The reputation of Manchester as a hotbed of music production is most strongly associated with the 1980s, a time when the city itself had been suffering deep post-industrial decline and many of its factories and mills were derelict as unemployment soared, but then found new roles as the places where great bands arose.

By the early 80s bands like The Smiths and New Order dominated the Manchester scene, but much more was to follow in the ‘Madchester’ years, led by the likes of the Stone Roses, Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets.

The common denominator in so many cases was warehouses. The most famous of these was the city centre warehouse that was converted into the Hacienda nightclub. It opened in 1982, soon becoming the hub of the Madchester scene.

However, before any of the emerging bands reached the stage, they would be forming, practising, rehearsing and developing their songs in former factory and warehouse spaces all over Manchester.

In time, the Madchester scene came and went as bands split up, became mired in legal issues (such as the Stone Roses) and stories of drug-taking at gigs took the wind out of its sails.

Arguably, Manchester itself has moved on: many of those warehouses became offices or housing, with the Hacienda itself being demolished to make way for a new block of apartments. As such, its history epitomised two distinct phases of the city’s modern history. First, the edgy music scene, then the era of hugely fashionable city centre living.

However, the spirit of innovation that turned old warehouses into recording studios lives on here. We can offer the most modern recording facilities and technology any band could ask for, while tapping into the heritage that made this part of the world such a musical hotbed.

The days of baggy trousers and bucket hats may have given way to an era of booming business and soaring skyscrapers, but the opportunity for bands to emerge while recording in a warehouse has not gone away.