Strawberry Studios — Joy Division and 10cc, Stockport

Strawberry Studios at 3 Waterloo Road in Stockport was founded by 10cc members Eric Stewart and Peter Tattersall in 1967, and became one of the most important recording studios in the north of England. 10cc recorded their hit 'I'm Not in Love' (1975) there — the song's revolutionary use of layered vocal tape loops was made possible by the studio's 16-track facility at a time when most Manchester studios had far less capacity. The studio's most significant later client was Joy Division, who recorded Unknown Pleasures (1979) and Closer (1980) at Strawberry with producer Martin Hannett.

Hannett's production of Unknown Pleasures at Strawberry — using the studio's echo chamber, isolation booth, and various unconventional techniques — created one of the most distinctive and influential sounds in post-punk history. The album's cold, cavernous atmosphere was partly a product of Hannett's methods and partly of Strawberry's physical spaces. Ian Curtis, Bernard Sumner, Peter Hook, and Stephen Morris recorded both Joy Division albums there before Curtis's death in May 1980.

Strawberry Studios operated until 1993, when it was sold and converted to residential apartments. The building at 3 Waterloo Road in Stockport still stands. The studio's legacy — from 10cc's art-pop to Joy Division's post-punk — spans two of the most distinctive sounds to emerge from Greater Manchester, and its story is closely tied to the region's outsized contribution to British popular music.