Konk (recording)
Encyclopedia
Konk is the name of a recording studio
and record label
, established and managed by members of British Rock
group The Kinks
.
for a five-album stint with RCA
, who offered them a million-dollar advance. Ray and Dave Davies put this and money from recent hits like "Lola
" towards a new studio of their own in Hornsey
, a mile down the road from their home territory of Muswell Hill
. In the past few years the group had mainly been recording at Morgan Studios
, in Willesden
, London
. Albums recorded there included Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
, Percy
, Muswell Hillbillies
and Everybody's in Show-Biz
.
The Kinks began recording full time at the studio in about 1973. The group recorded the massive Preservation
project at Konk, and it would remain their main studio until the group disbanded in 1996. It received a considerable amount of attention recently when English
Indie rock
group The Kooks
recorded an album there, entitled Konk
, which topped the UK albums chart in April 2008.
In July 2010, Ray Davies put the studio up for sale as a redevelopment property, presumably to be demolished. In June 2011 Davies announced a delay in the sale saying "It was up for sale but I've got another record I've got to do so we're debating what to do now. It's open for discussion".
and Cafe Society. Ray Davies secured the fledgling label a licensing deal with ABC Records
. Davies later commented in a 1983 interview:
- Ray Davies, Time Out, December 17, 1982
The label continued to release records off and on in the next few decades. Kinks re-releases are sometimes under the "Konk" name, although the distribution is handled by larger labels like Velvel, Reprise
(US), and Castle/Sanctuary (UK). The Kinks fell back to their old label when Columbia records
dropped them in 1994, releasing their last record together, To The Bone
. To The Bone was recorded at Konk studios in front of a small invited audience, where the group performed some of their old classics, as well as two new compositions by Ray Davies.
. The other important room at Konk is the SSL room, opened in the early 1980s, used mainly for mixing and editing tracks.
, Elvis Costello
, Steve Winwood
, and The Bee Gees. Newcomers Bombay Bicycle Club
recorded their album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose at the studio.
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
and record label
Record label
In the music industry, a record label is a brand and a trademark associated with the marketing of music recordings and music videos. Most commonly, a record label is the company that manages such brands and trademarks, coordinates the production, manufacture, distribution, marketing and promotion,...
, established and managed by members of British Rock
British rock
British rock describes a wide variety of forms of music made in the United Kingdom. Since around 1964, with the "British Invasion" of the United States spearheaded by The Beatles, British rock music has had a considerable impact on the development of American music and rock music across the...
group The Kinks
The Kinks
The Kinks were an English rock band formed in Muswell Hill, North London, by brothers Ray and Dave Davies in 1964. Categorised in the United States as a British Invasion band, The Kinks are recognised as one of the most important and influential rock acts of the era. Their music was influenced by a...
.
Konk Studios
In 1971, The Kinks left Pye RecordsPye Records
Pye Records was a British record label. In its first incarnation, perhaps Pye's best known artists were Lonnie Donegan , Petula Clark , The Searchers , The Kinks , Sandie Shaw and Brotherhood of Man...
for a five-album stint with RCA
RCA Records
RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony Music Entertainment. The RCA initials stand for Radio Corporation of America , which was the parent corporation from 1929 to 1985 and a partner from 1985 to 1986.RCA's Canadian unit is Sony's oldest label...
, who offered them a million-dollar advance. Ray and Dave Davies put this and money from recent hits like "Lola
Lola (song)
"Lola" is a song written by Ray Davies and performed by The Kinks which details a romantic encounter between a young man and a transvestite he meets in a club in Soho, London....
" towards a new studio of their own in Hornsey
Hornsey
Hornsey is a district in London Borough of Haringey in north London in England. Whilst Hornsey was formerly the name of a parish and later a municipal borough of Middlesex, today, the name refers only to the London district. It is an inner-suburban area located north of Charing Cross.-Locale:The ...
, a mile down the road from their home territory of Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill
Muswell Hill is a suburb of north London, mostly in the London Borough of Haringey. It is situated about north of Charing Cross and around from the City of London. Muswell Hill is in the N10 postal district and mostly in the Hornsey and Wood Green parliamentary constituency.- History :The...
. In the past few years the group had mainly been recording at Morgan Studios
Morgan Studios
Morgan Studios, also known as Morgan Sound Studios, were recording studios in Willesden, North London. The studios were notable for many recordings of the 1960s and 1970s by many British bands and artists such as Ten Years After, Yes, The Kinks, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, Joan Armatrading, Cat...
, in Willesden
Willesden
Willesden is an area in North West London which forms part of the London Borough of Brent. It is situated 5 miles north west of Charing Cross...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Albums recorded there included Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
Lola versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part One
Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround, Part OneAlternatively titled Kinks Part One: Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneygoround; commonly abbreviated to Lola Versus Powerman is the eighth studio album by British rock band The Kinks, recorded and released in 1970...
, Percy
Percy (soundtrack)
Percy is a 1971 film soundtrack for the British comedy film Percy performed by English rock group the Kinks with additional orchestral arrangements conducted by Stanley Myers. The songs were written by Ray Davies and include both standard pop songs and instrumental numbers.-Release and...
, Muswell Hillbillies
Muswell Hillbillies
Muswell Hillbillies is the ninth studio album by the English rock group The Kinks, released in November 1971. The album is named after the Muswell Hill area of North London, where band leader Ray Davies and guitarist Dave Davies grew up and the band formed in the early 1960s.The album centred on...
and Everybody's in Show-Biz
Everybody's in Show-Biz
Everybody's in Show-Biz is the tenth studio album released by English rock group The Kinks, released in 1972. A double album, the first disc features studio recordings, while the second disc documents a two-night Carnegie Hall stand....
.
The Kinks began recording full time at the studio in about 1973. The group recorded the massive Preservation
Preservation: Acts 1 & 2
Preservation: Act 1 is a 1973 concept album by the English rock group The Kinks.Preservation was not well-received by critics and sold poorly , though the live performances of the material were much better received...
project at Konk, and it would remain their main studio until the group disbanded in 1996. It received a considerable amount of attention recently when English
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
Indie rock
Indie rock
Indie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
group The Kooks
The Kooks
The Kooks are an English indie rock band formed in Brighton, East Sussex, in 2001. Formed by Luke Pritchard , Hugh Harris , Paul Garred , and Max Rafferty , the lineup of the band remained constant until 2008 and the departure of Rafferty...
recorded an album there, entitled Konk
Konk (album)
-Technical information on songs:-Release history:-Charts:...
, which topped the UK albums chart in April 2008.
In July 2010, Ray Davies put the studio up for sale as a redevelopment property, presumably to be demolished. In June 2011 Davies announced a delay in the sale saying "It was up for sale but I've got another record I've got to do so we're debating what to do now. It's open for discussion".
Konk Records
Konk the label was most prolific for a few years in the late seventies. It released a handful of unsuccessful 45s and LPs before it ceased in about 1976, with the departure of business manager Tony Dimitriades. Artists in the roster included a young Claire HamillClaire Hamill
Claire Hamill is a British singer-songwriter.- Biography :Claire Hamill was active in the music business since age 17...
and Cafe Society. Ray Davies secured the fledgling label a licensing deal with ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
. Davies later commented in a 1983 interview:
- Ray Davies, Time Out, December 17, 1982
The label continued to release records off and on in the next few decades. Kinks re-releases are sometimes under the "Konk" name, although the distribution is handled by larger labels like Velvel, Reprise
Reprise Records
Reprise Records is an American record label, founded in 1960 by Frank Sinatra. It is owned by Warner Music Group, and operated through Warner Bros. Records.-Beginnings:...
(US), and Castle/Sanctuary (UK). The Kinks fell back to their old label when Columbia records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
dropped them in 1994, releasing their last record together, To The Bone
To the Bone (The Kinks album)
To the Bone is a 1994 album by English rock group The Kinks. It was the band's final release before their breakup in 1996.Included are concert recordings plus live-in-studio acoustic reworkings of other songs, a popular trend in the 1990s among established acts due to MTV's Unplugged. In 1996, an...
. To The Bone was recorded at Konk studios in front of a small invited audience, where the group performed some of their old classics, as well as two new compositions by Ray Davies.
Rooms
The main room of Konk is the Neve Room, which was featured in the Kinks' 1983 "State of Confusion" music videoMusic video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
. The other important room at Konk is the SSL room, opened in the early 1980s, used mainly for mixing and editing tracks.
Clients
Over time many artists have recorded at the studio. Some of these include The Kooks, BlurBlur (band)
Blur is an English alternative rock band. Formed in London in 1989 as Seymour, the group consists of singer Damon Albarn, guitarist Graham Coxon, bassist Alex James and drummer Dave Rowntree. Blur's debut album Leisure incorporated the sounds of Madchester and shoegazing...
, Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello
Elvis Costello , born Declan Patrick MacManus, is an English singer-songwriter. He came to prominence as an early participant in London's pub rock scene in the mid-1970s and later became associated with the punk/New Wave genre. Steeped in word play, the vocabulary of Costello's lyrics is broader...
, Steve Winwood
Steve Winwood
Stephen Lawrence "Steve" Winwood is an English international recording artist whose career spans nearly 50 years. He is a songwriter and a musician whose genres include soul music , R&B, rock, blues-rock, pop-rock, and jazz...
, and The Bee Gees. Newcomers Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club
Bombay Bicycle Club are a British indie rock and folk band from Crouch End, London. The band comprises: Jack Steadman , Jamie MacColl , Ed Nash and Suren de Saram ....
recorded their album I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose at the studio.