Ray Davies may delay the sale of the iconic Konk studio while he records a new album there.
The Crouch End studio was put up for sale in July last year with a price tag of £2 million. The estate agent Paul Simon Residential described the building as an “investment opportunity,” but according to Davies, the sale may be delayed, and the studio could even be protected.
“It was up for sale but I’ve got another record to do so we’re debating what to do now. It’s open for discussion,” Davies told the BBC. However, adverts for the studio’s sale remain on display.
Konk was set up by The Kinks in 1971 as their private studio, before opening it to other bands a few years later. It remained their main studio until they disbanded in 1996. Over the years it has attracted artists including The Stone Roses, Thin Lizzy, Arctic Monkeys, Blur and Massive Attack. The Kooks, who recorded their second album there, even named the record in the studio’s honour.
In the face of such heritage, many fans have called for the studio to be preserved. Councillor David Winskill, who represents Crouch End on Haringey Council said last year: “I think it’s possible that if this had happened in any other country there would have been an enormous campaign to preserve this as some kind of national monument.”
Davies acknowledged that any sale would be controversial, saying: “There’s a lot of history with The Kinks, we bought it as a hangout really, somewhere we could rehearse and record it and mushroomed into a studio. We”ve had some really good acts over the years come here. We’re doing the best we can.”
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