Cargo Studios was a recording studio located in the Kenion Street Music Building, off Drake Street, Rochdale, Greater Manchester, England, on the first floor above Tractor Music's Pro Audio shop. It was opened in 1977 by John Brierley (who had gained notoriety in the early 1970s as producer of Tractor's first two albums) and lasted in its first incarnation until 1984, when it was taken over by Peter Hook (from New Order) and Chris Hewitt. Renamed as Suite 16 (a name suggested by Factory Records' Tony Wilson), the studio continued until 2001.
The studio is synonymous with the rise of the post-punk music scene in the North of England and as the incubator of many bands that would go on to make their mark in the UK and worldwide, including Joy Division, The Fall, The Teardrop Explodes, Blue Orchids, Echo and the Bunnymen and Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark.
One of the best known songs recorded at the studio is Joy Division's ”Atmosphere".
On the 23rd Sept 2009, a “Blue Plaque” was placed on the building in recognition of the role it played in the British music scene.