Rise rose out of the ashes of Fopp music stores when they closed in 2008. As a lot of the stores…read morewere rescued by HMV and turned into what is basically HMV outlet stores, Rise started up in Bristol and Cheltenham and carried on in much the same way as Fopp left off with a massive selection of well priced and eclectic stock covering the majority of musical genres to a depth that you would never find in the larger retailers. Staff with a real passion, enthusiasm and in depth knowledge of what they are selling and a real buzz to the place. Many CDs priced between 3 and £5 so a great place for taking a punt on some new music. The website is constantly updated with staff recommendations both for music and film, so a good idea to check out before visiting, or join their mailing list for some good ideas.Also a very good selection of vinyl, again a lot of it very keenly priced. Books are another speciality and it's hard to not pick up something interesting to read before you leave having filled your boots on interesting music.The Rise in Swindon opened in 2011 and is currently the newest of the Rise stores. Unfortunately it is also the smallest in terms of floorspace, but that doesn't stop it from still having an excellent selection of stock, and anything you can't find in store, the helpful staff always do their best to get it in for you.Forget HMV. In the days of instant gratification and downloads that have no sense of pride of ownership, it's great to know that there are still independent shops that are a joy to visit, browse, hear good music, chat with like minded music fans and provide excellent service. Long may it flourish.

Andy Rowland - Brilliant Producer! Great studio!…read moreWe went in (4-piece band) looking to record a 3 track EP and came out with a masterpiece! Plenty of space. Separate vocal booth, separate drum booth /guitar booth, huge live room - professional setup. Andy is not only an absolute genius on the recording software, he also will recommend ideas and squeeze your best performance out of you plus recommending additional aspects to your songs from suggested vocal harmonies, to percussion, to additional keys, special effects etc without ruining your song. The recording quality is high as is Andys attention to detail. He has incredible ears and is able to pick up the tiniest performance blemish and rectify it. We are already planning to return now that we have found this facility and engineer having all been in less than adequate recording facilities over the years. There is a the all important very tasty cafe on the site too plus stacks of free parking (no stairs!) and unloading right into the studio itself.

Spacious professional recording & rehearsal rooms set Gatehouse apart from the rest. Andy is a joy…read moreto work with, using his knowledge to achieve your goals with minimum fuss.