Chillington studio
Encyclopedia
The Chillington studio is Jason Kay
's personal recording studio in Buckinghamshire, England. Over the 8-9 years of its existence, it has been used in the recording of 4 Jamiroquai
albums, all from the post-Zender
era, Synkronized
, A Funk Odyssey
, Dynamite
, Rock Dust Light Star
and the songs Runaway
and "Radio" from High Times: Singles 1992-2006
. Various interviews have also taken place in the studio. The video to "Runaway" also features a few seconds of footage recorded at the studio, more precisely in front of the mixing deck
.
The studio is sometimes referred to by fans as the "green room", "cable room" or "the mess", referencing the insides of the room, such as the dark green walls, and many cables running across its floor.
, Jason decided to construct his own home studio, and record his band's new album, Synkronized
there. Despite the success of Travelling and its tour, Kay still lacked the finances necessary to conduct the conversion of an unused poolside structure into a fully equipped and fully working studio, so he decided to ask his record label to grant him a large amount of money (often estimated to 9,000,000 dollars by fans, though this is unverified) that he would have to pay back with the money earned from the upcoming album, getting himself into a risky situation that solely depended on the sales and the critical reception of the forthcoming album, Symphonized, which was a project dropped and scrapped after a disgruntled Stuart Zender
left the band, accusing Kay of hardly ever crediting the actual songwriters of Jamiroquai songs, and unfairly splitting the band's royalties, among other reasons. Symphonized was the predecessor of the Synkronized
project, which had a good reception among both fans and critics, and had also reached a high number of sales that however, did not exceed the success of Travelling, but were enough to level Jason's debts towards his label.
, Jason started renovating the studio, as it hardly was kept in order during the 1998-2006 period. The renovation has probably come to an end in 2007 when Matt Johnson
announced that blueprints for the seventh Jamiroquai studio album were laid.
Jason Kay
Jason "Jay Kay" Luís Cheetham , is a Grammy Award-winning English musician, best known as the lead singer of the band Jamiroquai...
's personal recording studio in Buckinghamshire, England. Over the 8-9 years of its existence, it has been used in the recording of 4 Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai
Jamiroquai is a British jazz funk and acid jazz band formed in 1992. Jamiroquai were initially the most prominent component in the early-1990s London-based acid jazz movement, alongside groups such as Incognito, the James Taylor Quartet, and the Brand New Heavies. Other Acid Jazz artists such as...
albums, all from the post-Zender
Stuart Zender
Stuart Patrick Jude Zender is an English bassist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being the original bass player for Jamiroquai.-Early life:...
era, Synkronized
Synkronized
Synkronized is the fourth studio album released by Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1999, the album contains funk, disco, and acid jazz elements...
, A Funk Odyssey
A Funk Odyssey
A Funk Odyssey is the fifth studio album by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 3 September 2001 in the United Kingdom, and 11 September 2001 in the United States.-Background:...
, Dynamite
Dynamite (Jamiroquai album)
Dynamite is the sixth studio album released by British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai, released in June 2005. Produced by Mike Spencer and Jay Kay, it is perhaps their most diverse work to date, featuring electronic, funk, disco, house and acoustic tracks....
, Rock Dust Light Star
Rock Dust Light Star
Rock Dust Light Star is the seventh studio album released by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was released on November 1, 2010.-Background:...
and the songs Runaway
Runaway (Jamiroquai song)
"Runaway" is the first and only single taken from British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai's greatest hits compilation, High Times: Singles 1992–2006. The single was released on October 30, 2006. It was their fifth #1 on the U.S...
and "Radio" from High Times: Singles 1992-2006
High Times: Singles 1992-2006
High Times: Singles 1992–2006 is the fifth compilation album released by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was intended to be a collection of the group's singles, however, is more widely known as is a collection of the band's best-known hits, as it does not include the singles "Stillness...
. Various interviews have also taken place in the studio. The video to "Runaway" also features a few seconds of footage recorded at the studio, more precisely in front of the mixing deck
Mixing console
In professional audio, a mixing console, or audio mixer, also called a sound board, mixing desk, or mixer is an electronic device for combining , routing, and changing the level, timbre and/or dynamics of audio signals. A mixer can mix analog or digital signals, depending on the type of mixer...
.
The studio is sometimes referred to by fans as the "green room", "cable room" or "the mess", referencing the insides of the room, such as the dark green walls, and many cables running across its floor.
History
After the success of Travelling Without MovingTravelling Without Moving
Travelling Without Moving is the third studio album released by British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1996, the album features the international hit single "Virtual Insanity"...
, Jason decided to construct his own home studio, and record his band's new album, Synkronized
Synkronized
Synkronized is the fourth studio album released by Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1999, the album contains funk, disco, and acid jazz elements...
there. Despite the success of Travelling and its tour, Kay still lacked the finances necessary to conduct the conversion of an unused poolside structure into a fully equipped and fully working studio, so he decided to ask his record label to grant him a large amount of money (often estimated to 9,000,000 dollars by fans, though this is unverified) that he would have to pay back with the money earned from the upcoming album, getting himself into a risky situation that solely depended on the sales and the critical reception of the forthcoming album, Symphonized, which was a project dropped and scrapped after a disgruntled Stuart Zender
Stuart Zender
Stuart Patrick Jude Zender is an English bassist, songwriter and record producer. He is best known for being the original bass player for Jamiroquai.-Early life:...
left the band, accusing Kay of hardly ever crediting the actual songwriters of Jamiroquai songs, and unfairly splitting the band's royalties, among other reasons. Symphonized was the predecessor of the Synkronized
Synkronized
Synkronized is the fourth studio album released by Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1999, the album contains funk, disco, and acid jazz elements...
project, which had a good reception among both fans and critics, and had also reached a high number of sales that however, did not exceed the success of Travelling, but were enough to level Jason's debts towards his label.
Equipment
The studio houses a large amount of vintage music equipment such as keyboard synthesizers, mixers, reel-to-reel tape recorders, vocoders and so on. Jason claimed in an interview that he has come into possession of an electronic keyboard synthesizer that is circa 40 years old.Today
After releasing High Times: Singles 1992-2006High Times: Singles 1992-2006
High Times: Singles 1992–2006 is the fifth compilation album released by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was intended to be a collection of the group's singles, however, is more widely known as is a collection of the band's best-known hits, as it does not include the singles "Stillness...
, Jason started renovating the studio, as it hardly was kept in order during the 1998-2006 period. The renovation has probably come to an end in 2007 when Matt Johnson
Matt Johnson (keyboardist)
Matt Johnson is a keyboardist who plays for the alternative jazz band Jamiroquai.Matt was aged one and a half when he started playing the piano at his family home. ‘My dad was a musician so there was always music playing in the house, but I remember being taught by a scary old piano teacher, who...
announced that blueprints for the seventh Jamiroquai studio album were laid.
Albums recorded at Chillington
- SynkronizedSynkronizedSynkronized is the fourth studio album released by Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai. Released in 1999, the album contains funk, disco, and acid jazz elements...
- A Funk OdysseyA Funk OdysseyA Funk Odyssey is the fifth studio album by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai, released on 3 September 2001 in the United Kingdom, and 11 September 2001 in the United States.-Background:...
- DynamiteDynamite (Jamiroquai album)Dynamite is the sixth studio album released by British Acid Jazz band Jamiroquai, released in June 2005. Produced by Mike Spencer and Jay Kay, it is perhaps their most diverse work to date, featuring electronic, funk, disco, house and acoustic tracks....
- the bonus tracks for High Times: Singles 1992-2006High Times: Singles 1992-2006High Times: Singles 1992–2006 is the fifth compilation album released by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was intended to be a collection of the group's singles, however, is more widely known as is a collection of the band's best-known hits, as it does not include the singles "Stillness...
- Rock Dust Light StarRock Dust Light StarRock Dust Light Star is the seventh studio album released by British acid jazz band Jamiroquai. The album was released on November 1, 2010.-Background:...