Between the sheets Roommates: The strange beauty of bedroom recording

As a kid, it was always convenient to whip-out the old ‘messiness stimulates creativity’ argument to ward off lurking parents hungry for a tidy bedroom. Though, having said that, it was pretty hard to justify how a community of coffee mugs large enough to make a homemade tea-cup ride was doing wonders for your homework. Musically, though, it has some pretty clear advantages; after all, there’s a whole genre essentially built around the bedroom as a home-studio.

The fact is – regardless of what comments your parents may have shot-back – bedrooms can stimulate creativity, and produce some pretty cool sonic results. Most of these artists are obsessive with their recording, crafting intricate tracks while also retaining a beautiful lo-fi charm to their sound. Best is the intimacy that recording in a bedroom brings; occasionally you’ll be able to hear a botched take, voices from another room or a duvet readjustment. With this in mind, we asked a few of our fave bedroom artists for their thoughts on – err – fisticuffs with saxophone teachers, wild bedroom terrains and having a good old sob when everything goes pear-shaped.