Greater Manchester’s impact on popular music is hardly its best kept secret. The city region holds an enviable record for number of stars created per capita, and many of those legacies are part and parcel of mainstream folklore. But while it’s important to respect what has happened, it’s also vital to recognise what’s still going down, and in the 2020s our hometown is home to some of the most forward thinking collectives, crews, scenes and movements in the UK. All of which would have a much harder time of things without strong local infrastructure. For example, Studio 88.
Not just somewhere to lay down a few demos, the team behind this vital asset position the address as a ‘360 degree creative agency’ specifically aimed at music. They can handle artist development, and have an excellent track record in that area, while also offering state-of-the-art equipment for recording and engineering. Looking for help with creative direction? Not a problem. How about distribution, or even managing events — increasingly the most important aspect of any burgeoning career. Names like Meekz, Potter Payper and Tunde all have links to this place, and that list could be much longer.
Studio 88 also has an enviable reputation for collaborations, which makes sense considering its position within what we might loosely term the Salford community. Alongside industrial warehouses and some of the few remaining pieces of vacant land in the city, a slew of venues and other creative — often musically and art-driven — organisations are located in the surrounding area. Partnerships with key forces in Manchester’s celebrated underground party scene factor into the equation, then, while regular residences with platforms such as Reform Radio and Unity Radio offer opportunities for the talent coming through this facility to reach ever-bigger audiences. So to say this is part of Manchester’s fabric would be every bit the understatement.