Since 1939...

The Atlantis Studio building was originally a movie theater called Kadetten, located on Karlbergsvägen. Designed by cinema architect Olle Pettersson, the 330-seat theater opened on April 5, 1941. In 1943, it was purchased by the government film institute Sveriges Folkbiografer and renamed Terry, but the cinema was short-lived and closed in 1959.

Soon after, the space was acquired by Metronome, which removed the theater fixtures and converted it into a recording studio. Initially, it operated with temporary equipment until professional gear, including a Neve console from England, was installed.

Metronome was run by Anders Burman and Börje Ekberg, with Rune Persson as the resident sound technician. Early recordings featured Siw Malmkvist and Owe Thörnqvist, and it wasn’t long before the studio attracted international stars like Quincy Jones, who recorded the Boy in the Tree film soundtrack there, alongside top jazz musicians of the era. At the time, Metronome was the only major professional studio in Stockholm, making it the preferred choice for many artists, including Harry Arnold and his big band.

One day, Rune Persson was visited by an unknown man carrying a Tandberg recorder. His name was Micke B. Tretow, and he was looking for work. Impressed by his recordings, Persson offered him a job, but Tretow had to decline due to military service. A few months later, he called back, explaining he’d been discharged from the military and asked if the job was still available. Persson welcomed him back, and Tretow went on to become ABBA’s most influential sound technician.

ABBA

Prior to the formation of ABBA, Bjorn Ulvaeus was signed to Metronome with a group called the Hootenanny Singers. During his tenure with that act, Ulvaeus started to record music with Benny Andersson. It wasn’t long before they brought in their girlfriends Agnetha and Anni-Frid in for vocal tracks in the studio, and that’s how ABBA came about!

During this time, the very early 1970s, Janne Hansson began his career as a sound technician at Metronome after completing his degree at the Dramatisk Institute. In 1983, Janne was given an offer to take over the studio, which he accepted. Under Janne, together with Katarina “Lalla” Sandberg Hansson, Metronome became Atlantis Grammofon. 2021 a group of musician friends bought the studio and re-created the original cinema, 60´s ambience and design in the lounge and control room – and kept the recording room as it always had been – sounding amazing.

Take a look in our photo archive, click here.

Since 1939...

ABBA

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