As we start a brand new 12 months, we’re wanting again on pointblank music college’s exceptional journey. For over 30 years, pointblank has been pushed by one easy ardour: music. Based and run by musicians for musicians, it has empowered generations of creatives whereas always pushing the boundaries of music expertise. That is the story of how a humble studio grew right into a world-leading music training supplier, and a celebration of the milestones alongside the best way.
Humble Beginnings (1994)
Our story begins in a small riverside studio in Greenwich, London. In 1994, Rob Cowan, bass participant for Honeychile (signed to Sony), arrange his personal recording studio. Rob’s love for dance music and manufacturing rapidly turned the studio right into a hub for aspiring artists. He would let individuals sit in on recording periods and eagerly clarify the tools and methods. Earlier than lengthy, what began as Rob sharing suggestions one-on-one grew into weekend ‘crash programs’ on combine and produce tracks. With a Mackie mixing desk, an Atari ST laptop, and samplers, he taught create a music from begin to end; setting the muse for pointblank’s future. Phrase unfold, and by 2001 Rob took a leap of religion, leaving the Greenwich studio behind to open pointblank’s first official college in Shoreditch.
Constructed by Musicians, For Musicians
Early on, Rob introduced in his childhood pal Jules Brookes, a fellow musician, to assist as scholar curiosity grew. On the time, Jules was touring with Uncooked Stylus, a band signed to Geffen and finest recognized for his or her No. 1 Billboard Dance hit ‘Consider In Me’. The 2 mates had bonded over bands as children and even made music collectively earlier than their careers diverged. Reunited within the Greenwich studio, they rapidly rediscovered how effectively their strengths match collectively: Jules bringing the inventive imaginative and prescient, and Rob together with his focus and management.
“Underpinning these roles… is 2 previous mates which have found out run a music college. We’re a pair of musicians, actually,” Rob as soon as mentioned.
That ethos of friendship and musician-to-musician mentorship turned the spine of pointblank. Each lecturer is an lively trade skilled – DJs, producers, engineers, songwriters- so college students study straight from individuals immersed within the craft. And it’s not simply the instructing employees; lots of our group are deeply concerned within the trade too. This close-knit, artist-first tradition has at all times made pointblank really feel much less like an establishment and extra like a inventive household.
Rising a International Music Household
What started as a distinct segment coaching session in a single studio developed organically right into a full-fledged curriculum. By the late ’90s, pointblank’s courses had been accredited and quickly rising with the newest gear and software program. New packages had been launched in radio broadcasting, singing, sound engineering, music enterprise and extra; at all times staying on the slicing fringe of what the trade demanded. By the 2010s, our attain went worldwide: we launched our On-line Faculty to show college students worldwide, expanded to Los Angeles, Ibiza, and past.
“It began out as business recording studio, however has ended up as one of many world’s main music-production educators.” – MusicTech, 2016
By means of all this progress, one factor has remained fixed: our dedication to empowering the following technology of music creatives. We’ve taught hundreds of aspiring college students all over the world and helped energy their music careers, supporting everybody from full novices to rising artists. Many have gone on to make their mark within the trade. We’re proud to have helped form DJs and artists, together with Patrick Topping, Nicole Moudaber, Aluna Francis, and numerous others. We’ve additionally collaborated with true legends, from internet hosting masterclasses with Richie Hawtin and Mark Ronson to seeing alumni resembling Goldie and Leona Lewis attain famous person standing. Moments like these, massive and small, remind us why pointblank exists: to share a love of music and assist expertise flourish.
Innovation with Soul
pointblank has at all times been about staying forward of the curve in music expertise whereas protecting the soul of music entrance and centre. From the clunky {hardware} days of the ’90s to right this moment’s world-leading amenities, we’ve continued to push what fashionable music training might be. With a daring imaginative and prescient for the way forward for music manufacturing, we additionally secured £1.7 million in capital funding from the OfS to assist gasoline that ambition.
After greater than three a long time, pointblank continues to be ‘dwelling the dream’, simply as Rob was again within the ’80s when he first picked up a bass guitar. We’re immensely grateful to each scholar, lecturer, and collaborator who’s been a part of the story to date. Right here’s to the following 30 years of creating music, breaking boundaries, and celebrating the creativity that brings us all collectively.
