News: Empire Affair at Conversion Studios

Gillingham

Those nice guys from Empire Affair invited Rock Regeneration along to Conversion Studios in the depths of North Dorset to see them recording their Pledge Music backed 3rd Ep.

The weeks leading up to the recording, the band have been choosing which 4 songs were going to make the cut for the EP. There were so many songs from which to choose, so the band made the brave decision to make it a 5 track EP. Conversion Studios is in such a great remote location that is gives acts the chance to focus on the job in hand, without any outside distractions. As well as fantastic facilities right next to the studios there is accommodation which allows the bands to stay here overnight in comfort while recording. Neil, Darren, Matt, Jack and Tom have all booked a weeks holiday from their day jobs to give themselves plenty of time to get the job done.

At the beginning of the year Empire Affair found themselves at a crossroads and due to a few internal complications nearly split up. They sorted out their differences and soon realised that they had just too much going for them to just throw it all away. This gave them a new, refreshed momentum which produced a whole batch of new songs from their many rehearsal and jam sessions. I was lucky enough to get a sneak preview of a couple of the songs while I was in the studio. They band have kept their trademark sound with the infectious guitar riffs and have bought in a new element with Matt’s new found synthesizer skills. The songs are sounding loud and proud as ever, with a massive injection of energy.

Empire Affair 1–2–3–4–5–6–7

It was strange seeing the band in this controlled environment when I am so used to seeing them play live. There are a couple of videos below of them recording in the studio, just to give an idea how things were done. The sound is going straight through a mixing desk, so what you hear is not the whole sound but it certainly gives you some idea of how the recording process works. The EP is due to be released in late Summer and the band are planning a big launch with a local Bournemouth gig which will introduce all the new songs to their faithful fans. They also have been invited on a return trip to Croatia to play a few major festivals as they made a great impression from their previous performances. The band all appear really excited about these songs and seem to have a new-found chemistry that is helping them deliver something really special, that they can be really pound of.

Thank you to Empire Affair and studio manager Josh Parker for their welcome and kind hospitality.

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