases of the summer, and they did not disappoint!
Across twelve tracks, produced by one half of the duo Anthony West, the album shows versatility and growth from their debut, adding more up-tempo tracks, like “Ultralife” and “High On Humans”. Fans will be familiar with many of the songs already, with Oh Wonder having released five singles prior to the album’s release.
It’s never easy to follow up a critically acclaimed debut, but Oh Wonder have managed to do it in spectacular fashion, and we are so pleased here at Miloco to have been a part of it. The album was part recorded with us in December 2016 and February 2017 in The Pool, and then mixed in The Red Room London – both studios housed in our south east London HQ.
Read more about the recording of Ultralife at Miloco here.
Posted in Uncategorized |We are please to announce that the prestigious Parisian studio, Les Studios Saint Germain, has joined our global directory of recording studios.
You can find the three-studio recording complex in the heart of Paris, in the sophisticated Saint Germain de Pres neighbourhood. Since undergoing a grand refurbishment and reopening under new management in 2015 (which saved the studio from closure) the studio has flourished, with the flagship Studio A building up a reputation as one of the finest live rooms in Paris. With 1300 square feet, a 1953 Steinway Grand Piano it’s no wonder.
Studio A is the tracking room, comprising the famed live room, with the control room centred around a Neve console. Studio B is a mixing and production studio designed by Christian Malcurt (currently being refurbished), and Studio C is a smaller, comfortable writing or programming studio with a small booth. View the floorpan of the studio complex here.
At 1300 square feet, Studio A’s live room is home to a 1953 Steinway grand piano, with a vast array of vintage and modern mics (including 3 valve Neumann U47s and 5 valve U67s), backline and instruments – including a Ludwig drum kit. Attached to Studio A’s live room is the spacious control room, centres around a vintage Neve 3188 console, complimented by a full-spec Pro Tools HDX rig, and a Studer A827, should clients want to stick to analogue.
Outboard pres are supplied by Neve, Avalon and Telefunken, along with a collection of classic compressors including Urei 1176 and DBX models, while the monitoring comes from Barefoot MicoMain27s, and Yamaha NS10s.
Along with world-class recording equipment, the team at Saint Germain have gone to every length to ensure clients enjoy the full recording experience with them, providing air conditioning in the live and control rooms, the beautifully furnished (and refurbished) private lounge and kitchenette for down time.
For those wanting to stretch their legs and enjoy the City of Light, clients can wander out through the quintessentially Parisian courtyard and stroll to nearby attractions such as the Luxembourg Gardens and Notre Dame, or peruse the shelves at the famous Shakespeare & Co bookshop.
With facilities like these, and an excellent team to match, it’s no wonder that in the last two years since reopening Les Studios Saint Germain has built up quite the client list, including artists such as Beck, Ibeyi, Christine & The Queens, The Lumineers and world-renowned film composer Alexandre Desplat.
View the full Les Studios Saint Germain studio page, and contact our bookings team to enquire about booking a session in this stunning studio.
Posted in Uncategorized |We are very excited to announce that the Miloco Studios 5-a-side football tournament is back!
It’s summer time, we’re stuck indoors a lot, and our vitamin D levels are down so what better excuse to get out in the sun and fresh air? Come and join us for an afternoon of healthy (and friendly) competition at Shepherds Bush 4G pitch on July 19, and you could be in with a chance of winning free studio time at our London studios!
All the details in the poster below, please contact bookings@miloco.co.uk if you have any questions and to register your team. Can’t wait to see you there!
Résistance is the new album from African punk-blues band Songhoy Blues. The band enlisted Miloco studio resident Neil Comber to produce their sophomore album, which was undertaken in Miloco’s HQ studio complex in south east London.
After pre-production in The Bridge, Neil, alongside assistant engineer Jamie McEvoy, recorded the album in The Pool. They then divided the overdub duties and split the work between The Pool and Neil’s personal studio. Read more about the album’s recording and take a look at session photos of the band over on our releases page here.
Posted in Uncategorized |London Grammar have returned to centre stage with the stunning new album Truth Is A Beautiful Thing.
The trio satisfied fans’ long wait for new music with a whopping 18 track album, which features beautiful originals and a cover of ‘Bitter Sweet Symphony’ that just makes so much sense when paired with Hannah’s vocals and Dan and Dot’s instrumentation.
The album was part written, recorded and produced in The Church with Paul Epworth, alongside his top notch team of engineers and assistants, including Miloco engineer Matt Wiggins, who mixed ‘May The Best (Church Mix)’.
Read more about the recording of the album on the release page for Truth Is A Beautiful Thing here.
Update: on June 16, 2017 Truth Is A Beautiful Thing hit #1 on the UK albums chart, beating out US superstar Katy Perry and her album Witness to the top spot
Posted in Uncategorized |**Update: The Art Studio has now been leased. Please check back again at a later date, or enquire with our bookings team for future availability.**
One of our finest long term let studios, The Art Studio, is once again available for long term let!
The stunning west London studio is a converted art studio designed by master acoustician Nick Whitaker (Abbey Road Studios, The Red Room), featuring large windows and a skylight that floods the control room and amp/live room in natural light. There is also a unique lighting system to switch the vibe when the sun goes down.
The space is made up of a large self contained, detached control room a 400 square feet, but also has a separate kitchenette and a small live booth or amp room.
Located in the lovely and leafy Hampstead neighbourhood, the surrounding areas are packed with many cafes and restaurants for breaks, and the gorgeous open spaces of Hampstead Heath just a few minutes away.
The Art Studio is currently available for lease at £ 3000 + VAT / calendar month and includes all bills.
If you’re interested in viewing and leasing the space, please direct enquiries to the bookings team at bookings@miloco.co.uk or call +44 (0) 207 232 0008.
**Update: The Art Studio has now been leased. Please check back again at a later date for updated availability.**
Posted in Uncategorized | ← Older posts Newer posts →
Stay in the loop
Follow @milocostudios
Subscribe to Miloco News