Studio Safari @Iceland Airwaves festival
On November 5th, during the Iceland Airwaves music festival, Iceland Music, along with local collaborators including STEF and Reykjavik Music City, invited visiting industry professionals and press attending the festival, on a Studio Safari tour.
“My Saturday started early (9 AM) with a press trip that began at the famous Blue Lagoon, a geothermal wonder not far outside of Reykjavik. If you're got to get up six hours after drinking too much Icelandic beer and local liquor Brennivin, going for a two-hour soak in healing, mineral rich hot springs, complete with Blue Lagoons' facial mask treatments, that's the way to do it. (Though going there straight from the airport is ideal.) From there we were taken on a scenic drive through some of Iceland's many, many other geological wonders before taking a tour of Reykjavik's Greenhouse Studios -- where Bjork, Feist, Ben Frost and more have recorded -- and then a visit to the city's very impressive Harpa Center that includes three classical leaning concert venues.” - Brooklyn Vegan
That afternoon, the handsome delegation visited three of Reykjavik’s recording studios, Sundlaugin, Greenhouse Studios, and finally the Reykjavik Recording Orchestra facilities, in Harpa Concert House and Conference Centre.
It was a cold and busy day in Reykjavik, so the opportunity to come together in the warm and welcoming environment of the recording studios came highly appreciated.
Sundlaugin
Studio Sundlaugin's location is truly inspiring. The studio was originally a swimming pool built in the 1930’s, but had been abandoned when the band Sigur Rós purchased the building in 1999. The building was then converted into a recording studio and has served as a studio ever since.
The group was greeted by Arni Hjorvar, recording engineer and bass player for UK band The Vaccines. Arni frequently engineers recording sessions at Sundlaugin and showed the group around.
Greenhouse Studios
Next we visited the Greenhouse Studios a residential recording facility created and run by composer Valgeir Sigurðsson. The studio has over 20 years of recording history and service to top international and local artists. The studio is nestled in a residential suburb of Reykjavík, a 10 minute drive from the city centre and equally close to the immediate countryside and nature.
The vast SSL AWS900-equipped Studio A is ideal for the modern day production needs; from tracking to mixing. The B Studio production room is a creative space on an intimate scale, while the large live room that also doubles as their Studio C: a customizable production room built around a core system, with the option to tailor the setup according to a project’s needs.
These three interconnected rooms connect with smaller iso-booths, one adjacent to each room. A wide selection of instruments, acoustic and electric pianos, analog synths, outboard, effects, guitars, and a beautiful John Broadwood & Sons grand piano are all at hand. The Greenhouse Studios has welcomed many famous bands and artists such as Björk, Of Monsters & Men, Ben Frost and Feist.
The lovely Eydis Evensen performed a couple of pieces from her last album for the group, as well as giving a sneak peak of a previously unreleased track she has been working on with Valgeir.
Reykjavik Recording Orchestra
Finally, our last stop took us the the iconic landmark Harpa, where the Reykjavík Recording Orchestra opened in 2011. The home of this studio is in Harpa Hall in the heart of Reykjavík, with a stunning ocean views overlooking the harbour and the mountain Esja.
Reykjavík Recording Orchestra specialises in ensemble recordings for film, TV, games, media and music of various genres. The studio delivers exceptional performances and high-quality recordings. From solo performances, quartets, chamber/choral to orchestral, the studio delivers exceptional performances and high-quality recordings.
Composer and arranger Viktor Orri Árnason, greeted the group with a live performance and a grand tour of the facilities.
The Studio Safari made up for a wonderful Saturday afternoon at Iceland Airwaves. Our hosts at the recording studios were warm and welcoming, and the delegation celebrated the opportunity to connect with the local industry on its home turf, sharing stories of great music, making new friends and connections.
All pictures by Cat Gundry-Beck