Brad Pitt to Reopen French Studio Where Pink Floyd Recorded Part of ‘The Wall’
Brad Pitt is currently overseeing the renovation of Studio Miraval, the legendary French recording studio where Pink Floyd recorded some of 1979's The Wall. The actor will reopen it in 2022.
Over the years, Studio Miraval has also made a recording home for artists ranging from AC/DC to The Cranberries. Pitt bought the entire Miraval compound with his then-partner, actress Angelina Jolie, in 2012. Two years later, they married in a chapel on the grounds that housed the studio, before divorcing in 2019.
Now, with the help of Paris-based recording engineer Damien Quintard, Pitt is bringing the studio back to life.
On Monday (Dec. 19), the engineer spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about meeting Pitt and becoming the music lead for the famed studio that was first opened in 1977 by the French pianist Jacques Loussier and recording engineer Patrice Quef.
Quintard said, "[Pitt] came to my studio in Paris. It was a fantastic meeting. We talked for hours and hours. He talked to me about his plans for Miraval. I was obviously super excited, because as a Frenchman and a music lover, one of the Holy Grails is Miraval. I went over there, did my design for the space. We clicked on that side, and we moved forward."
Regarding Pitt's music taste, Quintard shared, "The thing I noticed is, he has an acute sense for emotions and simplicity. The most beautiful records are also done with absolute simplicity. My whole philosophy relates to that — the simple beauty of mono recordings from the 1950s and 1960s, using a single microphone."
That minimalist audio aesthetic will also drive the design of the new studio, which Quintard hinted will be much more open compared to how the studio was arranged back in its heyday.
"It was very '70s — vintage and, in its own way, beautiful," the engineer said of the old digs. "With Brad, we redesigned everything to be so simple, so pure. Light is everywhere. The future is light."
And when it reopens, Studio Miraval won't just be available for recording artists and labels. "We want to do different types of productions over there — film, theater, fine arts," Quintard added.
Pitt — the actor known for his parts in films such as Seven, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, War Machine and more — also co-owns the Famille Perrin winery on the Miraval estate.