A STUDIO BUILT AROUND PEOPLE, MUSIC AND EXPERIENCE

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Established in Sutton, South London in 2012, Starcity Studios began with a simple idea: create a professional recording environment where artists could feel comfortable enough to be themselves and have the support they needed to make great music.

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What started with recording local artists from a bedroom developed into an established commercial studio serving independent artists, established musicians, producers, songwriters, labels, filmmakers, broadcasters, businesses and the wider creative community.

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Today, Starcity combines professional recording, music production, vocal production, mixing, mastering and artist development with genuine experience from across the music industry.

Bring your ideas. We turn them into songs.

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OUR STORY

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Before Starcity Studios existed, founder Jay Picasso was recording artists and musicians from his bedroom.

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The music industry was fresh and exciting, and Jay was increasingly connecting with local artists, musicians and producers. As the demand for his production and recording work grew, he secured business funding and opened Starcity Studios in 2012.

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From the beginning, the ambition was different from simply creating another recording room.

Starcity was designed to provide an affordable alternative to expensive London studios, while offering a level of musical knowledge, technical expertise and industry understanding that artists could rely on.

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The studio was deliberately designed to feel comfortable — almost like a professional version of the bedroom environment where it had started. That philosophy remains part of Starcity today.

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FROM BEDROOM RECORDING TO COMMERCIAL STUDIO

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In the early years, Starcity worked primarily with local artists and musicians.

As Jay’s production work became more established, the studio began attracting a wider range of clients, including labels, filmmakers and commercial creative projects.

The studio developed a reputation for quality, care and a genuine understanding of the creative process.

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PRODUCTION + ENGINEERING

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One of Starcity’s defining characteristics has always been its ability to combine production and engineering. Traditionally, an artist might work with one person as their producer and another as their recording engineer. At Starcity, those roles can work together.

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The person helping develop the music can also understand how it needs to be recorded, captured, edited and ultimately mixed. That creates a more connected creative process — from the first idea through to the finished record.

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EDUCATION AND INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

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As Starcity developed, education became an increasingly important part of its identity.

Jay’s experience teaching and lecturing in music production, composition, songwriting, vocal production and music business helped shape Starcity’s approach to sharing knowledge with artists.

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In 2020, Jay joined Abbey Road Studios as an Artist Relationship Manager, gaining further experience within one of the world’s most recognised recording environments.

He also travelled to Los Angeles to learn from different approaches to studio services and creative environments. That experience helped inform the continued development of Starcity’s own service and client experience.

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COMMUNITY AND THE NEXT GENERATION

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More recently, Starcity has expanded its work with schools, colleges and young people through music projects, workshops, discussions and education.

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The aim is to make professional music knowledge and creative opportunities more accessible, while giving young people a safe environment in which to explore music. Today, Starcity sits at the intersection of professional music creation, artist development, education and community.

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WHAT MAKES STARCITY DIFFERENT?

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WE ACTUALLY CARE

Music is personal. We believe artists create their best work when they feel comfortable, respected and free to experiment.

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Our approach is friendly and supportive, but we’re also prepared to give honest creative feedback when something isn’t working.

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PRODUCER + ENGINEER

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Starcity brings production and engineering together.

Our team can help develop the song while also understanding how it needs to be recorded, edited, mixed and finished. That means the creative process doesn’t have to be divided between different people who may have different ideas about the record.

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INDUSTRY EXPERIENCE

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Our experience extends well beyond the studio.

Starcity’s team has worked across recording, production, A&R, artist relations, studio management, artist management, education and music business. That means we understand not only how to make a record, but the wider journey an artist is taking.

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A CREATIVE SPACE, NOT JUST A ROOM

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The studio is designed to be professional without feeling intimidating.

We want artists to be able to relax, have conversations, experiment, make mistakes and find the best version of their music.

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QUALITY WITHOUT THE WASTE

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We work efficiently, but we don’t rush the creative process.

The aim is to spend less time fighting the technical side of recording and more time making something worth listening to.

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SUPPORT BEYOND THE SESSION

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Where appropriate, our support can extend beyond recording.

We can help with additional production, release preparation, distribution, publishing, playlist strategy, radio connections, social media and wider artist development.

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THE PEOPLE BEHIND STARCITY

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JAY PICASSO

Founder · Producer · Engineer

Jay has approximately 18 years of professional experience across recording, music production, A&R, artist relations, studio management, artist management and music education.

His career began in 2008 as a recording engineer at a commercial studio in Croydon before progressing through production, studio and industry roles.

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His professional experience includes:

Abbey Road Studios · Mola Records · World Heart Beat Studios · Metropolis Studios · Point Blank · ACM · Sofar Sounds · Mesi Management

At Abbey Road, Jay worked as an Artist Relationship Manager in an environment involving artists including Stormzy, Sam Smith, Jacob Collier, H.E.R., Alicia Keys, Dave, Central Cee, Giggs, Ludacris and Idris Elba.

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His wider experience includes work across A&R, artist relations, production, recording, artist management and music education. That experience informs the way Starcity approaches every project: technically, creatively and with an understanding of the wider music industry.

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TIM 'The Escape' 

Producer · Lead Engineer

Tim is a producer and lead engineer with more than 10 years of experience.

His particular areas of expertise include vocal production, vocal recording, mixing and music production.

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His experience includes work with artists and projects associated with Kojey Radical, Ghetts, Jordz and Finness Forever. Together, the Starcity team combines technical ability, musical judgement and a genuine interest in helping artists make their best work.

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ARTISTS, LABELS & CREATIVE PROJECTS

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Over the years, Starcity has worked with independent artists, established performers, producers, songwriters, labels, filmmakers, broadcasters and commercial clients.

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Starcity studio credits include work with artists such as:

Called Out Music · Misha B · Bipolar Sunshine · Jai McDonald · Wayne Woodward · Benny Banks · Ghetts · Izzy Bizu · Champion D.I · Lost Girl · Folly Rae · Songer · Kelly-Leigh

Our work has included production, recording, mixing, mastering, songwriting and additional production, depending on the project.

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Selected work includes production and mixing for Called Out Music’s Joy, which has surpassed one million streams, as well as recording, production and mixing work associated with Izzy Bizu’s original EP version of White Tiger.​​

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MUSIC, EDUCATION & COMMUNITY

Starcity believes that access to music knowledge should not be limited to people who can afford a professional studio session.

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Our educational work includes teaching and workshops covering:

Music production · Composition · Songwriting · Lyric writing · Vocal production · Music business

We’ve also worked with schools, young people and community organisations through music projects, workshops, discussions and creative sessions.

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To date, Starcity has engaged with 500+ young people and approximately 200 educational participants through music-related activities.

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Alongside practical sessions, Starcity provides free online resources covering recording, mixing, production, music business and the wider journey of being an artist.

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Check out our Resources for Young People!

 

 

A HOME FOR MUSIC

We don’t believe a recording studio should feel intimidating.

It should feel like somewhere you can come in, switch off from the outside world and focus on the music. Some artists arrive with a finished song. Others arrive with a beat, a melody, a lyric, a rough demo or simply an idea.Wherever you start, our job is to help you move forward.

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We want you to leave Starcity feeling like you’ve achieved something — not just because you recorded a song, but because you had a genuinely creative, productive and meaningful experience.

A judgement-free space.
Professional standards.
Real industry experience.
People who care about the music.

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BRING YOUR IDEAS. WE TURN THEM INTO SONGS.