"It was so successful. It was a hit factory."
A place that witnessed the birth of numerous mega hits from the 1980s (including 'Money For Nothing' and 'Every Breath You Take') as well as some of music's biggest fallouts, 'Under The Volcano' is the story of Sir George Martin's (the fifth Beatle) state of the art recording studio.
Nestled at the base of an active volcano in an idyllic Caribbean paradise on the island of Montserrat, AIR Studios welcomed artists of the ilk of The Rolling Stones, Paul McCartney, Jimmy Buffett, Elton John, Earth Wind & Fire, Stevie Wonder, Dire Straits, and The Police – to name just a few. "The '80s was the like the renaissance, the golden era of studio recording."
Directed by Australian filmmaker Gracie Otto, the doco looks at the decade the facility was in operation (before it closed due to the damage sustained by a number of natural disasters including Hurricane Hugo in 1989) and the stream of artists that would make it their home away from home while recording.
AIR Studios Montserrat was also the backdrop to monumental events in music history including the break-up of The Police, the reunion of The Rolling Stones, and the reinvigoration of Paul McCartney after the murder of John Lennon.
The film includes interviews with Sting, Andy Summers, Stewart Copeland, Mark Knopfler, Nick Rhodes, Midge Ure, Jimmy Buffett and Verdine White.
Add never-before-seen footage and backed by a blistering soundtrack, 'Under The Volcano' is a snapshot of the perfect storm of talent, technology and isolation that created music that would live on long after the last tape rolled.
'Under The Volcano' will be released digitally on 1 September, 2021.
