Krista Henry, Staff Reporter

The 'Cube' is where engineer Icon works on some of the hottest beats. - photos by Ricardo Makyn/Staff Photographer

It is within the walls of a studio that the sweetest melodies arise. In the midst of complementary instruments inspiration sparks in the echo chamber and creates a musical fire. Today we visit one of the larger studios in Jamaica at the Anchor Recording Company Ltd.

The Anchor complex is where music works, literally, Music Works being the name of the label which is based there. With insight to pave new paths to the future, this illus-trious studio is never moored to the past. At 7 Windsor Avenue, St. Andrew, stands the peacefully unimposing Anchor Recording Company Ltd., but inside lies the heart of three studios pulsing with music.

Stocked with three well-equipped studios, Anchor has a flavour for every musical style. Like Goldilocks, each artiste is treated to different degrees of pleasure, with Studio One being the medium-sized studio, Studio Two the largest of the trio, and Studio Three the smallest.

recorded history

Originally located in Cross Roads during the early '70s, Anchor moved to its present address in the early 1990s. Founded by Augustus 'Gussie' Clarke, it was moved to accommodate the vast amount of work that is now being produced by the studio.

A force of strength to the music industry, according to technical director Courtney Small, Anchor got its name because "it holds everything together, it keeps the ship firm". It is a melodious ship that has set sails in international waters, as greats such as the Fugues, Simply Red, Sting and many others have followed the music to Anchor. Almost every local artiste of note has tried their hand there as well; Anchor was where veteran dancehall deejay Shabba Ranks made the majority of his albums, and the Gregory Isaacs classic Night Nurse also came out of Anchor.

Today it is still the site for many artistes, especially Europeans and more specifically artistes from France. Small says "The rates here are good. The service is excellent, our engineers know what they are doing inside and out. If something goes wrong we can get it up in no time. Sly and Robbie do like 90 per cent of their work here. This is where the remixes for Madonna and Alicia Keyes are done."

recording artistes

There is not so much focus on the production side of the business anymore, as at present Anchor is working with artistes such as Angel and Little Joe. There has been expansion in other areas, though, renting out the three studios to various artistes being a prime example, as Anchor's large and medium-sized studios are ideal for live performances.

Studio Three, the smallest of the bunch, is the most old-fashioned in design, with a red brick look and a cute but small voice room in the middle.

Studio One is the medium-sized studio that has a voice room attached to it, where the engineers can look at the musicians. This studio is similar in design to the one that was at Cross Roads, to assist persons getting used to the shift in location.

From the outside one would never guess that Anchor Studio could hold one, much less three studios. It is truly amazing to see the size of Studio Two. With a black and white checked decor and a huge mixing board, a machine room and a voicing room that easily holds a large band, this studio is impressive.

Nearly every inch of the three studios is packed with the latest technology, as Anchor is always looking for ways to keep ahead.

A part of the analogue era, when digital took over Anchor had no trouble keeping up. In fact, sometimes they were way ahead of the game. "We consider ourselves trendsetters. We go to basically a lot of shows and we keep abreast of the technology. We do a lot of CD printing here as well. In terms of the recording industry we have just about everything. We sell a lot of stuff that the industry needs, which includes ProTools technology," Small said.

To the side of the building is another tiny studio of sorts called the 'Cube', where pre-production work is done. Small claimed "We needed aroom where we can create ideas. We have musicians employed here full-time creating beats for people."

As technical director of Music Works Recording Studios at the Anchor Recording Company Ltd., Courtney Small is always at the controls.