Assault & Battery 1 Joins The Miloco Roster

Miloco has announced that it has formally taken over the lease of the famous Battery complex in Willesden Green, North West London which contains Assault & Battery 1, a legendary mix room which will now be offered out to artists and producers commercially.

Miloco established a robust relationship with the facility after taking over the management of Alan Moulder and Flood’s world-class tracking room, Assault & Battery 2, in 2008. Now, having taken over Studio 1, the room has been completely renovated, and there are some exciting plans in the works to expand the studios further.

Taking on the entire building offers a unique opportunity for Miloco and its clients - especially given the fact that both studios will remain fully equipped with Flood and Alan’s gear, providing users the freedom to immerse themselves in two incredible producers’ creative spaces.

More than just a mix room, Assault & Battery 1 is a truly unique, intimate, and outstandingly accurate mix environment, with an exceptional spec that has been compiled by Alan and Flood over the course of their illustrious careers. Just a handful of Alan’s recent projects to have been mixed there include Royal Blood's Royal Blood, Interpol's El Pintor, La Roux's Trouble In Paradise, Foals' Holy Fire and Led Zeppelin's Celebration Day.

At the heart of the control room is a pristine SSL G+ SL4000 72 channel console with full automation, regarded by Alan as his very first-choice of board to mix on.

The desk was previously based in a New Orleans studio where Alan used it to produce his numerous albums for Nine Inch Nails, and where he became drawn to its unique sound. The console is complemented by a huge range of outboard, including many rare and esoteric compressors, mic pres and reverbs, and every plugin under the sun.

Combined with an impressive selection of nearfield monitors and the superbly accurate acoustic qualities of the room, producers and engineers will no doubt enjoy using this great desk to its full potential.

The studio also comprises a generous overdub booth measuring 15 square meters – perfect for recording guitars and vocals – however it is also popularly used as a 'B Studio' for editing (and even a chill-out lounge), made especially effective by its inspiring interior style.

The booth continues the interior theme of the control room, dominated by warm and atmospheric hue lighting, decoration and furniture, as well as platinum discs lining the walls, chronicling Alan and Flood's well-decorated careers.

With a vibe that makes you feel instantly at home, A&B 1 is bursting with individuality and an unparalleled dedication to technical precision and accuracy. Alan himself is the studio’s biggest fan, and mixes the majority of his projects in there.

Today, Moulder is one of the world’s most sought-after mix engineers and producers. It all started in the ‘80s at Trident Studios in London, where he worked with influential producers like Jean Michel Jarre, and met Flood for the first time.

“When I decided to make my mix room available commercially, I didn’t have to think about who was going to take care of it. We’ve had a long relationship in the building with Miloco; they’ve run our tracking room, A&B 2 from the beginning,” says Alan. “I’ve always been very impressed with the way they run studios and have a great personal relationship with all the people there.

“This is probably my favourite mix room in the world,” he continues. “I think it sounds completely true and has a great feel. I’ve mixed so many great records in there including The Killers, Nine Inch Nails, Suede, White Lies, Black Honey and Editors. It feels time for others to enjoy the experience of working in this room and I’m sure the amount of great records made there will increase many fold. I hope people love it as much as I do.”

It’s not only Alan that has experienced the magic of A&B 1. Record producer Robert “Mutt” Lange described it as his favourite mix room, having mixed The Car’s seminal hit Drive, as well as AC/DC and Bryan Adams’ (Everything I Do) I Do It For You there. Add Robbie Williams’ Angels to the list and it’s clear to see why people are already queueing up to work in these rooms.

To add to the versatility of the complex and to complete the overall recording experience, A&B 1 clients may sometimes be given access to the impressive spec found upstairs in Alan and Flood’s tracking studio, Assault & Battery 2, which has been a joint venture between Miloco and the two producers since 2008.

Described by Alan as “tracking heaven”, one of Studio 2’s most notable features is its expansive live room with high ceilings and natural daylight, which since 2011 has contained a previously Abbey Road-owned Grotrian Steinweg Concert Grand Piano, opening up the studio’s appeal to classical and jazz musicians.

To one side of the live room are two large isolation booths: a bright room that is ideal for producing colourful drum sounds; and a secondary booth that houses a great vintage keyboard collection, featuring Roland System 700 modular systems and a wealth of other rare analogue synths. The control room, now complete with a fresh new carpet, is centred around a Cadac G-Series and Quested 412 monitors. As with the newly renovated Studio 1, a fantastic range of vintage microphones, mic amps and outboard are on hand for clients to make the most of.

Miloco’s Operations Manager, Pete Hofmann, comments: “We are so excited to be fully taking over the Battery Studio complex. 20 years ago we made it our company ethos to keep studios open in what was a tricky climate, and we continue to build on that. We have already started with renovations to Studio 1 now complete, and have some exciting plans to expand the facilities.

“The provenance of these studios is phenomenal and has always been kept fairly private. Now there’s an opportunity for more people to work in Alan’s superb mix room and discover some of the magic that’s led to so many hit records.”

The catalogue of names that have passed through Assault & Battery’s doors over the years is impressive as it is varied, and incudes the likes of Iron Maiden, Billy Ocean, Skunk Anansie, Tom Jones, Joe Strummer, Placebo, KT Tunstall, Simply Red, The Killers, and many more.

More recently, the studios have welcomed artists including Charlie XCX, London Grammar, Duran Duran, Kylie Minogue, Gary Barlow, Celeste, Tion Wayne, Sam Smith, Suede, and the Mercury Prize-winning, Michael Kiwanuka.

With the studio’s irresistible combination of spacious, versatile recording rooms and unmatched equipment selections, Miloco is poised and ready to welcome music professionals to this magnificent facility, preserving its remarkable heritage that has been masterminded by two of the world’s most respected and distinguished producers.

View the full studio page here and make any enquiries via bookings@miloco.co.uk