Associated Independent Recording (AIR) Studios was realised by Martin in 1969 amidst a tumutlous time in his working relationship with The Beatles, with the producer originally launching the studio in Central London before relocating to a converted chapel in 1991. Martin also opened a sister location on the Caribbean island of Montserrat in 1979, which played host to a series of iconic ’80s artists, including Michael Jackson, Duran Duran, The Police and Stevie Wonder before being forced into closure by a hurricane ten years later.
Since relocating to Lyndhurst Hall in 1991, AIR’s state of the art rooms have attracted a diverse roster of keynote musicians and recording artists, with the likes of U2, Kate Bush, Muse, Coldplay, Adele, Katy Perry and David Gilmour being among the many who have enjoyed the studio’s facilities. In addition, the ethereal acoustics and 300 metre hexagonal construction of the chapel’s live room has seen AIR become increasingly popular with film composers, with film scores such as Dunkirk, Interstellar, Wonder Woman and Darkest Hour being put to tape in the complex.
In addition to boasting a prestigious music history, AIR also has some insanely good studio gear worth up to six million dollars, including a 96 channel (!) Neve board with 48 channels of remote mic preamps, as well as an additional 1980’s Neve/Focusrite 72 channel board and two other huge boards located in the mix rooms.
Regarding the sale, AIR co-owner Paul Woolf told Billboard that the owners felt a need to let future generations take control of the studio to continue to cultivate new talent, explaining that, “We’re a pair of old farts, basically. We’ve worked very hard over a number of years to get business in really solid shape, but there’s always a future path and it’s time to go. There’s someone out there who’s younger and who has got the tenacity that we had when we were 40.”
Check out AIR Studios here, and keep your pennies saved for when it hits sale listings soon.
