Blackwing Studios

Blackwing Studios was a recording facility in southeast London housed in a former church building with multiple specialized spaces for different instruments. The building included several recording rooms, notably one with stone walls that was specifically designed to capture drum sounds.

Eric Radcliffe founded the studio, which became a major recording center for electronic music starting in the early 1980s. The facility operated until September 2001 and initially used an eight-track recording system.

The studio became known for hosting electronic and synthpop artists during the 1980s, with musicians returning because of how the space shaped their sound. The building itself became inseparable from the identity of the records made there.

The studio was located at Pepper Street in Southwark and is no longer accessible, as the building now stands empty. Local authorities are considering redevelopment plans for the site.

The stone walls of the drum room were not chosen by chance but deliberately selected to create specific sound reflections. This acoustic design shaped the distinctive sound character of many recordings made there.