Livingston Recording Studios

Livingston Studios were started by Ray Kinsey, a film director from North London, who branched out into recording talking books for the blind. The first Livingston Studio[1] designed for recording music was set up in Barnet UK during 1963 where work on talking books continued alongside the recording of folk music. Kinsey's son, Nick Kinsey, joined the company in 1966. Nick Kinsey started to develop the studios continuing with the recording of folk music and branching out into pop music. He recorded artists such as Sweeney's Men,[2] Pentangle, Iain Matthews and Russ Ballard. Nick Kinsey bought the studio from Fred Livingston-Hogg an Oxford based business man who had been involved with the Livingston Hire Group, with the help of Alan Tomkins and Michael Smee, and rebuilt it.

History

During 1980 that Nick Kinsey decided to expand the business and move to an old Church hall in Wood Green and transformed it into a hi-tech studio. In 1985 a second studio was added and Jerry and Mary Boys joined the company. By 1987 they had opened two more studios in Guillemot Place North London.[1]

In 1993 Livingston succumbed to the nationwide recession in UK and the Guillemot studios were closed down. The Brook Road studios were acquired by Jerry Boys and Dave Margereson who owned the music management company Mismanagement and the new company Livingston Recording Studios Ltd was set up.[1]

Nick Gold, producer and owner of the World circuit record label, met Jerry Boys after working together on an album with Oumou Sangaré and they started to work together with the Buena Vista Social Club.[1]The Buena Vista Social Club's eponymous multi million selling first album was recorded at Egrem studios, Havana and mixed by Boys and Gold at Livingston Studios. They released it on their World Circuit label in 1997.[3]

Björk's debut album Debut (1993) was recorded and mixed at Livingston Studios by producer Marius De Vries. It sold over 2.5m copies worldwide.[4]

In 2001 Gold bought the company from Boys which enabled most of World Circuit's artists to be record and mix their music at Livingston Studios.

Artists who have used Livingston Studios

A

  • A&G Records
  • Adam Seymour
  • Adrian Hall
  • Adrian Sherwood
  • Afro Cuban All Stars
  • Alex Wilson
  • Ali Farka Toure
  • Andy Scart
  • Andy Thornton
  • Ash
  • Asian Dub Foundation
  • Athena
  • Atlantic*

B

  • Barb Jungr
  • Balenescu Quartet
  • Bellowhead
  • Bernard Butler
  • Beth Orton
  • Betty Steeles
  • Big Linda
  • Björk
  • Blondelle
  • Blowup Records
  • Bobby Kray
  • Box of Frogs
  • Buena Vista Social Club
  • Bush*

C

  • Cameron McVey
  • Candid Records
  • Calum Malcolm
  • The Cat Empire
  • CEC Management
  • Chris Kimsey
  • Chris Sheldon*

D

  • Danny Shogger
  • The Datsuns
  • Damien Saez
  • Dave Eringa
  • David Ward Films
  • Dennis Bovell
  • Del Amitri
  • Dimi Mint Abba
  • Dimitri*

E

  • The Ebony Tower
  • Elova
  • The Enemy
  • Enjoy Destroy
  • Erol Alkan
  • Eyes Wide Open*

F

  • Feeder
  • Fierce And The Dead
  • The Friendly
  • Fires
  • Future Cut*

G

  • Gil Norton
  • Graham Dominy
  • Greg Haver
  • Sean Genocky
  • Gyroscope

H

  • Hate Gallery
  • Hogg*

I

J

K

  • KK
  • Kaitee Page
  • Ken Rose
  • Kasai Masai
  • Kate Rusby*

L

M

N

O

P

R

S

T

  • Terry Thomas
  • Tom Leader
  • Tom McRae
  • Brian Tench
  • Tom Richards
  • Tony Platt
  • TrailVega 4*

U

V

  • Voces 8*

W

Y

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Livingstone Recording History
  2. ↑ Sleeve notes from Sweeney's Men CD, Castle Communications Plc, ESM CD 435, 1996.
  3. ↑ http://www.allmusic.com/album/r311235 The Buena Vista Social Club at allmusic
  4. ↑ Björk Debut album on Allmusic