Brad Pitt and French composer and producer Damien Quintard have refurbished the famous French recording complex, Miraval Studios.
The studio forms part of Château Miraval, an estate bought by Pitt and his ex-wife Angelina Jolie in 2008. Located in Correns in the Provence region of southern France, Miraval is famous for its vineyard, which produces the signature wine, Miraval Côtes de Provence Rosé.
The original Miraval recording studio was active from the late 1970s until the early 2000s. During that time, the studio welcomed artists such as Judas Priest, The Cranberries, Wham!, UB40 and Rammstein. Pink Floyd recorded parts of 1979’s The Wall at Miraval; The Cure used it to record their seventh album, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, Kiss Me, including the hits ‘Why Can’t I Be You?’ and ‘Just Like Heaven’.
AC/DC were another of the studio’s clients during its heyday, decamping to Provence to record their 11th album, 1988’s Blow Up Your Video. Muse started work on their album Black Holes and Revelations at Miraval in 2005, but the studio closed shortly thereafter.
Miraval is set to reopen in mid-2022. Quintard, who has worked with the likes of Brian Eno and Arca, helped Pitt design a brand new hybrid analogue/digital sound desk. ““It really is a space where you can produce anything from pop and rock, to hip-hop and classical records,” said Quintard.
