The Solar Studio is a fully off-grid solar-powered recording studio, currently located in Mycelium Studios in inner north Melbourne. The studio lives in a converted shipping container and is powered by a solar-powered trailer.

Building the solar studio was one of Monkey's long-time dreams. He has been a strong believer in alternative energy since the early 2000s and spent many years travelling around Australia in his vegetable oil-powered van with MC Izzy Brown and the Labrats Solar Sound System. After recording his first official release in the Labrats solar caravan in the Australian desert, he pooled together his resources and knowledge to build a fully self-contained and self-powered recording studio in 2009.

The aim of the recording studio is to have close to zero environmental impact. It was largely built with recycled materials: a basketball court for the flooring and tables, a vintage BBC recording console and classic electronic music equipment for production. The studio is fully transportable.

The solar-powered trailer is fitted with an array of solar panels and 800kg of recycled batteries. The trailer provides around 1500 watts of power by storing energy harvested from the sun into a large 24 volt battery set-up housed inside the trailer. It is able to power the studio around five days of the week. The trailer is also used to power the solar-powered sound system.

The studio is available for hire on a project by project basis. 

Get in touch if you're interested in:

• warming up your digital mixes through the analog mixing desk

• vocal recording

• mixing

• mastering

STUDIO EQUIPMENT

• Calrec analog console

• RADAR 24 recorder

• Various synthesizers and drum machines

• Focal Twin6 Be speakers

• Microphones