A Klass is a full recording and production studio in central Auckland as well as a record
label and music distributor & licensor.
We are also heavily involved with event promotion and live sound in Auckland city.
History;
A Klass Records was started in 2000 as a means to (cheaply) release and distribute
experimental underground music, primarily from Auckland.
It was founded by Leonard McMullen from Anti-Kati & GOD Rekidz, aka K5K.
Auckland soon expanded to the whole world as internet resources and networks were
rapidly expanding.
It soon became obvious that the internet was a viable method of distribution, and GOD
Rekidz was re-launched online.
(GOD Rekidz was started in 1996, by Leonard McMullen and Jonathan Bruce, and is
now a fully incorporated society, see www.godrekidz.co.nz for more information)
Our first releases were on CDR and 7” acetate formats, both of which we pushed to the
limit both time wise and sound wise. AK001 set a loudness standard within its genres and
was 73.58 long. Such great value etc… cough….
We eventually started releasing music on vinyl (and the unavoidable CD’s) and expanded
our skills further – the hard way. Vinyl had always been the dream, and finally releasing
music on this format inspired more thought and effort with regards to mastering audio.
As resources and skills grew, so did our standards of production, and by 2003 we had a
16 track digital recording system, but only a garage to record and compose in.
Things eventually expanded further and A Klass Records finally had its own location by
2005, on New North Rd in central Auckland. It was an extremely productive time, with
almost daily recording sessions, and a lot of new music being written.
It was still ghetto, and most learning still came via trial and error…
The walls and ceiling of the control/recording room were covered with egg cartons, there
was no air conditioning, and one fan. We still managed to record an album a week in
summer, the computers never overheated…
During this time GOD Rekidz became an Incorporated Society. A lot of time was
invested in this, expanding GOD Rekidz into a community organization to foster
experimental and underground music in New Zealand. We also managed to streamline
our digital distribution methods, and GOD Rekidz took its place as the largest mp3 label
in the world, as well as one of the first.
After the demise of this location, and all the egg cartons were sold off, a lot more time
was spent focusing on live events and live sound.
More home studios followed, but by now people were asking us to work in their studios,
to run sound at their events, and sometimes to even perform.
Back in 2000 there seemed like no other option for live performances, and so we started
organising our own. These parties were never regular enough to draw much of a
following, but most who enjoyed them became involved, either by making music or at the
least coming to another show. Since then we have organized over 100 shows, ranging
from commercial drum n bass to extreme noise to country, in Auckland, Wellington,
Sydney, Melbourne and Toronto.
At the end of 2009 we launched Breakcore Island, cementing our place.
(see www.breakcoreisland.com for more information)
At the start of 2010 we embarked on a mini-festival in Auckland, in a wide range of
central Auckland venues, with diverse musicians from across the world.
By 2010 almost everything was perfectly in place.
A new studio space was found, an ideal space, again on New North Rd, and already
setup. A Klass Records took over the infamous Kog Recording studio on January 15th,
and became a full scale production house offering a massive range of services.
We now have a full control/composition studio, vocal booth, and live room.
We can offer full digital or analogue multi-track recording and audio post production
services, as well as music licensing, sound system & sound technician hire.
Yes, we have mad street cred.
