Goldstein Music's ‘Best Recording Studios in London’

Composition, recording, production and mixing are cornerstones of our work at Goldstein. Whether it’s crafting a bespoke score for a film, adapting well-known music for advertising, or designing unique sonic logos for audio branding projects, the tools at our disposal and the environment in which we work are crucial to ensuring we reach the highest standards. Fortunately, being based in central London, we’re rather spoilt for choice when it comes to these criteria.

While instruments and software are the core of our work, the studio is home when it comes to making music. As a testament to the rich musical heritage that surrounds us, we’ve compiled a list of some of the best recording studios within touching distance of our homes and workplaces. Learn more about these supreme audio hotspots in the article below!

Abbey Road, St. John’s Wood

No list of London’s best recording studios would be complete without a nod to the most famous one in the world.

Established inside what was originally a nine-bedroom house built in 1829, Abbey Road Studios was purchased by the Gramophone Company in 1928 — who opened it as the world’s first purpose-built recording studio three years later. A few decades on, it was made legendary by The Beatles, who recorded most of their albums there in the ‘60s (including the one titled ‘Abbey Road’).

It has housed major artists from all corners in the years since — including The Shadows, Kanye West and Fela Kuti — while some of cinema’s greatest scores were also captured there. Recording highlights of the latter field include Howard Shore’s work on Lord of the Rings, and John Williams’ scores for the Indiana Jones, Star Wars and Harry Potter franchises.

Angel Studios, St. John’s Wood

The Abbey Road Institute (a specialist music production school born out of the expertise fostered at Abbey Road Studios), meanwhile, has recently had a hand in the revival of one of our favourite recording studios in London: Angel Studios. The studio was briefly closed in 2019 — but it is now due to reopen thanks to the Abbey Road Institute’s involvement.

This was the site of the recording of our arrangement of ‘Favourite Things’, for the Sky Cinema Christmas TV spot ‘Mother & Daughter’, directed by Ben Liam Jones from Strangelove. As seen in our behind-the-scenes video, which features our founder, Jonathan Goldstein, conducting a 25-piece orchestra, the studio is a state-of-the-art space highly conducive to delicate and dynamic orchestral recordings.

We’re not the only fans of the Grade II-listed Islington space (originally constructed as a Congregational chapel in 1888). Famous artists who have utilised the studio include Sam Smith, The Cure and One Direction, while scores for The Lion King, Downton Abbey, Planet Earth and the James Bond film Goldeneye were also recorded there.

The Church, Crouch End

Crouch End locals might not be aware that a renowned music studio with a four-decade history lies right in the middle of the high street. That’s because it’s housed inside a 170-year-old church building, complete with stone walls, stained glass and an enormous spire — it’s quite a disguise.

The Church, as it’s known, is today owned by super-producer Paul Epworth (Adele, Paul McCartney, Coldplay), but its reputation was established long before his tenure. Once occupied by animators Bob Bura and John Hardwick — the men responsible for television shows Captain Pugwash and Trumpton — it was converted into a recording space by Eurythmics in the ‘80s, who recorded the album ‘Sweet Dreams’ there in 1982.

The likes of Bob Dylan, Radiohead and U2 have all completed works there in the years since, with artists coveting the Church’s capacity for 30-person choirs and 18-piece strings sections to record in the grand main studio space. 

Konk Studios, Hornsey

Just up the road from Crouch End is Konk Studios — a more modest local favourite that also boasts a respectable background. Founded by members of The Kinks in the early ‘70s, Konk is unassuming from the outside (it’s housed inside a converted Victorian home) — but the space within is highly conducive for recording thanks to its wood-panelled live room and isolation booths.

Konk has enjoyed a prolific history in the past 50 years — with clients including Moby, Nick Cave, The Bee Gees and afrobeat pioneer Tony Allen. Studio 1’s vintage Neve console, meanwhile, has some history of its own. Prior to being brought over from Utopia Studios in Primrose Hill, it had been put to work on iconic records like Pink Floyd’s ‘The Wall’ and Heatwave’s ‘Boogie Nights’.

The Premises, Shoreditch

Heading East on Hackney Road, you can’t miss The Premises — it’s the big building just up from Columbia Road Flower Market, draped in vines with bold white lettering and an army-green façade.

Comprising ten commercial rehearsal spaces as well as a mixing studio, The Premises made history in 2007 after it opened what is believed to be Europe’s first solar-powered recording space: an acoustic recording studio. The venture resulted in The Premises being welcomed into Friends of the Earth to lobby the government alongside the Renewable Energy Association in 2008, and in 2011 it won the Best Green Business Award at the annual MusicWeek awards.

Recording clients include FKA Twigs, Tom Jones, Nina Simone and Portico Quartet — while countless others depend on it as London’s most esteemed rehearsal space.

Goldstein is a full-service music production agency with a rich heritage working in advertising, film and television. If you’re interested in learning more about how music can amplify your project, please get in touch at info@goldsteinmusic.com.