The world’s most famous recording studio aims to celebrate the spirit of music scenes around the world with the launch of the first Abbey Road Studios Music Photography Awards (MPA). The new event is the first of its kind to recognize the art of music photography and will be judged by an esteemed global panel of industry creators. Photographers of all skill levels will be honored in a series of categories, beginning with the Hennessy Championing Scenes Award – a free-entry category highlighting the vibrancy of global subcultures and the people documenting the gritty underbelly of these burgeoning scenes. .

Among the judges is Simon Wheatley, an acclaimed photographer considered one of the most important chroniclers of London’s youth. He spent 12 years documenting grime culture and his book Don’t Call Me Urban! The Time of Grime, published in 2010, has been hailed as a classic of British documentary photography. “I had no idea what was going on, and I’m glad I didn’t because it gave me a purity that might have been compromised had I known I was capturing something precious” , Simon told Creative Boom.

“I was mesmerized by the brutality of this aggressive sound emanating from decaying concrete blocks. It was the voice of an underclass, Thatcher’s unwanted children living in a harsh individualistic world where the concept of ‘community ” had become so threatened. But despite this individualism, there was a legacy of unity that is no longer seen. Youth clubs were filled with people gathered in stairwells, street corners and squares . I miss it. The smartphone has reinforced this individualism and made us less communal. What has changed is the chaos in people’s lives.”

Since those days Simon has continued his work around the grime scene, as a photographer and filmmaker, and 2022 sees him gearing up to release a more comprehensive book that will cover the evolution of the genre to the present day. In 2018 he was asked to be the in-house photographer at Abbey Road Studios in London.

The Championing Scenes jury also includes acclaimed British photographer and filmmaker Rankin, Ghanaian-American artist and multidisciplinary creative Moses Sumney, visionary musician and DJ Shygirl from East London, legendary photography and Rockarchive founder Jill Furmanovsky, photographer musical pioneer Dana Scruggs, Rolling Stone Assistant Cinematographer Sacha Lecca and Abbey Road Studios Managing Director Isabel Garvey. As category sponsor, Hennessy will reward the Championing Scenes winner with a support package, including the opportunity to collaborate on an international project with the brand in 2023.

“I’m not just interested in the music itself, but where it comes from,” Simon says of the Awards. “Subcultures emerge from the cracks in society, and that’s what fascinates me the most. Grime reflected youthful discontent, and when I started hearing it, I wanted to grab the place of anguish and alienation from where he came from. I believe that a documentarian of the musical subculture should reveal the social texture of sound. I am delighted to celebrate other photographers’ ideas about the movements they document Grime was a big adventure – for me, that’s what photography has always been.

Alongside the Championing Scenes category, the Awards invite emerging and established photographers from around the world to participate in three other open-entry categories: The Studio Photography Award will celebrate images that capture the magic that happens when musicians come together to write, experience or record a Live Music Photography Award for images documenting live music moments in 2021 and the Undiscovered Photographer of the Year honoring top emerging and unsung talent.

Nominations for the Music Photography Awards are now open and can be submitted by photographers at all stages of their career via the official website website until midnight March 21, 2022. The winners of the nine categories will be announced and celebrated at an official ceremony on Saturday May 14, 2022, hosted at Abbey Road Studios.

There’s a story that floated in the hallowed halls of Abbey Road Studios in North West London for over a decade. It revolves around a group of studio engineers who have come together to listen to a famous recording by a pianist for the first time on the new Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond speakers.

The engineers had heard the recording before, but as the session progressed and the band strained their ears to pick up the detailed sounds from the brand new speakers, something started to happen. “Engineers discovered there was a sound they hadn’t been aware of before,” says Jeremy Huffelmann, managing director of Abbey Road Studios. “They first thought it was a fault in the speaker, but it became clear that what they were hearing for the first time was something else entirely.”

The phantom sound was described as a “weak tapping” by Andy Kerr, director of product marketing and communications at Bowers & Wilkins. Andy says the company engineers were asked to come in more than once to measure and re-measure the Diamond 800 series speakers to ensure there was no distortion resulting from a misaligned placement or a faulty transducer.

After their third trip to Abbey Road studios, the Bowers & Wilkins team finally had the engineers play back the recording so they could hear that spectral crackle for themselves. They pressed play, and of course there was the sound: a faint dull click like a pencil eraser tapping on a piece of paper. “It’s really weak, and the engineers turned to each other and said, ‘What is this?’ said Kerr. “And what it ended up being was the pianist’s cufflinks hitting the keys as the piano played. No one had ever heard that before.”

That the Bowers & Wilkins 800 Series Diamond could produce such incredible clarity and detail came as no surprise to the Abbey Road team. They’ve used speakers from the 55-year-old British audio company since 1982, a 40-year relationship that has produced countless pieces of iconic music and made the speakers a fiercely preferred standard for the exceptionally talented behind the boards of Abbey Road Studios.

“When you talk to engineers about why they trust Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers so much, they talk about detail and precision. When they listen, they can visualize in their minds where they placed the microphones in that room, they can audibly ‘see’ where the instruments are.” says Huffelmann. “This level of detail gives you the confidence to know that whatever is being performed is being captured and relayed as accurately as possible.”

Each space which includes the studio apartments of the 3 Abbey Road studios expresses itself differently, bringing its own sonic signature to everything recorded. Studio One’s drama and depth make it a favorite of composers like Howard Shore and John Williams, the talents behind The Lord of the Rings and star wars scores, respectively. “The first time we heard the main theme of star wars As it was being recorded, everyone in the control room just got goosebumps,” says Andrew Dudman, Principal Sound Engineer at Abbey Road Studios, who had the pleasure of working with Shore and Williams on these scores. headlights.

The iconic Studio Two has a slightly smaller space where illustrious artists from the Beatles and Radiohead to newer acts like Wolf Alice, Sam Smith and Black Pumas have recorded; and Studio Three is a more intimate setting that has been graced by one-of-a-kind singers from Amy Winehouse to Florence Welch.

The real magic of Abbey Road Studios comes from the convergence of engineering talents like Dudman who are behind the alchemy of mixing and mastering, and the high fidelity tools at their disposal. “With Bowers & Wilkins speakers, you can identify where the sound is placed, where the instruments are across the sound field,” says Dudman “The detail is crazy.”

The Bowers & Wilkins sound was first heard at Abbey Road studios over 40 years ago. In 1980, John Bowers and his chief acoustic engineer Steve Roe personally delivered a pair of 801 loudspeakers to the studio and demonstrated them. As Andy Kerr tells the story, after about 10 minutes of listening, “The Abbey Road Studios [team] told them something like, ‘Yeah it’s okay, you can leave them here.’ The speakers remained, and have been there ever since, a carefully crafted symbol of the enduring bond between Bowers & Wilkins and Abbey Road Studios.

At the heart of the relationship between the two teams is the pursuit of a single concept: True Sound. True Sound is the acoustic principle that underpins everything Bowers & Wilkins stands for. According to this philosophy, speakers should neither add to nor take away from a recording. “A loudspeaker is the primary means by which any engineer or producer is going to hear something. It’s the only means of transmission, so it must be good,” says Chris Parker, assistant engineer at Abbey Road Studios. “And if you notice a speaker in a room and say, ‘Wow, those speakers are X or Y,’ then that’s usually not a good thing.”

The Bowers & Wilkins speakers found in Abbey Road studios are renowned for disappearing into the background of the recording studio, serving as a seamless link between artist and engineer that can deliver results. incredible. Chris worked on Little Simz’ harrowing 2021 album Sometimes I could be introverted which was recorded in Studio One and Two. Simz and producer Inflo wanted to give the record a great theatrical quality, so they recorded the strings and horns in Studio One while the drum sessions took place in Studio Two. (Chris calls Studio Two the “best sounding drum room in the world.”)

The pursuit of True Sound is a feedback loop between engineers at places like Abbey Road Studios and the Bowers & Wilkins team, who are constantly looking for ways to improve their technology. “They’re listening. If we say, ‘Oh, this needs adjusting’, Bowers & Wilkins say, ‘Okay, we’ll adjust this,'” says Sean Magee, senior mastering engineer and veteran of Abbey Road Studios for over 25 years. “When they brought in the 800 D3s and we gave them grades, they redesigned it and we were able to add to that process. And then the next-gen D4s came out, and it’s clear they had listened.

This deeply rooted acoustic philosophy flows consistently from professional-grade reference monitors such as the 800 Series Diamond through to the entry-level 600 Series range, Formation wireless speakers, and more recently the new Zeppelin wireless speaker, recognized as Rolling Stone Essentials 2021. – Best smart speaker. “Every product we make, from the minute it’s designed to the minute it’s sold, is built on this True Sound philosophy,” says Giles Pocock, vice president of brand marketing at Bowers & Wilkins. “This DNA isn’t just about the professional, studio-grade monitors we make; it applies to the entire family of products, whether headphones, wireless speakers or in-car audio systems. »

The intertwined history of Abbey Road Studios and Bowers & Wilkins testifies to this guiding belief. After more than 40 years of giving artists, musicians and engineers the opportunity to hear the true nature of their creative output, the feedback loop that drives both institutions to strive for perfection drives the industry forward, whether it’s be it capturing the magnificence of a symphony orchestra or unearthing the phantom tapping of a pair of cufflinks on a legendary recording.

Find out more about the special 40-year relationship between the two legendary musical institutions below, in a new short film from Bowers & Wilkins. where the music begins offers an intimate look inside Abbey Road Studios and how Bowers & Wilkins loudspeakers have become synonymous with the distinctive sound of iconic studios.

TWO elementary school students lent their singing voices to a special choir recording session in a famous recording studio.

Rhu elementary school students Henry Walker, 10, and Dulcie Walker, eight, auditioned to be part of a Welcome Home singing choir, which was written by two military kids, Emily Rawlins and Lewis Elliott, to capture the feelings of the families of the armed forces. .

The song, which is part of a larger “Song of the Child Service” campaign, is the anthem for the UK’s annual Armed Forces Day, which takes place this Saturday.

Dulcie and Henry Walker

It won first place in the Never Such Innocence 2020/21 international competition, in which nearly 100 countries participated.

And a recording of the song was recently completed at Abbey Road Studios in London, where the Beatles recorded most of their 210 songs, with Henry, in P6, and P3 pupil Dulcie singing as part of a choir. single of only 20 students from all over the country. UK.

Rhu Primary teacher Michelle Cowan told the Advertiser: “As a teacher to Henry, I am very proud of him and Dulcie for confidently singing with other like-minded children, as well as being part of a fabulous opportunity to support Children’s Day. armed forces. ”

A demo version of the song can be heard at neversuchinnocence.com/song-of-the-service-child.

It has always been a great pleasure to visit famous recording studios. I have ticked off several in my time, including the best known of them – Abbey Road in London.

Though forever associated with the Beatles, the St John’s Wood studio complex was a major recording complex decades before the Fab Four set foot there. It opened in 1931, which means it is celebrating its 90th anniversary this year.

I was certainly celebrating in 1995 when I got a call on BBC Radio Suffolk from Chris Fenwick, manager of my favorite band Dr Feelgood. I had known Chris for several years and had last seen him at the funeral of his best friend Lee Brilleaux in the spring of 1994. Lee was one of the founding members of Dr. Feelgood and had been at the helm for over 20 years. . I had enjoyed the company of the two men on numerous occasions and was devastated when I learned that Lee had lost his battle with lymphoma.

Chris had phoned me to ask if I would like to work for EMI putting together and writing the cover notes for a five-CD box set paying homage to Lee’s remarkable reign as lead singer and flagship of Dr. Feelgood. You could have knocked me out with a feather because Chris told me he recommended me to EMI because I knew a lot more about Dr Feelgood than the band itself!

It was a dream mission and over the following weeks I spent all my free time compiling the tracklist and interviewing past and present band members for the cover notes. The icing on the cake was spending three days with engineer Peter Mew at Abbey Road overseeing the production of the master tapes. I got to know the building well and had to pinch myself on entering the huge Studio One, the scene of so many classic recordings over the decades.

Entrance to Abbey Road Studios.
– Credit: Stephen Foster

I was also hoping to take a look at Studio Two, but couldn’t as it was being used for a session by Paul Carrack at the time. I didn’t know I was going to have to wait another 20 years to set foot there. This room is truly the holy grail for Beatles fans with a lot of equipment used by them and their producer Sir George Martin still in place.

My second trip to Abbey Road was to interview singer Chris Rea about the deluxe reissue of his 1996 album The Passione. The booklet with this lavish box set features some of Chris’s impressive paintings that were on display at Studio Two, one of his favorite haunts. As check-in locations disappear, it doesn’t get better than this particular spot and while I was chatting with Chris I was like a kid in a candy store.

It’s hard to express how much my visits to Abbey Road meant to me. The experience is comparable to my three trips to the Sun Studio in Memphis.

I still have a few recording studios on my bucket list. They include the houses of Chess Records in Chicago and the Tamla Motown label in Detroit.

Here in Suffolk we have a lot of great recording studios and in the not too distant future I will be focusing on some of my visits to those. Next week I will be revisiting my long association with one of the county’s most popular events – Ipswich Music Day.

Abbey Road Studios will open to the public for a week this summer, giving fans a rare look inside the legendary recording studio.

The Abbey Road: Open House tour is part of the recording studio’s 90th anniversary celebrations this year. From August 9 to 15, fans can visit the three famous recording studios, in which The Beatles, Pink Floyd, Radiohead, Oasis, Ed Sheeran and Adele have recorded.

If you are an equipment enthusiast, this is a rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the studio’s EMI TG Mk3 and REDD.17 consoles; Mrs. Mills’ piano; a Studer J37 tape recorder, and more. In addition, you can also visit the control rooms and the iconic echo chamber of Studio Two, which was built in 1931.

The tour will also explore the deep history of Abbey Road film music and explain how the music from blockbusters such as Raiders Of The Lost Ark, Black Panther, as well as the Harry Potter, Lord Of The Rings and Star Wars series have come about. been recorded.

Jack Franklin, head of events at Abbey Road Studios, said he opened the studio’s doors to the public in a statement [via MusicRadar]: “As a working studio, the doors to Abbey Road are normally closed, so being able to share a rare glimpse inside our very special building is something that excites us all.

“With a project like this, the major challenge is to select the parts of the story to tell,” he said. “There’s so much history here that turning it into a 90-minute experience is part of the fun of the job.

I still remember the magic of stepping inside the building for the first time, so we want to give our customers the same experience this summer.

Tickets for the tour are priced at £ 100 per person.

Learn more at abbeyroad.com

World-famous Abbey Road Studios in London reopened on Thursday after closing during the coronavirus lockdown for the first time in its 90-year history.

Famous for recording artists like Edward Elgar, The Beatles and Lady Gaga, the studio’s mixers kicked in for a socially distant session with acclaimed American jazz singer Melody Gardot.

“We haven’t even stopped for a world war, so it’s a real time to come back,” Isabel Garvey, general manager of Abbey Road Studios, told Reuters.

Music industry workers have been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus lockdown, enacted in Britain on March 23. Many have been excluded from state foreclosure support programs due to the irregular nature of working in music.

Garvey said about half of Abbey Road’s staff were unable to work away from the studio building during the lockdown.

“I think the music has lifted people up over the last 10, 11 weeks of lockdown,” Garvey said.

“So having artists again to record, to remake music, maybe even to relate to the experience they had, it really feels good. We need that as humans, I think. . “

Gardot’s recording session offered a potential glimpse into the future of music production in a post-COVID world.

The singer joined her producer Larry Klein from Los Angeles remotely from Paris. The two appeared on the big screen at Abbey Road to communicate with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, which has performed there for the first time since the lockdown.

“We’re using the best of technology and the musicians in space to make it all work,” Garvey said.

Also: UK Prince Harry and Jon Bon Jovi Recreate Abbey Road Beatles Cover

The music must go on

Gardot said it was an honor to become the first artist to record at Abbey Road since it reopened and told Reuters “the music must go on”, although it lacked a bit of magic due to its distance from musicians. .

“It’s a little frustrating sometimes because of course, like with so many other things, you lack tactility,” said Gardot, who had previously recorded at Abbey Road in 2009.

Opened by Elgar in 1931, the studio reports a healthy list of future bookings, but social distancing measures mean there will be some limitations – especially for large orchestras often in attendance for recording soundtracks from major films.

Abbey Road boss Garvey said the orchestral capacity of his larger studios had been cut in half following a review.

“Recording here is still really viable – it will be just with smaller numbers,” she said.

“There is a strong pent-up demand… so it looks good, but it will take time to get back to normal levels.”

Gardot said she wanted to seize the opportunity rather than wait until 2021 before making music again, when life could return to normal.

“I can’t wait to do something, to create something, to make music,” she said.

By William Russell and Mike Davidson

LONDON, June 4 (Reuters) – World-famous Abbey Road Studios in London reopened on Thursday after closing during the coronavirus lockdown for the first time in 90 years of history.

Famous for recording artists like Edward Elgar, The Beatles and Lady Gaga, the studio’s mixers got underway for a socially distanced session with acclaimed American jazz singer Melody Gardot.

“We haven’t even stopped for a world war, so it’s a real time to come back,” Isabel Garvey, general manager of Abbey Road Studios, told Reuters.

Music industry workers have been among the hardest hit by the coronavirus lockdown, enacted in Britain on March 23. Many have been excluded from state foreclosure support programs due to the irregular nature of working in music.

Garvey said about half of Abbey Road’s staff were unable to work away from the studio building during the lockdown.

“I think the music has lifted people up over the last 10, 11 weeks of lockdown,” Garvey said.

“So having artists again to record, make music again, maybe even relate to the experience they had, it really feels good. We need that as humans, I think. . “

Gardot’s recording session offered a potential glimpse into the future of music production in a post-COVID world.

The singer joined her producer Larry Klein from Los Angeles remotely from Paris. Both appeared on the big screen at Abbey Road to contact the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, whoplayed there for the first time since confinement.

“We use the best of the technology and the musicians in space to make it all work,” Garvey said.

TTHE MUSIC MUST CONTINUE

Gardot said it was an honor to become the first artist to record at Abbey Road since it reopened and told Reuters “the music must go on”, although it lacked a bit of magic because of its distance from the musicians.

“It’s a little frustrating at times because of course, like with so many other things, you lack tactility,” said Gardot, who had previously recorded at Abbey Road in 2009.

Opened by Elgar in 1931, the studio reports a healthy list of future bookings, but social distancing measures mean there will be some limitations – especially for large orchestras often in attendance for recording soundtracks from major films.

Abbey Road boss Garvey said the orchestral capacity of his larger studios had been cut in half following a review.

“Recording here is still really viable – it will be just with smaller numbers,” she said.

“There is a strong pent-up demand… so it looks good, but it will take time to get back to normal levels.”

Gardot said she wanted to seize the opportunity rather than wait until 2021 before making music again, when life could return to normal.

“I can’t wait to do something, to create something, to make music,” she said.

(Written by Andy Bruce, additional reporting by Sarah Mills; editing by Stephen Addison and Estelle Shirbon)

(([email protected]; +442075423484; Reuters messaging: [email protected]))

The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.

Grammy-winning artist Ricardo Arjona, known by some as Latin American Bob Dylan, officially made his long-awaited return on Friday with a new album recorded at iconic Abbey Road Studios in London, where the Beatles recorded most of their songs.

His new album “Blanco” is the first set of a two-part record called “Blanco y Negro” (White and Black). The first was released on Friday and the second, “Negro”, is due out next year. “Blanco” marks Arjona’s resurgence since releasing his last record three years ago.

“Blanco y Negro will be the two projects that will undoubtedly mark the place where all the rivers of my life have met,” Arjona told NBC News in Spanish via email.

The Guatemalan singer-songwriter has spent months recording his latest songs at the legendary Abbey Road Studios, which have been considered the world’s most famous recording studio since it was built in the 1930s. During the White Nights While at the studio, Arjona said he felt like “the walls were talking to him” and “whispering things” to him, as if all the songs that had ever been recorded there were accompanying him.

In “Blanco” he manages to blend the inspiration he drew both from the musical memory permeated through Abbey Road Studios and from his own musical memory, which he has accumulated over more than three decades.

“Songs can’t be fooled. They appear when they want and where they want. Abbey Road just puts them on clothes and the clothes look good on them,” Arjona said.

During his more than 30 year career, Arjona has sold over 80 million records and has been hailed as one of the most successful Latin artists in the world.

Fans love him for his ability to dress his fervent and socially conscious lyrics with his versatile musical style, combining traditional South American folk music and ballads with rock tunes and classical music. “Blanco” certainly lives up to that standard while taking people through a roller coaster of deeply introspective emotions.

The story continues

The album’s first single, “Hongos” (Mushrooms), a heartfelt hymn to authenticity, is reminiscent of the genre of songs that made him famous decades ago.

Arjona launches the new album with “Morir por vivir” (Dying to live), an energetic and contagious pop rock track. It then follows “El amor que me tenía” (The love I had), a sentimental ballad about faded self-esteem – and later picks up with “Blues de la notoriedad” (The blues of notoriety), a song with country blues influences that kind of appeals to celebrities who prioritize fame over art.

The album takes a dark and mysterious turn halfway through with “Tarot”, the only song that was not recorded at Abbey Road Studios.

“It was recorded in Prague under the direction of Julio Reyes. Definitely the dark part of the project, but with the force of stories that one can’t help but tell,” Arjona said of the song. , which uses the piano and violins to create dramatic effect as the lyrics speak of death and the fear of living an unnecessary life.

Arjona’s expressive baritone and his totally engaged performing style really project a strong vulnerability in pieces such as “Tu retrato” (Your portrait) and “Sobrevivirás” (You will survive), which plunge into the emotions around nostalgia and the love that remains after a failed relationship.

According to his label, Sony Music, Arjona was “consistent with his ‘tell me what to do not to do’ philosophy when he ignored expert advice saying” it’s not a year to release a album “due to the Coronavirus pandemic. “But, as usual, he broke the ploys,” Sony said in a press release last month.

“Albums are not made with hope. Albums are made with passion and they continue to defend themselves later, whether times are hard or not,” said Arjona.

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TODAY marks 50 years since The Beatles turned a zebra crossing into an iconic moment in time.

The Fab Four’s incredible shot is synonymous with their album Abbey Road, where it was shot. Here’s what else we know about the Grade II listed studio …

Where are Abbey Road Studios?

The world famous recording studio is located at 3 Abbey Road in the City of Westminster, London.

Formerly known as EMI Recording Studios, it was established in November 1931.

It was created by the Gramophone Company, a predecessor of the iconic British company EMI.

The UK government granted it Grade II listed status in 2010, sparing it major changes.

2

When was the famous Beatles album cover shot?

The Beatles’ Abbey Road album cover art – taken outside the studio on August 8, 1969 – is one of the most iconic of all time.

It shows John Lennon, Ringo Starr, Paul McCartney and George Harrison on a zebra crossing outside the building.

The image was taken by photographer Iain Macmillan and apparently based on ideas sketched out by McCartney.

Macmillan only had about ten minutes to take the photo as he stood on a stepladder and a police officer blocked traffic.

Who else has recorded music at Abbey Road?

Although The Beatles are best known for studio recording, it was a hive of activity for some of the biggest names in music in the ’60s.

NME claimed the band’s White Album was the best studio album ever, with The Zombies’ Odessey and Oracle at No2.

Pink Floyd recorded most of their albums from the late ’60s to mid’ 70s here, not returning until 1988 for more work.

Other artists include James Blunt, Mary J Blige, Kanye West, Bastille, Dido, Foo Fighters, The Hollies, Elton John and Michael Jackson.

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Abbey Road Studios is known as the most famous recording studio in the world, having been used by the Beatles, Pink Floyd, the Hollies and many other notable artists. The venue can now also be known to house some of Bowers & Wilkins’ latest and greatest kits. That’s because Bowers & Wilkins has been named the official speaker and headphone partner of the famed studio.

There are several reasons why Bowers & Wilkins was chosen as the studio’s official loudspeaker and headphone partner, one of the most important being that the company’s product offering was the preferred loudspeaker for engineers. Abbey Road award winners. We’re not sure there could be much more praise than that.

As part of this partnership, Bowers & Wilkins technology will be used in all Abbey Road studios. This includes reference monitoring for Studios One, Two and Three, as well as the Gatehouse and Front Room – two new studios opening in 2017. Abbey Road will adopt Bowers & Wilkins flagship 800 Series Diamond; 800 D3 speakers, which claim to provide “the most accurate audio reproduction yet in these studios”.

This partnership comes at a pivotal time for Abbey Road Studios. The studio’s owners, EMI, considered a sale in 2010 which would have seen it redeveloped into luxury apartments, although the UK government stepped in to prevent this from happening. Since then, EMI itself has been acquired in part by Universal Music, which conducted a major redevelopment of the studios.

In the biggest transformation in Abbey Road Studios’ 86-year history, a new mixing stage for film sound post-production has been opened, while Abbey Road Red, Europe’s first audio technology incubator, has been launched. The Studio has also created apps and services to make its expertise more accessible to producers and artists around the world.

Isabel Garvey, MD of Abbey Road Studios, said: “We are delighted to embark on an audio partnership with Bowers & Wilkins, who share our passion for creative excellence, innovation and the highest audio quality. By working with Bowers & Wilkins, our engineers can continue to deliver the best possible studio experience to our customers and ensure that the passion and craftsmanship that lies behind every recording can be translated home, like the artist had planned it.

Gideon Yu, CEO of Bowers & Wilkins, added: “We are delighted to see Abbey Road Studios and Bowers & Wilkins working together on this partnership. We are passionate about delivering the highest quality, most accurate sound possible, from the world’s most demanding studio environments to people’s living rooms. Abbey Road Studios has an incredible heritage of cultivating some of the most talented musicians of the past 86 years, and we are delighted to help extend this quality audio experience to the next generation of musicians to work in these legendary studios.