For over thirty years Metropolis Studios has existed to do one thing, support an artist to reach their full potential in the time they spend here. Nothing else. It is a philosophy that defines every aspect of this remarkable place. Every design choice, every workflow, every act of service is built around putting the artist first. Always.
From the moment you step through its doors it is clear this is not just a recording complex. It is a creative sanctuary designed for focus, comfort and collaboration.
From Power Station to Creative Engine
Approaching Metropolis Studios in Chiswick feels like walking toward a piece of living history. The Grade II listed Power House at 70 Chiswick High Road was designed in 1901 by architect William Curtis Green to power the trams of West London. It once stood with a 260-foot smoke stack and an ornate façade adorned with two female figures representing Electricity and Locomotion.
For four short years it generated power before competition from Lots Road Power Station in Chelsea shut it down. The building sat derelict for decades used as a warehouse its chimney demolished in 1966. In 1975 after a campaign by the Victorian Society it became one of the first twentieth-century buildings ever to be listed for preservation.
In 1985 the upper floors were converted into residential flats and by 1989 the lower half had been transformed into what would become one of the most influential recording facilities in the world, Metropolis Studios.
Origins and Vision
Metropolis was founded in 1989 by Gary Langan Carey Taylor Karin Clayton and Alexander Skeaping. Langan already known for his work with Queen and Yes wanted to build a recording environment that was both technically world-class and artistically liberating, a haven where musicians could work without compromise surrounded by the best gear acoustics and people in the industry.
That vision was realised in spectacular fashion. The complex’s angular concrete and metal atrium its five main recording and mixing studios and its four production suites were all purpose-designed with obtuse surfaces to refract and diffuse sound. From day one Metropolis stood as a perfect blend of architecture and audio science.
A Modern Legacy and Expansion
Over the decades Metropolis evolved into a full creative ecosystem comprising three divisions: Metropolis Studios Metropolis Mastering and Metropolis Digital Media/Productions.
In 2013 the company was acquired by Metropolis London Music Limited (MLML) bringing it into the same family as the Academy of Contemporary Music (ACM). Four years later in 2017 Richard Connell a former Sony Music executive was appointed CEO ensuring that the studio’s legacy would continue under forward-thinking leadership.
Pioneering Techniques and World-Class Facilities
Metropolis has always sat on the frontier of recording innovation. It helped pioneer early digital recording techniques while remaining deeply rooted in the analogue traditions that define great records. Its five studios and four production rooms are designed with acoustic precision and stocked with a blend of vintage rarities and modern high-end equipment.
Studio A’s SSL J-Series console and legendary Fazioli grand piano (modelled by Waves and Wavesfactory) have shaped hits for Amy Winehouse Adele and The Libertines. Studio B Mark Ronson’s home base during the making of Back to Black still brims with creative energy. Its bright Yamaha C7 Neve preamps and Fairchild compressors stand ready for the next session.
The studios have hosted an endless list of icons including Queen U2 Michael Jackson Lady Gaga Lauryn Hill Little Mix Rihanna Adele and Courtney Hadwin.
The Metropolis Mastering Tradition
Founded in 1993 by Tony Cousins Ian Cooper Tim Young and Crispin Murray Metropolis Mastering was created “to master audio to a standard never previously achieved.” It now houses five purpose-built mastering suites fitted with PMC Bryston and Prism systems including two designed specifically for stereo and 5.1 surround mastering.
Its cutting rooms include a Neumann VMS-80 lathe for vinyl mastering and the department now offers full remote services for clients worldwide. Over the years the team has expanded to include some of the most respected names in the craft — Stuart Hawkes John Davis Matt Colton Andy “Hippy” Baldwin Felix Davis Mike Hillier and Natalie Bibby.
When a record leaves Metropolis Mastering it is ready for the world.
3D Audio: The Immersive Frontier
In 2021 Metropolis opened its 3D Audio Studio instantly recognised as the highest-resolution Dolby Atmos studio in the UK. Designed for every immersive format imaginable the room features a 22.2 Neumann monitoring system in an 11.1.8 configuration with speakers arranged at perfect 30-degree intervals.
It supports all major connectivity standards including MADI Dante AES3 and Ravenna and can handle everything from film score mixing to live spatial streaming.
The launch included a partnership with Amazon Music making Metropolis Amazon’s UK headquarters for immersive mixing. Within the first three months the studio delivered spatial mixes for Jack Savoretti The Amazons Major Lazer Rag’n’Bone Man Disclosure St. Vincent Bonobo The Vaccines Cautious Clay and Anne-Marie.
As Mike Hillier told me during my visit “The tech’s incredible but the music still comes first. Atmos only works when it makes emotional sense for the song.”
People and Purpose
Chief Engineer Paul Norris is a perfect embodiment of Metropolis’ spirit. He joined as a runner straight out of university worked gruelling double-day shifts and fifteen years later leads the engineering department.
Paul’s credits include Will.i.am Rihanna Ella Henderson Placebo and numerous international projects. Yet what impressed me most was his humility and the way he spoke about Metropolis as a living breathing creative ecosystem.
“We’re a service industry” he told me. “Clients can record anywhere these days. They come here because of how they’re treated because we make it easy to create.”
That commitment extends to every detail. During my visit someone from the café appeared with soy milk we hadn’t even asked for yet. “If someone wants a banana at two in the morning” Paul smiled “we’ll find them a banana.”
Uncompromising Quality
Metropolis has built its reputation on meticulous quality and acoustic excellence. Every room from the massive tracking spaces to the smallest production suite meets the same exacting standard. This consistency has earned the studio countless awards since 1993 and cemented its status as one of the world’s leading creative environments.
Why Metropolis Endures
There are studios with great gear and studios with great history. Metropolis is one of the few that still has both and uses them in service of the artist not its own legend.
From the grandeur of the Power House’s original façade through decades of music history to its cutting-edge 3D Audio studio Metropolis remains what Gary Langan first envisioned: a space where creativity technology and human care meet in perfect balance.
It is not nostalgia that keeps artists returning here. It is that rare combination of trust innovation and warmth. The energy that once powered London’s trams now powers its music and the hum of creation never stops.
