WELCOME Chemical Sound is a 24-track recording studio located in downtown Toronto known for its cool, vintage analog sound. We offer a warm and relaxed vibe, a spacious live room with 20' ceilings, a large collection of vintage condenser and ribbon microphones, tons of freaky outboard gear, vintage tube amps as well as an original first-generation API console. LATEST NEWS . . . SUMMER2008 :: RUBY COAST Apologies for making updates seasonal, but we are super-busy this summer with a bunch of cool projects! First off, we are really excited about Ruby Coast’s new EP (produced by Dave Monks of Tokyo Police Club and engineered by Jay and Dean). We are also very excited about producing the Elwin’s debut EP. Also, we would like you to check out Hot Kid (for a fresh take on RnR) when they roll through your town. The drum sounds are a result of the classic combination: Chemical + Ian Blurton. Other exciting projects this season include a forthcoming debut album from hot new Toronto band, Invasions and Boys Who Say No -- both Dean and Jay productions. Check back here in the near future for results.   • RUBY COAST   • HOT KID   • THE ELWINS   • INVASIONS   • BOYS WHO SAY NO SPRING 2008 :: UTOPIUM Hi All! It's been a while since we've updated here and we are so busy these days that I doubt we'll be able to update again until summer. Many exciting things have gone down since January, including a completely new set of songs (forthcoming EP?) by Graham Wright (keyboardist for Tokyo Police Club). For those not in the know, Graham procures his own special brand of rootsy-down-to-earth songs which Jay and I were happy to capture (we even got to sing and play instruments). Check out Graham's myspace page. In the meantime, Jay and I worked on some bonus import tracks for TPC's new record ELEPHANT SHELL, which was officially released into the wild on April 22. We are spending the next month or so working with Parisian band UTOPIUM, who have made the long flight to record their second LP with us. Like our other European friends EIMIC, UTOPIUM are into sonic experimentation. However, UTOPIUM lean towards the darker spectrum, creating dreamy down-tempo (at times heavy) wall-of-guitar soundscapes (with nods to Slint, the Mars Volta and Mono), peppered with introspective and highly literate lyrics distinctively sung in a style reminiscent of Television's Tom Verlaine. Team UTOPIUM (that is, band + Dean + Jay) are having a great time in the lab. This will be an exciting record indeed. So, what do the Parisians think of Toronto? They love it!   • UTOPIUM   • Graham Wright   • Tokyo Police Club JANUARY 2008 :: HAPPY NEW YEAR! We had a great time working with reggae stalwarts The Expos (not to be confused with ex tilde po) and producer Mitch Girio (of King Apparatus fame). Also, check out this feature about Chemical (and our esoteric gear) at API Audio dot com!   • API Audio   • Mitch Girio   • The Expos NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2007 :: TOKYO POLICE CLUB We are proud to say that Tokyo Police Club have completed tracking their first record (i.e. first full-length release) and it is going to sound amazing. Hats off to producer Jon Drew and the lads for making the best of their time here and keeping the positive vibe during their 20 day stay. Jon (along with Jay and Dean) used almost every aspect of the acoustic environment and the studio gear to help create a sonically creative yet infectious body of work. In short, we think Jon + Chemical make a winning combination, as this forthcoming release will prove. Check out the T.P.C. BLOG entry link below. In other news: Jay and Dean have ventured into jazz territory, tracking the latest release from talented up-and-comers OCTAVA. All in all it was a fun-filled 3 days of “live in the room” goodness. Drunkula and “studio mad scientist” Ian Blurton paid a visit one dark and stormy night (during a freakn' blizzard in fact) to track drums for their very rockin’ forthcoming release.   • T.P.C. BLOG   • JON DREW   • OCTAVA   • DRUNKULA HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Oh, and thanks again to Jon for lending us his Atlas Vibraphone – uber-fun! We’ll see you all in the New Year! SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2007 :: WENDY LEUNG Wendy Leung is a talented and hard-working singer/songwriter based out of Toronto. With the aid of Dean and Jay, Wendy and her band, which includes Key Witness guitarist Dave Stein, have come together to create an exciting and compelling third full-length release.   • WENDY LEUNG JUNE - AUGUST 2007 :: EIMIC, NW Division and Key Witness It's shaping up to be an exciting summer here at Chemical Sound! EIMIC (an acronym for ‘Everything is made in China’) is an exciting new post-rock band from Moscow who are spending the next two months here at Chemical. We are proud that out of all the studios in North America they boys chose Chemical Sound to record their first full length album. Dean and Jay are producing this project. Dean describes the sound as “Radiohead, Mogwai and Sparklehorse thrown into an atomic accelerator and made to collide.” Also this month: On their days off from EIMIC, Dean is mixing the North-West Division’s first full length record and Jay is producing an EP for Torontonian band Key Witness.   • EIMIC MAY 2007 :: BORN RUFFIANS The Born Ruffians are here. Signed to the UK's Warp Records, the Ruffians have teamed with NY producer Rusty Santos (see Animal Collective) to create their first full length at Chemcial.   • Born Ruffians   • Rusty Santos MAR 2007 :: RAISING THE FAWN & C'MON Raising the Fawn are making a very interesting and intensely sonic record here at Chemical. Keep your ears peeled for what is sure to be an outstanding release! Meanwhile, C'Mon's third full length release "All Time High", is due out soon.   • Raising The Fawn   • Sonic Unyon FEB 2007 :: THE YUKON CIGAR Craig Konyu of Yukon Cigar is one of the nicest people we know -- and his music is great too. We're proud to document his unique style of psych-folk. JANUARY 2007 :: ATTACK IN BLACK Attack In Black have finished their first full-length album here at Chemical for Distort/Dine Alone Records. They are great guys and we all had a lot of fun.   • Attack In Black