Southern Studios
Encyclopedia
Southern Studios is a recording studio in the Wood Green
area of London
. It was founded in 1974
by John Loder, and came to be the recording studio of choice for Crass
and their record label Crass Records
. Southern Studios Ltd. continues to grow its label and provide label management and distribution services throughout Europe.
.
With the growth of business, the need to expand into other areas of the music business became apparent, thus Southern Record Distributors Ltd. (SRD) (now independently-owned) took over UK distribution, while SSL continued to serve the needs of Europe, as well as signing and supporting artists on the Southern Records label. During the massive growth of the independent music industry in the mid-90's, Loder decided to establish Southern Records Inc. (SRI) in Chicago, which has added many artists to the Southern label's roster and operates a distribution business for independent-minded labels in the US and elsewhere.
Steve Albini
, a long-time friend and associate of John Loder, has described the set up at Southern Studios as being completely analogue
. Although not entirely analogue, the vintage Raindirk Series III 24-channel desk does indeed dominate the studio control room. The studio today is owned by Southern Records Ltd. (SRL) and continues to operate under the guidance of sound engineer Harvey Birrell.
.
Wood Green
Wood Green is a district in north London, England, located in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated north of Charing Cross. The area is identified in the London Plan as one of the metropolitan centres in Greater London.-History:...
area of London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. It was founded in 1974
1974 in music
-January–April:*January 3 – Bob Dylan and The Band kick off their 40-date concert tour at Chicago Stadium. It's Dylan's first time on the road since 1966.*January 17...
by John Loder, and came to be the recording studio of choice for Crass
Crass
Crass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
and their record label Crass Records
Crass Records
Crass Records is an independent record label which was set up by the anarchist punk band Crass.-Overview and history:Prior to the formation of Crass, Penny Rimbaud and Gee Vaucher had published their creative works via their own Dial House based Exitstencil Press...
. Southern Studios Ltd. continues to grow its label and provide label management and distribution services throughout Europe.
Background
In the 1980s, Southern Studios Ltd. (SSL) evolved into its own record label and distribution company, trading under the name of Southern RecordsSouthern Records
Southern Records is an independent record label closely associated with Crass Records, Corpus Christi Records and Dischord Records. It is based in London and previously had offices in Chicago , Le Havre and Berlin .Southern was originally a recording studio owned and operated by John Loder...
.
With the growth of business, the need to expand into other areas of the music business became apparent, thus Southern Record Distributors Ltd. (SRD) (now independently-owned) took over UK distribution, while SSL continued to serve the needs of Europe, as well as signing and supporting artists on the Southern Records label. During the massive growth of the independent music industry in the mid-90's, Loder decided to establish Southern Records Inc. (SRI) in Chicago, which has added many artists to the Southern label's roster and operates a distribution business for independent-minded labels in the US and elsewhere.
Steve Albini
Steve Albini
Steven Frank Albini is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, audio engineer and music journalist. He was a member of Big Black, Rapeman, and Flour, and is currently a member of Shellac...
, a long-time friend and associate of John Loder, has described the set up at Southern Studios as being completely analogue
Analog signal
An analog or analogue signal is any continuous signal for which the time varying feature of the signal is a representation of some other time varying quantity, i.e., analogous to another time varying signal. It differs from a digital signal in terms of small fluctuations in the signal which are...
. Although not entirely analogue, the vintage Raindirk Series III 24-channel desk does indeed dominate the studio control room. The studio today is owned by Southern Records Ltd. (SRL) and continues to operate under the guidance of sound engineer Harvey Birrell.
Artists
The following is an incomplete list of artists who have recorded at Southern Studios in the United KingdomUnited Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
.
- Action BeatAction BeatAction Beat is an instrumental improvisational noise rockband from Bletchley, UK, consisting of a rotating line up of three or more drummers and four guitar players and a bass player. The band was founded in 2004 by core members Don McLean and James Carney...
- The Jesus and Mary ChainThe Jesus and Mary ChainThe Jesus and Mary Chain are a Scottish alternative rock band formed in East Kilbride, Glasgow in 1983. The band revolves around the songwriting partnership of brothers Jim and William Reid...
- MioceneMioceneThe Miocene is a geological epoch of the Neogene Period and extends from about . The Miocene was named by Sir Charles Lyell. Its name comes from the Greek words and and means "less recent" because it has 18% fewer modern sea invertebrates than the Pliocene. The Miocene follows the Oligocene...
- Carter USMCarter USMCarter the Unstoppable Sex Machine is a British indie rock band formed in 1988 by singer Jim "Jim Bob" Morrison and guitarist Les "Fruitbat" Carter. They made their name with a distinctive style of power pop, fusing samples, sequenced basses and drum machines with rock 'n' roll guitars and...
- CrassCrassCrass are an English punk rock band that was formed in 1977, which promoted anarchism as a political ideology, way of living, and as a resistance movement. Crass popularised the seminal anarcho-punk movement of the punk subculture, and advocated direct action, animal rights, and environmentalism...
- Therapy?Therapy?Therapy? is an alternative metal band from Northern Ireland. The band was formed in 1989 by guitarist–vocalist Andy Cairns from Ballyclare and drummer-vocalist Fyfe Ewing from Larne, Northern Ireland. The band initially recorded their first demo with Cairns filling in on bass guitar...
- My Life With The Thrill Thrill Kult
- Sonic YouthSonic YouthSonic Youth is an American alternative rock band from New York City, formed in 1981. The current lineup consists of Thurston Moore , Kim Gordon , Lee Ranaldo , Steve Shelley , and Mark Ibold .In their early career, Sonic Youth was associated with the No Wave art and music scene in New York City...
- Neil LeytonNeil LeytonNeil Leyton is a Portuguese-Canadian singer and guitarist born in Lisbon. He has lived and played music in Toronto, London, and Stockholm.He was a founding member and songwriter in Canadian art-glam indie project The Conscience Pilate from 1995–1998, beginning a solo career in 1999. He is also the...
- Mark Stewart & The Maffia
- African Head ChargeAfrican Head ChargeAfrican Head Charge is a dub reggae, psychedelic dub ensemble active since the early 1980s. The group was formed by percussionist Bonjo Iyabinghi Noah, and featured a revolving cast of members, including, at times, Prisoner, Crocodile, Junior Moses, Sunny Akpan, Skip McDonald, and Jah Wobble. The...
- Big BlackBig BlackBig Black was an American punk rock band from Evanston, Illinois, active from 1981 to 1987. Founded by singer and guitarist Steve Albini, the band's initial lineup also included guitarist Santiago Durango and bassist Jeff Pezzati, both of Naked Raygun...
- Lee Perry
- ShellacShellac (band)Shellac is an American group composed of Steve Albini , Bob Weston and Todd Trainer...
- FugaziFugazi (band)Fugazi is an American post-hardcore band that formed in Washington, D.C. in 1987. The band's continual members are guitarists and vocalists Ian MacKaye and Guy Picciotto, bassist Joe Lally and drummer Brendan Canty....
- All About EveAll About Eve (band)All About Eve were a British rock/pop band. The creative core consisted of the Coventry born Julianne Regan , and the Huddersfield born Andy Cousin , with other members changing over the years...
- ToddToddTodd may refer to:*Todd *Todd *Todd , a 1974 album by Todd Rundgren*Todd *Todd, California*Todd, North Carolina*Todd County, Kentucky*Todd County, Minnesota*Todd County, South Dakota...
- GrailsGrailsGrails may refer to:* Grails is an American instrumental rock band.* Grails is an open source web application framework...
- Shit & Shine
- Lungleg
- Danielle HowleDanielle HowleDanielle Howle is an American singer-songwriter. After releasing an early song on a Columbia, SC music sampler, she joined the Columbia band Lay Quiet Awhile, which had been formed by brothers Dan and Phil Cook in 1989 and had released two EPs...
- TsunamiTsunamiA tsunami is a series of water waves caused by the displacement of a large volume of a body of water, typically an ocean or a large lake...
- Babes In ToylandBabes in Toyland (band)Babes in Toyland was an American alternative rock band formed in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1987. The band was formed by Oregon native Kat Bjelland , with Lori Barbero and Michelle Leon , who was later replaced by Maureen Herman in 1992...
- BauhausBauhaus (band)Bauhaus was an English rock band formed in Northampton in 1978. The group consisted of Peter Murphy , Daniel Ash , Kevin Haskins and David J . The band was originally Bauhaus 1919 before they dropped the numerical portion within a year of formation...
- The Fall
- MinistryMinistry (band)Ministry is an American industrial metal band founded by lead singer Al Jourgensen in 1981. Originally a synthpop outfit, Ministry changed its style to industrial metal in the late 1980s. Ministry found mainstream success in the early 1990s with its most successful album Psalm 69: The Way to...
- The Alternative (April 1984).
- No AgeNo AgeNo Age is a two-person American indie rock group consisting of guitarist Randy Randall and drummer/vocalist Dean Allen Spunt. The band is based in Los Angeles and is currently signed to Sub Pop records...
- DananananaykroydDananananaykroydDananananaykroyd was a six-piece, self-dubbed 'Fight Pop' band formed in 2006 in Glasgow, Scotland. Their name is a play on the name of Canadian actor Dan Aykroyd...