No way, computer! Primitive Sounds recording studio

Ever wanted to record on the same equipment as, say, the rock’n’roll icons of the famous Sun Studios in Memphis? Or maybe you want to try the first synthesizer, made in the early 1950s; or the legendary Vox organ used by The Animals, The Monkees and The Beatles; or the amp that inspired Neil Young’s distorted guitar sound? Then Primitive Sounds Studio, which opened its doors last month, could well be your new favourite place.

In these digital times, the laid-back spot in the fields of Merchtem, just outside Brussels, is a welcome relief for nostalgic souls and music lovers. There are no computers in this renovated farmhouse. Everything is recorded like in the old days, focussing on a real, live and – indeed – primitive sound. Two garage/punk rockers drove all over Europe to find the analogue gear in which everyone else had lost interest.

Back to the future

“Built from scrap, made to last!” they scream on their Facebook page. Herman Verbelen, a veteran of Flanders’ garage rock scene, still organises concerts under the name Living Dead Punks and made some money developing computer software. With his life savings, he established a non-profit structure to build his rock’n’roll dream.

Verbelen hired his good friend Ronny Wynants, a member of the garage rock combo The Way-Outs and a technical jack-of-all-trades. Wynants can also assist bands as a sound engineer during their recording sessions.

“I don’t think this would have been possible 10 years ago,” asserts Verbelen. “There was really an anti-analogue sentiment. Everybody threw away their old gear. But now vintage is trendy.”

And word is getting out. Sex Pistols bassist Glen Matlock is one visitor who has come by to check out the studio, saying that it was “100 times nicer than all those big boring studios without any atmosphere.”

In order to attract more visitors, Verbelen en Wynants are also providing more than just a recording studio. They will soon open a rock’n’roll snack bar with burgers and Mexican food. Musicians can already enjoy the bed and breakfast facilities. “The possibilities are endless,” says Verbelen. “A tattoo shop, a rock’n’roll hairdresser, a record store, a radio station… we have the space for it. We want to become the Belgian rock’n’roll centre.”

Keeping it reel

But the real treasures are to be found upstairs. Last year, while the studio was still being built in a former hay loft, the legendary American punk rock artist Sonny Vincent dropped by, preparing music for his new super group Spite, which includes Rat Scabies from The Damned, Steve Mackay from The Stooges and the aforementioned Matlock. He declared that the studio helped him capture the raw “in yer face” sound he hungered for.

In the control room, you find an authentic Ampex 351 reel-to-reel tape recorder, just like in the Sun Studios. “This specimen once belonged to an American embassy,” explains Verbelen. “Instead of music they recorded phone calls with it – possibly the reason why it’s still in perfect condition.”

The mixing console, meanwhile, they picked up with their trailer in Italy. Every piece had to be an original, which made the whole project quite an investment. “Though musicians who have an emotional bond with their gear sometimes would rather give it to us than sell it to anonymous wholesale dealers. They know that in our studio it will get a great second life in the hands of real musicians.”

Feel free to contact Primitive Sounds should you have old gear you’d like to donate or sell

www.primitive-sounds.com

This article first appeared in Flanders Today