Opening a brand new, state-of-the-art recording studio is an expensive undertaking at any time. But doing it in these days of increasingly affordable digital home recording has to be seen as a high-risk strategy. But whatever about the potential risks involved, it also demonstrates a massive leap of faith in the future of the Irish music industry.

Based in Glasnevin on the north side of Dublin, Chilli Studios has been kitted out with the most advanced recording equipment available, encompassing the best of both analogue and digital technology. It also offers plenty in the way of creature comforts with a comfortable air-conditioned chill-out room featuring leather sofas, plasma screens/DVD/Playstation/ hi-fi (including DJ Decks), wireless broadband throughout the building as well as kitchen facilities.
If the studio spec sounds impressive then the team behind it is even more remarkable. It includes ex-Westlife star and now successful solo artist Brian McFadden, top producer/mixer Mark Hadfield (The Lovefreekz, Lucid, Loveland) and music manager and businessman Chris Hehir.
“To be honest it is a huge risk,” says Hadfield of this exciting new venture. “There are a lot of big studios going under these days - look at the The Hit Factory in New York which had to close its doors recently. But having worked extensively in studios around the world we felt it was time for the creation of a recording facility which offered an affordable service without compromising on quality. Besides there’s a wealth of talent coming out of Ireland that we’d like to get into the studio; and we’re already talking to people in the UK about coming over to record.”
Based in Glasnevin - in a building that originally housed a blacksmith’s forge, Chilli was designed by the renowned Electroacoustics team in the UK. The facilities comprise a fully air-conditioned, naturally-lit control room, and a live room as well as isolation and vocal booths. The control room centres around a brand new Audient ASP 8024 analogue mixing console with the latest Pro-tools HD3 accel/G5 system, capable of recording and mixing sessions up to 192Khz. Add to this Quested Q210’s (main monitors), Genelecs (with sub-units), Yamaha and Fostex (nearfields), along with pre amps and compressors by Tubetech, Avalon & Focusrite and mics ranging from Neumann Blue & AKG to an enviable host of plug-ins such as Sony Oxford, SSL, Urei, Massenberg etc and you have a facility that offers the very best. According to Hadfield, home recording can never entirely surpass a studio like Chilli in terms of the range and quality of equipment it offers.
“I believe you get much more out of a recording studio than, say, a bedroom situation,” he says. “You can record and mix an album an entire album here for a start. Sooner or later a band has to go into a studio anyway. It’s all about the environment and the atmosphere; we’ve a nice chill-out room and we’ve natural light which is very important if you’re doing a 14-hour session. Brian (McFadden) actually wanted to put in a nightclub - we had to hold him back a bit on that one. We stopped at the lapdancing pole (laughs).”
Hailing from Manchester, where he is still based, Hadfield has amassed over 50 Dance Chart No. 1’s and 30 Top 40 Hits to date. He is currently setting up a UK based dance label under the name King 12 Recordings, whose first release, The Lovefreekz ‘Shine’, entered the UK charts at number 6 earlier this year. He has used his extensive contacts in the business to bring artists into Chilli. Several well-known acts have already been through the doors including Samantha Mumba & Sisqo, You’re A Star’s Hazel Kaneswaren and Brian McFadden himself, along with Deltra Goodrem.
“Declan O’Rourke is in and out all the time working on his next album, Pete Holidai (Radiators) has been down a few times and we’ve even had a call from The Corrs,” says Hadfield. “The fact that we’re only 15 minutes from the airport is a big advantage. It takes me three hours to get to London – I can be in Dublin in 30 minutes by plane. I’m lucky enough to live near the airport in Manchester.
“We’re also a lot cheaper than similar spec studios elsewhere,” he adds. “There are quite a few studios out there trading on their past reputation and charging a premium for it. We’re all about the hits of tomorrow - not the hits of yesterday.”