[New] INTRODUCING FOMO LONDON STUDIO

Matteo Cifelli began his career in audio as a studio engineer in 1987, but since moving to the UK 15 years ago, has found more opportunities and prosperity mixing live sound. After many years visiting and being underwhelmed with rehearsal spaces, he decided to band together with video specialist and projectionist, Nicola Romanini to create a space in the heart of London, which both veteran Italian-born engineers would not only be happy to visit but to service visiting production teams and artists.

“For me, a studio should be somewhere that breathes and inspires creativity,” Cifelli began. “I’ve never been happy about rehearsal spaces I’ve visited as a touring sound engineer. It has been a dream of mine to create a nice, friendly space for artists and visiting production teams.” The duo were handed the keys for what would become FOMO LONDON in November 2020. “Matteo and I had a site visit, we instantly looked at each other, recognised it was a big job at hand, but decided to go ahead with it,” Romanini recalled. “Two years on, we haven’t stopped since.”

Cifelli and Romanini, along with a team of builders began demolishing the pre-existing space, knocking it down to its foundations, and building it from the ground up. Over 13 months of “cathartic” sledgehammer sessions, 30 skips of dust and material, and months of work allowed them to begin taking bookings as lockdown restrictions eased in September 2021. “We refurbished the building from the ground upwards, all of the studios are acoustically treated, with oak furnishings and new flooring with a number of layers of material in addition to rubber to reduce the sound emission from other rooms,” Romanini explained. “We can have two bands with masses of amplification performing on each level and we have no issues whatsoever.”

Located on London’s bustling Camden Road, the space boasts a large neighbouring load-in and out corridor for visiting productions, with the main entrance leading visitors into a large green room. On the ground floor visitors will find Studio One, complete with a separate control room. Flexible Studio Two and Three generally double as production offices, or spaces for back vocals to rehearse or backline to fix equipment, in addition to Studio Four, and kitchen and restroom facilities.

“If clients feel comfortable in our space it reflects in their productivity and their creativity. Although we are engineers by trade, we know what clients want from a space and we put that into practice here,” Romanini added. “The basic skills we have required for touring, like customer service, logistics, and planning events, are wholly transferable to the rehearsal business.” Additional restroom facilities, an office and Studio Five, joins on to a further green room on the second floor. In addition to its larger size, the pull of Studio Five is its exposure to daylight. “We uncovered this beautiful view of the skyline and two windows while we were demolishing the space,” Romanini said. “It provides people with a nice barometer of time, which can often be lost in rehearsal studios.”

With eight studios in total. One kitchen. An office and three toilets within the building. FOMO LONDON makes for a comfortable and spacious retreat amid the chaos of central London. “We had 60 sessions alone in September 2022, and it gets busier by the day,” he remarked.

‘A

GAMBLE THAT’S PAID OFF’

The space now known as FOMO LONDON initially became available when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. “It was the perfect time for us to invest, as tours were not going ahead and we found ourselves literally out of work but with time on our hands,” Cifelli reported. “The location is perfect. Fortunately, we had some savings to put into this space, however, we have ended up spending around four times our initial budget. Thankfully, we have been able to outfit the place properly and professionally during the lockdown.”

The duo described their investment as a “gamble”, coupled with the ever-presence of a global pandemic. “The only sure thing we were sure of was the distinct lack of rehearsal spaces with, sadly, some big spaces closing their doors. Bands and engineers were crying out for someone to fill that void and we were more than happy to be the solution,” Cifelli stated, acknowledging the challenges of the current climate. “Now, with the way the world is, we are entering a strange period, which will undoubtedly affect the sector,” he reported. “The live production industry is one of the first and hardest hit industries by economic uncertainty. However, we are positive for the future – we have a unique space and there are few competitors in the area.”

Key to their success, Cifelli believes, is being aware of not replicating the errors or their dislikes of other facilities as well as their Italian hospitality, with Romanini tapping into his background in catering to provide visitors with an authentic experience. “We have devoted our energy to the cleanliness of the space, everything from bathroom facilities right through to the communal areas,” Cifelli explained. “Nicola and I are both Italians, so it was important to provide a welcoming space. He is also a fantastic chef. The kitchen was actually the first thing we fitted in the studio, each day we were cooking for 10 builders throughout the pandemic and now we regularly cook for our clients.”

Romanini added: “Our customers appreciate that we provide a nice, clean space with beautiful, vivid colours and interior design, with lots of decorative light. I refer to it as a ‘hotel experience’. We are always on hand to provide assistance, whether that’s in the technical or logistical, or even in the kitchen, and that, I believe, sets us apart from other dry hire models.” In addition to operating primarily as a dry hire model, there’s also the ability to bring along or tap into internal gear like PA, desk, cable, stands and a selection of microphones at FOMO LONDON – making it the ideal space for rehearsals, recording, streaming services and Podcasting. The mixing room in Studio 4 will soon be operative as Dolby Atmos studio. “It’s important to adapt,” Cifelli pointed out.

“T his space will adapt to the business. The rehearsal for touring bands works for us, but we are prepared to diversify and pivot in which the way the market dictates. We are now beginning to attract television production companies, and as such, are booked for rehearsals of ITV’s The Voice.” Other clients include a raft of big names and rising stars in Anne-Marie, Years & Years, The Script, Soulsaver –Dave Gahan, Little Mix, Sir Tom Jones, Ed

Sheeran, Westlife, Chrissie Hynde, Pet Shop Boys, Liam Gallagher, Stormzy, TEMS, Little Simz, Jorja Smith, Celeste, Mark Owen, Aitch, Tiana Major9, Amy Macdonald, Tom Walker, Faithless, Calum Scott, Anastacia, SG Lewis, Cat Burns, Sugababes, The 1975, James Bay, Tiwa Savage, James Blake, Disclosure, Sam Smith, Noel Gallagher, Gabriels and Yungblud, among others. “The 1975 and Pet Shop Boys were among our clients that fully realised the capabilities of the space, using it for recording as well as rehearsing and everything in between,” Cifelli cited.

According to the duo, the look and sound of the rooms, in addition to its location and around-the-clock hands-on support is all key to attracting clientele. “All of our clients have been to the studio at least twice, which is a testament to our space. They love coming, they know they are welcome and we take care of them,” he furthered.

Summarising the past two years of building and returning to the road as a FOH Engineer with longtime client, Sir Tom Jones, Cifelli commented: “Running a studio has not only been a challenge but it has invigorated my passion for the sector, post-pandemic. I am able to get a front-row seat to witness how the other engineers and crews work, which I have found very interesting. With decades of experience in the industry, we consider ourselves veterans, so speaking on behalf of Nicola and I, it’s been a privilege to learn something new and witness how our contemporaries do things and draw inspiration from them. I must confess, however, that I do still enjoy touring, and I hope to balance remote management of the studio in addition to touring and possibly expanding our pre-existing facilities,” he concluded. “Watch this space.” www.fomo.london