Greek audio engineer’s journey from Pikermi to an iconic Hollywood music studio
Listening to “Every Breath You Take” as a teenager in his room in the Attica suburb of Pikermi, Alexandros Kalteziotis never imagined that in just 10 years he’d be in the same studio where The Police recorded much of their work.
Yet the 25-year-old graduate of Berklee College of Music has already spent roughly a year working in the hallowed halls of Henson Recording Studios, a major chapter in US musical history, stretching back to Charlie Chaplin, who built the Hollywood complex in 1917 as a film studio. Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss took over the space in 1966 and used it to house A&M Records, until the entire thing was bought by the Jim Henson Company in 2000, continuing the legacy of the renowned A&M recording studios. Today, the company of the creator of “The Muppet Show” is a sprawling facility that rarely lets people who are not related to show business in, despite what Kermit’s smiling face may suggest at the entrance. The studio used by the likes of John Lennon and Pink Floyd is an unbreachable fortress – all the more exciting for the young Greek audio engineer.
“It’s a haven for artists,” Kalteziotis tells Kathimerini.
From present stars like Coldplay, Taylor Swift, Harry Styles and Justin Bieber, to legends like The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney, A-list musicians choose Henson for its high-precision equipment and the privacy.
“The musicians can drive through the gates without having to worry about fans or the press,” says Kalteziotis, who, as one of the studio’s 15 staff members, has access to the facility but is also bound by confidentiality.
“Every one of the five recording studios has a comfortable lounge attached, where the artists can take a break, while they can also walk around outside,” he says, adding that the artists can also make the space feel more like home. “They can bring small pieces of furniture or anything else they believe brings them luck.”
Henson is also where “We are the World” was recorded in 1985, featured in the Netflix documentary “The Greatest Night in Pop.” “The spacious studio and the central location helped,” says the young audio engineer.
Every studio has a story. “Back in the 1980s, Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers needed a studio to work on their music and the only one that was available was Studio B, which was being renovated,” says the young Greek, explaining that the band took it anyway and was so enthused with the sound produced by having stripped bricks and plaster that they insisted on working there and convinced the owner not to complete the renovation. “It is still in the same ‘unfinished’ state and you can’t imagine how many artists still record in it,” Kalteziotis adds, laughing. Currently, Kalteziotis is the only Greek employee of the studio, which has been known for shaping its staff into sound engineers who will go on to follow major names across their trajectories and often also contribute to their sound, as the so-called “fifth Beatle,” George Martin, did.
So far, outside of his work at Henson, Kalteziotis has discovered an affinity with Norwegian artists; his work with Jon Ranes and Ingrid Saga has been a success, helping propel the album “Loverboy” and the single “Ιn the Space Between Our Souls” among the top spots of Norway’s Spotify, with millions of streams.
