INTERVIEW WITH IAIN McKINNA 2021
OFFBEAT Humble Beginnings
[desk]
Humble Beginnings [instruments]
Humble Beginnings
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The Foundations of Offbeat: A Tale of Serendipity and Sound
The roots of Offbeat trace back to a moment of reinvention in the early 1990s. But before this new chapter began, Iain had already been making waves in the music industry. Back in 1981, just before meeting Kirsty, he found himself working with none other than Simon Cowell. Iain was part of a band called Flying Colours, and the young, ambitious Cowell was working as an A&R man. Though the band ultimately disbanded, the experience with Cowell was a glimpse into the industry's high-stakes, fast-moving world—a world that would continue to shape Iain's career in unexpected ways.
Fast forward to the early '90s: after selling Sonic Studios to Cava, Iain and Kirsty decided to leave behind the whirlwind of studio life for a summer of simplicity in Portugal. With just an acoustic guitar and a setlist of crowd-pleasers, they spent their days playing to pub and club audiences along the Algarve, rediscovering their love for music in its most organic form.
When they returned to Edinburgh, they converted part of their Royal Mile top-floor apartment into a small programming studio. It was a far cry from a fully equipped studio: just a DAT machine, an Atari computer, a keyboard sampler, and a couple of cheap microphones. But it was enough to start building something new. At the time, Offbeat wasn’t a recording studio—it was a creative laboratory where Iain could work on his own music and pre-production for client projects.
The flat itself, part of a historic tenement with stories dating back centuries, became the perfect setting for this new venture. Its high ceilings and old stone walls seemed to resonate with the same creativity and history that Offbeat would come to embody.
From Scratch to Sonic Success
Those early days were all about innovation on a budget. Iain was working at Palladium Studios, engineering for 4AD projects and indie songwriters. At the same time, he recorded and mixed Nectarine No. 9’s A Sea With 3 Stars album for Cava, which went on to be crowned NME’s Album of the Year.
Back in the flat, Iain produced Talitha Mackenzie’s groundbreaking album Solas, doing pre-production at home before heading to Palladium to record. He even hit the road as Talitha’s guitarist and Musical Director, touring the UK and Europe.
The turning point came when Mike Heron of The Incredible String Band asked Iain to produce his solo album Where The Mystics Swim for Demon Records. With the project’s budget, Iain invested in ADAT recorders and a Yamaha mixer, marking the transition from a simple programming setup to a proper recording space. Soon after, the flat next door became available, and Offbeat expanded into a dedicated studio.
The First Offbeat Hits
Offbeat’s first full production was Akassa, an album by Hamed Kane, a Senegalese drummer and singer. Unexpectedly, the album gained international attention as a world music hit, thanks to a deal with Sterns Music. This success solidified Offbeat as a bona fide recording studio.
Not long after, Iain and Kirsty produced a trilogy of albums for Rock Piper Jimi McRae, performing in his live band along the way. Then came a blues project for the legendary Tam White. His album Hold On featured tracks used in **Norman Stone’s movie Mandancin’*. Tam, ever the character, dubbed Offbeat “the highest studio in the world”—a cheeky nod to the 95 steps leading up to its perch.
Branching Out and Building Up
In 2009, Universal Records tapped Iain to record the Spirit of the Glen trilogy with the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards. Initially hesitant due to his ambivalence about bagpipes—an instrument he humorously refers to as “an instrument of insurrection and torture”—Iain accepted the challenge. The result? A Classical Brit Award and a #1 spot on the Classical charts.
Around the same time, Offbeat branched into voiceover and audiobook production. Iain collaborated with filmmaker Mark Cousins, recording commentary for The Story of Film: An Odyssey and later The Eyes of Orson Welles, a Cannes runner-up in 2019.
Offbeat also became a trusted partner for BBC radio productions and major publishers, offering a unique space where the echoes of history blend seamlessly with cutting-edge sound.
Refining the Vision
Kirsty reflects on their journey: “When we started, we had almost nothing—just a fiddle, a guitar, and a passion for music. Every piece of equipment we’ve added over the years has come from successful projects.”
A Legacy in Progress
From Flying Colours to the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, the journey has been one of evolution and reinvention. While the studio has grown, its ethos remains the same: Offbeat is about pushing boundaries, nurturing talent, and creating a space where sound can soar. And with every creaky step up those 95 stairs, you’ll feel the history and hear the heartbeat of Offbeat—a space that continues to inspire, create, and connect.
