| By Warren Neill For
as far back as I can remember, I have been a music nut; religiously
taping the charts every Sunday and sitting in front of the television
while Top of the Pops was on with the tape recorder from my ZX Spectrum
held up to the speaker.
My attention, however, was not taken by the singer getting all
the adulation or the super-cool lead guitarist – it was taken
by the drummer. Especially the heavy metal and rock drummers. They
got to beat the shit out of these massive drum kits, chuck their
sticks around, then chuck the drums around; plus they had the most
tattoos.
I got my first go on a drum kit when I was about seven or eight
on holiday in Blackpool, and was immediately smitten. As soon as
I got home it was straight to the park to get the straightest branches
I could find and wrap them in Sellotape: my first drumsticks. I
later found my first real pair after a fight between two Flute bands
on the Twelfth of July (I grew up on the Shankill Road in Belfast).
And so my bedroom became my very own silent rehearsal room, and
it still is, with my very own air drums. Rehearsal rooms then became
garages, front rooms and attics. The progression onto real rehearsal
space wasn’t much better, to be honest; for your money you
got a stinking, dingy room with sticky carpets, busted amps and
a kit held together with two rolls of gaffer tape. And all this
helpfully managed by a drug-shot old rocker – cool!
Nowadays, studios and rehearsal rooms cater to musicians’
every whim, have great equipment and can be quite helpful to those
new to the experience. In Stoke Newington we are pretty much spoilt
for choice when it comes to space, whether it’s getting down
to some serious practice or getting pissed with your mates and making
a racket. So, without any kind of favouritism or technical specs
(you can find all that out yourself), you can start with Karma Studios
which is tucked away on Bouverie Mews, off Bouverie Road: a very
modern, relaxed space with two rooms available with full back-line
and great split-level lounge. Seventh Studios is next to the old
Fire Station on Leswin Road and also has a couple of well- equipped
rooms for day-to-day use (and other rooms but these are usually
residential or block-booked), and upstairs in the unit is Scabby
Road Recording Studio. On Northwold Road (Stamford Hill end) is
Audio Underground, which is well worth a visit just to see the size
of the place – it seems to be constantly building upwards
and outwards so, by the time this is printed, it will almost certainly
have changed. Some great rooms to record in there and loads of experienced
engineers. Up Stamford Hill, near Stoke Newington railway station
is The Others. Not only are there rooms to rehearse there, it also
has a massive space which can be used for dance/theatre rehearsal.
Another recording studio, which, although it is a little further
afield in Bow and has relocated from Stoke Newington, is Gizzard
Studios.
All the studios mentioned are purpose-built with quality facilities,
and have experienced musicians and techs managing them. They all
have different facilities to offer and it’s down to personal
choice what is required, so give them a call. And, if there are
any other studios close by who would like to be mentioned, drop
me a line and I will list you on our website, n16mag.com.
Finally, if you weren’t aware already and are in a band or
are in any way interested in music and meeting people, you should
go to www.myspace.com. Right now, about 47 million people use it
worldwide and there is a great local community developing there.
You basically get free web space to put your pictures, tunes, blogs,
gig dates and whatever else to network with the rest of the world.
If you haven’t been yet go to www.myspace.com/soixanteneufmusique
for a look around, check the friends and explore.
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