Cover Canto-pop singer Eelyn Chan singing at Avon Recording Studios (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
Canto-pop singer Eelyn Chan singing at Avon Recording Studios (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
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Tatler heads to Avon, the historic recording studio which is hailed as the Canto-pop ‘hall of fame’ because it has been the studio of choice for most of the stalwarts of Hong Kong’s music industry
If The Coliseum in Hung Hom is a beacon of stardom for Canto-pop singers, Avon Recording Studios in Jordan is the mecca for singers who look to turn their music into a legacy.
Since its establishment in 1983, formerly known as CBS/Sony Studio, Avon Recording Studios has been the place where legendary Canto-pop superstars across generations, including Leslie Cheung, Anita Mui, Leon Lai, Sandy Lam, Faye Wong and Hins Cheung, record their music.
From August 10 to September 21, the Hong Kong Pop Culture Fest, an arts programme run by the government, is collaborating with Avon over 24 song recording sessions. Participants will get to experience how local singers record their music and learn about the studio’s storied history. They can also pick a Canto-pop song and record a one-minute demo, which will be edited by a professional sound mixer and can turned into a recording keepsake for participants to take away. This is a rare chance for public members to check out the inner workings of the studio, as it is usually closed for private recording sessions.
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A musician playing the piano at Studio A (Photo: courtesy of Avon Recording Studios)
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The development of Canto-pop history began in the 1970s and entered its golden age in the 1980s and 1990s when it was characterised by catchy, swoony love tunes, passionate theme songs for martial arts films and light-hearted pieces that spoke to the can-do Hong Kong spirit among the working class.
While there were other recording studios back in the 1980s, Avon’s advanced equipment and audio designs provided an edge for those looking for great recording quality to further their commercial success.
Now, Avon comprises two studios and a resting area. It was the first in the city to have installed a Solid State Logic 9000 J console, an analogue mixing console known for its diverse sound editing options. It also comes with a Telefunken U47 condenser microphone from the 1950s, whose large diaphragm tube makes it suitable for recording human voices, solo instruments and orchestral music.
Studio A was designed by American audio engineer Tom Hidley. It is built with softly padded walls that absorb echoes and is equipped with a Steinway model D piano, fit for concert performances, and a drum booth, separated with sound-absorbing panels. This was also where the city’s celebrated drummer Donald Ashley recorded music.
The resting area of Avon Recording Studios (Photo: Tatler Hong Kong)
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As western pop and later on K-pop grew more dominant in the local music scene in the 2000s, the Canto-pop industry fell behind somewhat, and music making also became more digitalised, so much so that traditional recording studios like Avon faced imminent closure. In 2015, Hins Cheung spent more than HK$20 million to retain and renovate the space. “Avon has been standing for 41 years. Many influential musicians have left their mark and voices here. If this place was closed, it would be as if a chapter of Canto-pop music had come to an end. As well as its function as a recording studio, it also means a lot to the industry’s development. That was also why Hins was determined to preserve this place,” says the guide provided by the Hong Kong Pop Culture Fest.
As well as more updated equipment that enhances the sound quality of recordings, such as a Neve 8068 mixing console, Original Tannoy monitor, NS10 monitor and Tech monitor, he has also refurbished the resting area into a vintage train carriage. The floor and the studio’s interiors have retained most of their original look and feel.
Above Studio A (Photo: courtesy of Avon Recording Studios)
Studio A (Photo: courtesy of Avon Recording Studios)
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Nowadays, while music recording software is a popular option for musicians, there are those such as Canto-pop singer Vincy Chan and indie band Chochukmo who had recently recorded their music in Avon for the vibe, sound quality and that feeling of having been to the Hong Kong “hall of fame”. If this same feeling of wanting to be part of Hong Kong’s music history draws you, why not check out Avon’s open recording sessions for yourself?
Tickets to the public recording sessions at Avon go on sale at Urbtix on August 2, 2024.
Zabrina is the Senior Editor, Arts and Culture of Tatler Hong Kong. She specialises in performing arts, visual art and film. Her wanderlust was first fuelled by the Mighty Rovers Antarctica Expedition 2010. Over the years, she has interviewed A-list artists and filmmakers, including Oscar winners Chlóe Zhao and Tim Yip, Golden Horse winner Sylvia Chang, In the Mood for Love cinematographer Christopher Doyle, Pachinko author Min Jin Lee, and Coachella’s first Chinese solo singer Jackson Wang. She won gold at the WAN-IFRA Asian Media Awards for her 2021 feature on the waves of hate crimes targeting Asian Americans.
