Inside Native Music’s Soho Studios

Photography by Rob Jones

Tucked into Wardour Street in London’s Soho, Native’s office is surrounded by a legacy of music.

Just 50 feet from its front door, major artists like The Beatles, David Bowie, Queen, T-Rex, Lou Reed, and Elton John recorded some of their most celebrated work in what used to be Trident Studios.

A few steps around the corner, you’ll find the spot where The Rolling Stones first auditioned and rehearsed, in the building that now houses one of Soho’s best record stores, Sounds of the Universe.

“Music is literally in the walls that surround us, and that is an inspiring place to be,” says Dan Neale, managing director and music supervisor at the proudly independent company.

Above: The core Native Music team (left to right): Dan Neale, managing director/music supervisor; Oscar Webster Bell, music supervisor/composer; Sophie Faricy, executive producer/music supervisor; and Fred Ashworth, head of production.

Conveniently located and steeped in musical history, it’s clear why Native Music chose to begin its life here in 2013. And you can rely on the team to be there in the years to come: “Soho is as vibrant and inspiring a place to work in today as it was in 2013. We love it here – and so do our clients.”

Starting out as a small office with just two desks, Native Music expanded rapidly, taking over a modern open-plan working space, thoughtfully designed to warmly welcome impromptu visits, in addition to two studios.

Above: Ziggy the office dog

“We wanted to create a space that’s not just great to work in, but also a place that our clients would love, so we put a lot of thought into choosing the right furniture and high-end technical equipment.”

The main studio consists of a control room with capacity for up to ten clients plus a live room for recording, kitted out with high-end outboard gear usually reserved for dedicated recording studios. It’s found on a separate, underground floor, totally insulated from the noise of the rest of the office and the hustle and bustle of Soho.

The second studio functions as a writing and mixing room.

The studios offer Native Music the best of both worlds, granting the flexibility to collaborate with external composers and clients who wish to dial-in virtually to live recording sessions, while also providing ample space for working directly with creatives, producers, and directors.

“Whether that’s discussing changes to compositions, presenting a music search, or working through a sonic branding deck, we’re able to adapt to any brief and bring ideas to life with the best equipment in a warm and inspiring environment.”

The team itself operates with a hybrid set-up, enjoying the benefits of in-person creative collaboration and still being able to work seamlessly when remote.

“A composition project can be accessed and worked on in or out of the studio, and our huge internal database of music for any sync brief can be accessed immediately.”

Beyond professional projects, the team uses the space to host writing camps with publishers, collaborating with songwriters to craft tracks specifically tailored for sync briefs, as well as playbacks with labels and publishers. “They drop by and play us their new releases weeks, sometimes even months, before they are publicly available. Most people comment on the studio, and how nice it is to listen to the tracks in a proper space.”

Passionate about supporting newcomers to the industry, Native Music also runs workshops in its space to help fresh talent get their start in advertising music.

Say hello to the team – and Ziggy the office dog – at Ground Floor, 145 Wardour St, London W1F 8WB.