THE SLICE OF MIDDLE-EARTH IN SPAIN
PLENTY OF DESTINATION STUDIOS have cushy accommodations for visiting artists. But it’s a fair bet that only Space Mountain Studios, located in the hills of Albuñuelas in southern Spain, has “Hobbit rooms” inspired by the residences of J.R.R. Tolkien’s pastoral-dwelling Lord of the Rings characters.
The cave-like rooms, with round walls and windows, also have “a fair bit of Roger Dean inspiration, the artist who did all the Yes album covers,” says producer and studio owner Youth (real name: Martin Glover), who co-founded British band Killing Joke and has worked with acts including Paul McCartney and The Verve. Dean, he adds, “was also an architect, and some of his architectural designs have played a good influence in the design.”
Middle-earth is just one of the many inspirations for Space Mountain’s residential spaces, which have housed bands like The Jesus and Mary Chain, Culture Club and Spiritualized. The main property can host 16 guests at its villa, which features Moorish-influenced plasterwork patterns, ornate tiles and arches. (The two-bedroom, two-bathroom guesthouse sleeps an additional four.) A Moroccan courtyard leads into the villa’s lounge that looks across a veranda to the Sierra Nevada Mountains and gardens cultivated by award-winning landscape designer Andy Sturgeon. Sturgeon’s designs centered the house and studio on a Daoist pentagram, with each point representing a key element (earth, metal, fire, wood and water) connected by paths leading in and out of the house.
In 1998, weary of basement studios after working in them for 20 years, Youth bought a remote piece of land in the Andalucia region that’s surrounded by 100 acres of predominantly olive and almond trees — and no neighbors. Builder Terry Ottley helped him incorporate elements from some of his favorite recording rooms, like London’s Olympic Studios, at Space Mountain, where artists can use state-of-the-art equipment as they gaze out of floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Sierra Nevada valley.
“Because you go so far deep inside [making music], you want an environment that catapults you out to the cosmos when you step outside,” says Youth. “That’s what Andalucia does. It gives you really big skies and 300 days of sunshine.”
Of course, recording in a far-flung, heavily wooded area has its risks. In early September, nearby wildfires threatened Space Mountain for the second time in the 24 years Youth has owned the property. “When [the fires] kick in, there’s not much you can do,” he says. “You’re at the mercy of where the wind’s blowing.”
But wildfires haven’t deterred artists from recording at Space Mountain, which welcomes guests year-round. While at the studio, clients can enjoy true solitude, even receiving deliveries of locally grown vegetables to prepare for themselves from a Spanish organization called La Bolina. “It’s run by a group of women who do it as a charity,” says Youth. “They also house and employ refugees from Africa and all over. They take over unused communal grounds in villages, get the mayors to allow them to farm it and provide fantastic fresh vegetables for everyone in the valley.”
But it’s not always quiet at Space Mountain. Each October, the Space Mountain Festival hosts about 500 guests, including regional flamenco artists and international acts — a big party, and a big promotional opportunity. “It definitely turns people on to the studio,” says Youth. “I invite all these people who’ve never been there before, and seeing it all through their eyes inspires me about how great it is. It’s great to share.”