A legendary mixing desk that helped shape some of the biggest hits in music history is going under the hammer – and could fetch a cool £200,000.
Producer Trevor Horn’s Solid State Logic console, installed at the iconic Sarm West Studio 2, London, in June 1983, became the heartbeat of one of Britain’s most creative recording spaces.
Over the next two decades, it helped craft the sound of the 1980s and 1990s, capturing an extraordinary era of music innovation.
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One of the first tracks mixed on the desk was Yes’s Owner of a Lonely Heart in 1983 – often regarded as one of the first rock songs to merge live performance with cutting-edge computer technology, as reported by What’s The Jam.
“When I get asked to name my best production work, two tracks come to mind: Owner of a Lonely Heart and Slave to the Rhythm,” Horn reflected.
“People used to come and ask me, ’how did you do this?’ or ‘how did you do that?’ They couldn’t figure out how it was all done.”
Slave to the Rhythm by Grace Jones, also produced on the desk, began as a single before evolving into a full album – a sonic experiment in rhythm and frequency that remains a benchmark in production innovation.
The record became a reference point for audio excellence and is still used by hi-fi manufacturers to test their systems.
The studio and console were rented commercially, becoming a creative home for major artists, including WHAM!, whose Careless Whisper was recorded and mixed on the desk.
George Michael continued to use the studio throughout his career.
The mixing desk also played a role in recordings by Coldplay, Shakira, Metallica, Rihanna and many others.
Still fully operational, Horn’s SSL console remains a working piece of music history and a symbol of studio craftsmanship – and it’s the only console associated with Trevor Horn ever offered for sale.
Expert Mark Hochman said: “Trevor Horn’s SSL console was truly ahead of its time, pushing the boundaries of what technology and creativity could achieve in the studio.
“Many of the sounds that defined the 1980s and 1990s were born on this desk, yet its influence still feels completely modern today.”
It will be auctioned by Propstore at the Cumberland Hotel, London, on 23 October.
Some of the hits recorded or mixed on the console include:
YES – Owner of a Lonely Heart (1983)
FRANKIE GOES TO HOLLYWOOD – Two Tribes (1984), The Power of Love (1984), Welcome to the Pleasuredome (1984)
GRACE JONES – Slave to the Rhythm (1985)
BAND AID – Do They Know It’s Christmas? (12” Remix, 1984)
ART OF NOISE – Who’s Afraid of the Art of Noise (album, 1984)
SEAL – Crazy (1991), Kiss from a Rose (1994), Seal I (1991), Seal II (1994)
PET SHOP BOYS – Left to My Own Devices (1988), Actually (album, 1987), Very (album, 1993)
WHAM! – Careless Whisper (1984), Last Christmas (1984), Make It Big (album, 1984)
GEORGE MICHAEL – Faith (1987), Freedom! (1990), Listen Without Prejudice Vol. 1 (album, 1990), Older (album, 1996)
GODLEY & CREME – Cry (1985)
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