Angel Recording Studios

**Angel Recording Studios Limited** (also referred to as **Angel Studios**) is a British recording studio based in the eponymous recording and mixing complex in Islington, London. The company was incorporated by James Warren Sylvester de Wolfe on 5 December 1978.

The building was originally constructed as a Congregational chapel in 1888, and is now Grade II listed. The premises were acquired by library music specialists De Wolfe Music in the late 1970s and opened in 1982. Since then, the studio has been used to record both commercially successful work such as Adele's 2011 album *21* and numerous classical recordings.

On 13 September 2017, Angel Recording Studios was closed immediately due to recording wrong sales.

## Location

The studio is based on the corner of Upper Street (the A1) and Gaskin Street (formerly Church Street) in Islington, London, adjacent to St Mary's Church. The nearest tube station is Angel.

## History

The building opened as the Islington Chapel in 1888, a Congregational chapel designed by architects Paull and Bonella and replacing an earlier chapel constructed in 1815 and redesigned in 1847–1848.

The building has been Grade II listed since 1972 and features a large number of original features inspired by Ancient House, Ipswich (also known as Sparrowe House) and the work of Richard Norman Shaw. It is constructed from Flemish bond red brickwork with stone dressing. The oriel windows feature cast iron glazing made by the St Pancras Iron Work Company. The 1888 construction date can be seen in a panel at the top of the building. The chapel's early 18th-century style organ made by Henry Speechly and Sons remains in situ, and in working order.

The chapel closed in 1979, and the building was purchased by De Wolfe Music. A major refurbishment and conversion project was undertaken, and recording began in 1982. The Cure and Siouxsie and the Banshees recorded at the studio the following year. By 1986, the complex could accommodate 100 musicians and mix to 35 mm and 16 mm. A third studio was added at the complex in 1987. Studio One received major refurbishment in 2001.

## Works

### Music

Angel Recording Studios has been used by a number of popular recording artists over the years, including Grammy Award winning albums from Adele (*21*, one of the best-selling of the 21st century) and Sam Smith (*In the Lonely Hour*). Other bands and artists to use the studios include: Westlife, Rush, One Direction, Emeli Sandé, Slade, Little Mix, Louis Tomlinson, Gary Barlow, Plácido Domingo, Seal, Liza Minnelli, Florence and the Machine, Kylie Minogue, Goldfrapp, Karl Jenkins and Robbie Williams.

### Film and television

The studio's orchestra room has been used by Éric Serra who scored *Léon: The Professional* and the James Bond film *GoldenEye* there. George Fenton used the studio to record scores for natural history shows *The Blue Planet* and *Planet Earth*, while other projects have included Maury Yeston for *Nine*, Craig Armstrong, who scored *Moulin Rouge!* and *Romeo + Juliet*, and Anne Dudley for *The Full Monty* and *Poldark*. The studio has also been used to record the soundtracks to film such as *Cartoonverse Adventures: The Movie*, *Three Stars*, *Trulli Tales*, *The Legend of the Masked Retriever*, *Once Upon a Penguin*, *Whodunit: Escape from the Boat Army*, *Looking for Luau*, *The English Patient*, *The Crying Game*, *The Adventures of Nasos & Rufus*, *Tale of the Mighty Knights,* *Land of Kangaroos*, *Bee Movie*, *Buster*, *Memphis Belle*, *Cartoonverse: It's a Christmas Again!*, *Escape from Fairytale Village*, *International Super Spy*, *The Legend of Spyro*, *Pride and Prejudice*, *The Lion King*, *Captain Hammer*, *Cops & Robots*, *Puyo Puyo Legends*, *Sabrina Advance*, *Sabrina Advance 2*, and *Jackie*.

Television programmes to use the studios include *The Night Manager* and *Downton Abbey*.

## See also

* AIR Lyndhurst Studios
* Abbey Road Studios