When it faced closure again in 2015, it was taken over by Hong Kong singer-songwriter Hins Cheung King-hin, who reportedly spent HK$20 million to buy and renovate the space. In a 2018 interview, he referred to Avon as a Cantopop “Music Hall of Fame”, and this was what drove his efforts to salvage it.
Built by a Japanese radio company, Avon Recording Studios is one of the oldest and most esteemed professional recording facilities in Hong Kong. Designed by an American recording studio designer and audio engineer, Tom Hidley, both its studios were built with no symmetrical corners or walls to avoid the diffuse reflection of sounds.
There is only one large window in the lounge room, reserved for moving bulky equipment and instruments in and out; this would be done in the early morning hours, when the entire street would be closed temporarily for a crane to hoist them up or down.
The hardwood floors are one of the few original interior design features remaining. The lounge room was remodelled to resemble a Western train carriage and to fit 11 seats in the small space.
Its main studio A, which has heard the unfiltered, unaltered singing voices of many Hong Kong icons, now houses some of the most high-end vintage recording equipment and musical instruments in the city, from a Steinway piano to a handmade mixing console made in 1974 and obtained by Cheung at auction in the US.
Both the piano and the console are in professional use, with the latter being the only working model left in a commercial recording studio in Southeast Asia, Cheung has previously said.
Seeing the high demand to experience the “Cantopop Hall of Fame”, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced 24 additional tours, spread over six Saturdays in August and September, which sold out quickly.
During the 90-minute tour, visitors will learn all about Avon, from its history and acoustic design to little-known facts about the studio. Enthusiastic vocalists can also record a one-minute demo to make the most of the high-quality equipment.
After being processed by professional audio mixers, the segment will be converted into an MP3 file, accessible via QR code, in the form of a personalised memento resembling keychain-sized CDs.
Hong Kong’s Cantopop industry may be past its heyday, but there still is much in the city for music fans and audiophiles to swoon over.