| Founded | 1965; 60 years ago (1965) in London, England |
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| Founders |
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| Website | www |
Associated Independent Recording (AIR) is an independent recording company founded in London in 1965 by record producersGeorge Martin,John Burgess,Ron Richards, andPeter Sullivan.[1] In 1970 the company established its own professional audio recording facilities,AIR Studios.[2]
In 1965,producersGeorge Martin,Ron Richards, andJohn Burgess ofParlophone andPeter Sullivan ofDecca founded the company in order to produce music independently and license the final masters to the record companies, creating the opportunity for producers to earn bonuses and royalty payments.[1] In 1970 AIR opened its first recording studio complex in London.[2]
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AIR's first recording facility was meant to be suitable for both dubbing films and making records, so the company sought a central location with easy distance from theClaridge's andConnaught hotels to appeal to producers from around the world. Eventually a site inOxford Circus on the fourth floor of 214Oxford Street, atop thePeter Robinson department store was secured, and in 1969 the company began a year of construction costing £136,000. The studios were outfitted with £200,000 worth of equipment, opening with a high-profile launch party in October 1970.[3]
The Oxford Circus facility included two large studios (one 58×32 feet, the other 30×28 feet) and two small ones. The studios contained twoBösendorfer pianos, manysoundproof booths, and a 56-channelmixing console, custom-designed byNeve Electronics to AIR's specification.[4]
AIR London became popular in the 1970s forspoken word recordings.[5] It also became one of the most in-demand music studios in London by 1973.[6]
In 1991, with the lease on the Oxford Street premises coming to an end, AIR Studios relocated to a building that was formerly theLyndhurst Road Congregational Church, a Grade IIlisted building designed in 1880 by Victorian architectAlfred Waterhouse and located in theHampstead suburb of north London. The space was revamped as a recording facility and opened for business in December 1992. The Lyndhurst Hall location features a hexagonal room large enough to record both a full orchestra and a chorus at the same time, making it a key London facility forfilm scores and classical recordings, as well popular music, televisionpost-production, and dialogue, sound effects and music forvideo games.[7]Spitfire Audio has recorded many of its digital audio samples here. Employees includeOlga Fitzroy.[8]
In 1975, AIR was sold to theChrysalis Group, and Martin used the infusion of cash to build a residential studio on the island ofMontserrat, a British colony in theCaribbean where the producer had a residence at Olveston House inSalem.[9] The studio was built near Martin's home,[10] situated on a hilltop overlooking the sea within a 26-acre farm and surrounded by mango, citrus, and coconut groves. After two years of construction, AIR Montserrat (16°44′28″N62°12′53″W / 16.74111°N 62.21472°W /16.74111; -62.21472) opened in July 1979, complete with several surrounding villas where clients could stay while working at the studio. The first band to record there was theClimax Blues Band who were recording their albumReal to Reel.[3]
As of 1979 the studio consisted of a 46-channelNevemixing console, a pair ofMCI 24-track recorders, threeAmpex ATR-1022-track tape recorders and an MCI synchronizer (for any 46-track work), with JBL and Tannoy monitors.[11]
Jimmy Buffett recordedVolcano at the Montserrat studio in May 1979, naming the album and itstitle song for the then dormantSoufrière Hillsvolcano on the island.Elton John recorded three albums at the Montserrat studio in the 1980s.Dire Straits recorded their hugely successfulBrothers in Arms album at the studio between 1984 and 1985.[12] Other well-known studio clients at AIR Montserrat includedthe Police (Ghost in the Machine andSynchronicity),Earth, Wind & Fire,[13]Ultravox,Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark (pre-recordedJunk Culture),Paul McCartney,Gerry Rafferty,Rush,the Rolling Stones,Black Sabbath,Midge Ure,Little River Band,Duran Duran,Sheena Easton andLuther Vandross.
By 1986, the studio equipment list read, in part:
Recently refurbished control room now featuring 60 channels bySSL with automation and TR and 12 fully integrated channels by Rupert Neve of Focusrite, two 32-track Mitsubishi X850 digital machines and 24-track Studer A800. Digital mixing on two Mitsubishi X86. Very comprehensive ancillary equipment list.
In 1989, shortly after the Rolling Stones had recorded theirSteel Wheels album there,Hurricane Hugo devastated the island. While the Montserrat studio facility sustained only minor damage, it was never reopened, mainly due to changes in the recording industry. According to George Martin,[14]
Before we came to Montserrat there was no western music to speak of on the island. Building AIR meant that many leading recording artists came to stay. It cast its spell on them as they mingled with the local people. It was, and still is, a unique place... But after ten great years of recording there the music business had changed fundamentally. The moguls running the business no longer wanted their artists miles away, outside their control. That happened to coincide with the immense devastation caused by the hurricane and sadly the studios had to close. The people of Montserrat are still very proud of the work that was done at AIR Studios.
The abandoned studio buildings were still standing as of 2021, but have been long neglected and have fallen into dereliction; their roofs are failing, leading to extensive damage to the floors of the accommodation area and the inner part of the studio complex, making them unsafe to walk on. The facility is now amodern ruin and is closed to the public. Olveston House operates as aguest house.[10][15]
The 2021 Australian documentary filmUnder the Volcano interviews more than a dozen major artists and technicians who worked in the studio during the 1980s, and also includes archival narration and commentary by George Martin.[16]