Urchin Studios, founded in 2007 by engineer/producers Matt Ingram and Dan Cox, has relocated from East London’s Limehouse to a larger, purpose-built facility, near London Fields in Hackney. Matt explained the move, “After six very busy years working with hundreds of artists, we felt this was our opportunity to create what we believe to be one of London’s finest tracking facilities for the modern musician.”
The new studio is based in The Laundry building, a converted industrial warehouse which is the brainchild of Radiohead’s Ed O’Brien. Described as “a hub for the modern music industry” it provides a base for record labels (Bella Union, Young Turks), musicians, theatre companies and photographers, as well as for recording studios like Urchin. Future plans for on-site services include a cafe and a music venue later in 2013, and there are great transport links, as well as close proximity to the green spaces of London Fields and the cafes and bars of Broadway Market.
Set in this prime location, Urchin offers two rooms to its clients. Studio A features a generous 550 sq ft live room, specifically designed to accommodate complex live band tracking sessions, as well as smaller orchestral recordings of up to twelve performers. Two isolation booths and moving walls allow the space to be reconfigured into a variety of different recording set-ups, and the spacious fully air-conditioned control room provides excellent lines of sight to all the main recording areas. The smaller Studio B sits alongside the main studio and is perfect for overdubs, programming and writing sessions.
As well as a mix of outboard, API preamps and an Amek BCII side car (full equipment list here), the new studio offers a 40-input Trident 65 console which Dan told us more about. “Having this board has just opened up a whole new world of possibilities for us. The Trident’s EQs are a total joy to work with; powerful yet musical. The console also gives us the versatility of either mixing directly in Pro Tools or going ‘old school’ across the board, which is a great level of flexibility to offer our clients.”
Also joining the Urchin team as Studio Manager is former AIR/Strongroom bookings coordinator, Charlie Mines. Charlie explained, “I’m really excited to be a part of Urchin’s growth. It’s refreshing to be working with two very passionate and proactive guys who really take the time to understand what each artist they work with is trying to achieve. Matt and Dan are both very talented engineers and producers, and they are a lot of fun to work with. I’m looking forward to seeing what 2013 brings us.”
Urchin’s client base includes Mercury Award-nominated Lianne La Havas, Brit Award-winning Laura Marling as well as Fyfe Dangerfield, Neil Finn, Three Trapped Tigers, Random Impulse and Theme Park. Matt continued, “The ideas and inception of this studio have mostly come from our time working with great artists and taking note of the sorts of details that really make a session tick. In addition to the studio’s excellent sonic qualities, we considered things that make a great difference to an artist’s performance, such as clear lines of sight, plenty of natural daylight, and relaxing, comfortable surroundings. In short, Urchin is just a fun place to create music!“
For additional information or to arrange a tour please contact charlie@urchinstudios.co.uk. Studio details can be found here.
