Award-winning musician who built a world class music studio in Bang Saray
| THE sleepy fishing village of Bang Saray, just south of Pattaya’s bright lights, is grabbing international attention after becoming the unlikely Mecca for some of the biggest names in the world’s music industry and a growing list of talented young musicians. It’s all down to a remarkable residential recording studio opened here two years ago that is following in the footsteps of such legendary music venues as Abbey Road, Mountain View Studios, Montserrat’s Air Studios and even Motown’s Hitsville. Called Karma Sound Studios, this multi-million baht complex is the brainchild of top British music industry executive Chris Craker, a major figure in the international music industry for more than 30 years who has made Thailand his second home. Disenchanted with the way the music business was heading, Chris, an award-winning music producer and musician, decided to move away from the mainstream and invest in an alternative creative venue in Thailand where artists and bands could develop their talents in an inspiring environment. Karma has proved a perfect fit. Located on two rais of quiet woodland a short walk from Bang Saray beach, the studios offers cutting edge facilities that are now in such demand, they operate consistently at 90% capacity. |  |
At the heart of the complex is the main studio. Impressive in size and scope, this is divided between a live studio for actual performances and a control room bristling with high-tech equipment, all imported from the UK. Karma has two additional studios, and plans are well underway for a fourth – a dedicated Video/TV studio from where TV shows and music videos can be shot all under one roof.
Visitors to the studios have included Placebo, Jamiroquai, Enter Shikari, Bullet For My Valentine, guitar legend Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, pop icon Jessie J and Young Guns. Bands from Australia, Russia, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and many from the UK have also recorded at the studio.
So too has the cream of the Asian music industry, including Body Slam, Big Ass, Tata Young, Palmy, Chin Chinawut and Myra (Winner of Thailand’s Got Talent 2011) and Slot Machine alongside Number One Korean selling icon Cho Yong Pil (who outsold Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ with his single recorded at Karma).
Chris is particularly proud of the success of his work with local talent, advising and helping them to develop their careers, setting up music camps, master classes, courses and workshops, several of which have been broadcast on True Vision national TV. Ironically, this initiative has brought new challenges.
“To an extent we are the victims of our own success here – running an international operation with a small but amazing team often presents challenges when we suddenly hit gold like has been happening quite recently,” said Chris. “The very first artist that we started developing and promoting, Dagny, has now notched up over 16 million streams of her hit song Backbeat.”
Visitors to the studios have included Placebo, Jamiroquai, Enter Shikari, Bullet For My Valentine, guitar legend Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin, pop icon Jessie J and Young Guns. Bands from Australia, Russia, Denmark, Norway, New Zealand, Japan, Singapore and many from the UK have also recorded at the studio.
So too has the cream of the Asian music industry, including Body Slam, Big Ass, Tata Young, Palmy, Chin Chinawut and Myra (Winner of Thailand’s Got Talent 2011) and Slot Machine alongside Number One Korean selling icon Cho Yong Pil (who outsold Psy’s ‘Gangnam Style’ with his single recorded at Karma).
Chris is particularly proud of the success of his work with local talent, advising and helping them to develop their careers, setting up music camps, master classes, courses and workshops, several of which have been broadcast on True Vision national TV. Ironically, this initiative has brought new challenges.
“To an extent we are the victims of our own success here – running an international operation with a small but amazing team often presents challenges when we suddenly hit gold like has been happening quite recently,” said Chris. “The very first artist that we started developing and promoting, Dagny, has now notched up over 16 million streams of her hit song Backbeat.”
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The lead singers from one of Thailand’s rock bands, Da Endorphine, has been recording and writing new songs at the studios, as well as hosting a Karma Music Camp where she encouraged young talents in their first steps towards a career in the music industry.
Meanwhile, Karma’s first International Song Writers Camp, hosted last March, featured 12 writers from nine countries, including Jay Montonn and Sumate Posayanukul from BEC-Tero, Bangkok.
Aside from the studio facilities, Karma features luxurious accommodation for long-staying musicians and their teams, comfortable dining and living rooms, gymnasium, basement bar, swimming pool and extensive tropical gardens.
Chris, a multi-Grammy nominated producer, has long links with Thailand and among his many achievements was producing ten recordings and various albums for His Majesty the King, one of which was recorded in Bangkok and featured arrangements by Privy Councilor ML Usni Pramoj with the Bangkok Symphony Orchestra.
He recently produced the soundtrack for Director Christopher Nolan’s movie ‘Interstellar’ with the Oscar-nominated score composed by Hans Zimmer, as well as producing the score for ‘The Little Prince’ for Paramount, directed by Mark Osborne of Kung Fu Panda fame.
He co-produced Ben Wallfisch’s score for a new thriller from cult director Gore Verbinski (‘Pirates of the Caribbean’). And he is about to produce a new Hans Zimmer score for the horror movie ‘A Cure for Wellness,’ directed by Verbinski as well as producing the David Foster’s protégé, Fernando Verela, who is being hailed as the new Pavarotti.
Up until April 2008, Chris was the General Manager and Senior Vice President of the International Division of Sony BMG Masterworks.
He has worked with many of the world’s finest orchestras and soloists, and has acted as a concept provider for various music products marketed by PolyGram/Universal, Sony, Decca, EMI, Classic FM/BMG and Virgin Classics.
In Thailand, he co-produced the Chris de Burgh ‘Live in Bangkok’ album for which he was also Musical Director and conductor for the live shows.
Karma is expanding its business commercially with the opening of a new publishing company entitled ‘Karma Songs,’ and Karma Sound Tracks, which brings together some of the world’s most eminent Grammy Award and Oscar Award-Winning composers, arrangers engineers and technical service providers.
This month, Chris’s latest venture, Karma TV, goes live.
karmasoundstudios.com
