Building A Home from the Sound Up
“This is where I sit, and this is my dog, Ringo,” Ann Haugen, head of production at SOUTH Music, tells me, gesturing to the bichon frise plodding through the front room cum office. Leaving the gaggle of team members gathered on the front porch to enjoy their lunch in the Los Angeles sunshine, Ann and creative director, Matt Drenik, proceed with the tour of the company’s affectionately nicknamed, SOUTH House.
Built in the 1930's, the charming Craftsman house is chock-full of character, making it the perfect fit for the motley crew of creatives that call it home. Located in Hollywood’s trendy Larchmont Village, the SOUTH House is a stone’s throw from some of the finest coffee shops, restaurants and bars in Los Angeles – a big hit with visiting clients and collaborators.
After acquiring the property in 2021, SOUTH Music were eager to build the most creative environment possible. But there was a lot of work to do before the award-winning music and sound production company could call this house a home.
Having worked in sound studios across the country, Matt stepped up to play an integral role in executing the creative vision of the SOUTH House. “The idea was we wanted to have a hybrid recording studio that allowed for all aspects of productions - composition, mix, development - with artists given the option to work in autonomy or collaboratively,” he explains.
Matt reveals his overall inspiration for the house was influenced by Berry Gordy and Motown's Hitsville house, with production rooms modelled on the iconic Cheiron Studios, a Swedish recording studio occupied by writers like Max Martin and global pop acts like Britney Spears, Bryan Adams and Celine Dion. Leading the planning and design, Matt considered the most productive use of the 2500 square footage.
From installing hand-made panels to sourcing “killer soundproof doors”, Matt and sound engineer, Robin Holden, worked with a contractor to maximise the space. Reflecting on the renovation process, Matt says, “I walked around with a little pad of paper and started writing out what rooms could go where. Then we worked together to shape them, tweaking everything, all the way up until the end.”
In addition to staff composers each having their own individual studios, an Artist-in-Residence room is located within the studio. An eclectic string of notable musicians have dropped by to compose music at the studio, including film and television composers, Kate Diaz and Johanna Cranitch, and freelance composer, Elliot Glasser, of “numbpop” trio, FYOHNA.
Along with visiting talent, a number of skilled composers, producers and engineers - hailing from the UK to Uruguay - operate out of the SOUTH House on a more permanent basis. The state of the art set up has been put to good use in the last two years, with SOUTH Music producing for commercial, film and television work, as well as projects for brands like Samsung, Cadillac and Call of Duty.
The studio has also been frequented by collaborators seeking record production such as Marina Darling, Este Haim, Evan Rachel Wood, Miller Campbell, The Gold Minutes and Battleme. Alt rock band Veruca Salt's lead singer, Louise Post's “Sleepwalker”, released in June 2023, is the most recent album to come out of SOUTH, receiving accolades in NME, Consequence of Sound, Brooklyn Vegan, Stereogum, and more.
Elsewhere, in the long format world, Matt took on the music supervision for the soundtrack of Jerad Moshe’s feature film, Aporia, starring Judy Greer. Using the SOUTH House as the creative hub, Matt worked closely with the director, calling on bands from his own label - Get Loud Recordings - to help score the romantic sci-fi saga.
Taking in the eclectic and stylish surroundings, it’s clear the SOUTH Music team were brimming with enough imagination to eliminate the need for an interior designer. From the vintage jukebox spinning classic 45’s, to the carefully curated walls of framed art, movie posters and photos from parties, the SOUTH House is a team effort that is brimming with heart.
As we reach the end of the tour, Ann and Matt take a few minutes to mull over the benefits of their new working environment. “We had a studio before, but it just never felt right,” says Ann. “Getting this house during the pandemic gave us a blank slate that we could transform into exactly what we wanted.”
“Our philosophy was always to create a space that would facilitate work beyond commercials; cool artsy projects, whether it's a short film or an album. We wanted to create an environment that would inspire people and keep things interesting,” she tells me.
“We were able to design a space that would be at the greatest capacity for us,” says Matt. “This is not a traditional recording studio and, as a result, the sound that comes out of here feels totally different and can really be felt on every record we've done so far.”
The SOUTH sound, it would seem, starts at home.
