MYLDN 2220 - Soulwax at Abbey Rd Studios

Abbey Rd gets a raveover..

All shots this week come from the legendary Abbey Road Studios where I was fortunate enough to document the recording, mixing and mastering of a new track by Soulwax which they were turning around from inception to completion in just over 72 hours. This process culminated in it being pressed onto vinyl on site and then played that night at a rave they had organised to take place in Studio 1. And it was some of the most enjoyable 3 days of my life.

It was just such a buzz to be in this building steeped in such musical history. Abbey Rd feels like a museum as it has some incredible analogue artefacts and memorabilia and documentation of all the amazing artists that have recorded there but it’s also still a fully operational sound studio full of people at the top end of their game but everyone is super lovely..no prima donnas, just decent folk who love their work and are amazing at what they do.

And there is this beautiful combination of old school equipment and hi-end modern tech. They still record everything with a bunch of very well placed microphones which feels somewhat basic and archaic but the precision with which they position them is a marvel to watch. The mic in the close-up shot below is from the 1930s and is still being used nearly a hundred years later. Mic drop! (actually don’t, it’s an antique)

I watched mesmerised as they lay down the drums..all 3 of them simultaneously. Yes Soulwax has three drummers..Iggor, Blake and Aurora and together they pack an almighty punch..but it’s not just power they possess..but precision and passion all rolled into one single unified sound. And it is staggering how they can maintain that level of intensity take after take after take in the iconic Studio 2 whose walls had seen for decades some of the greatest names do the same.

And then they turned to recording the piano section being played by lead singer Stefan Dewaele. And yes it was recorded on all three of those pianos and the one he is on in the shot below is the one that was most used by the Beatles for all their tracks.

It’s difficult not to be affected by this knowledge and it feels like you can almost feel the spirit of these artists in the room. Not saying George Harrison and John Lennon are haunting the place (i mean you never know) but there is an unmistakable vibe in the room, a positively charged atmosphere that permeates everyone there. Maybe it’s just cos we’re all so chuffed to be there. Maybe it’s always like that, who knows…but by the end of my time there I wanted to work there as everyone who did seemed very happy..

Once the recording was done it was straight on to the mixing..lots of knob twiddling and looking at waveforms. No, I have no idea exactly what they were doing but they did and that’s all that matters. I have documented many Soulwax gigs over the years but never had the privilege of seeing them in the recording studio so it was a joy to watch them work and put this altogether so meticulously and in such a short space of time.

Once that was done they went into the mastering which is also a lot of knob twiddling and more tecchy sound stuff I am fascinated by but also don’t really understand.

And then they went straight up to the top floor to get it pressed onto vinyl which was probably the coolest bit of it all. And I would very much love one of those machines in my house.

And they managed to get it all done about an hour before the doors opened and from there or in it was all about the rave. They had shipped in their own sound system which was a beast of a thing and soon the room was ready for the eager punters who’s only way to get a ticket was by calling a hotline and getting their name on a list. And despite massive amounts of people registering only 350 lucky punters made it in.

Everyone was a bit star struck from the venue as they came in and everyone just took in the fact they were actually in Abbey rd studios and everyone was grinning from ear to ear. There was support from Laima, Nadia Ksaiba and Erol Alkan who all got the party rolling..

….before Dave and Steph as their alter egos 2manydjs took to the stage and everyone went suitably nuts.

They played the new track “Perfect we are not” on the dot of 11 and it had a suitably rapturous response so mission accomplished..well almost…

….the rave in true rave style was actually shut down by the police after noise complaints so it got cut short which was gutting but it kinda made a perfect end to it somehow.

This was the first time Abbey Rd studios ever did something like this and it will also probably be the last which just makes it even more special and served to cement its status in the anals of Abbey Rd history alongside all the other mega shit that has happened there.

To see the full gallery please click here