WRAPPED IN CREATIVE REVERIE
(L-R) W aqaas H ashmi , M ichael S onier , F razer M ac , J ason D ufour , J arrel Y oung , A lex B onenfant , A drien G ough & C alvin H artwick
COMMUNITY & COLLABORATION ARE KEY AT TORONTO’S DREAM HOUSE STUDIOS
BY KEVIN YOUNG
F F
or the owners of downtown Toronto’s Dream House Studios, the
most important focus of their business model is an emphasis on the
artists that write and record there and the songs that result from
that work.
In any discussion of a studio, the gear, the functionality,
and the layout and construction figure heavily – in many cases
to the exclusion of a conversation about the actual experience
of recording there, and how the space and staff fosters creativity,
directly or indirectly.
26 • PROFESSIONAL SOUND
Photos by Neal Burstyn, ImagesWithImpact.ca
When describing Dream House, co-owners and founders Alex Bonenfant
and Adrien Gough tend to speak in terms of the vibe and the similarities
between the facility’s informal beginnings in 2010 and its ultimate transition
into a commercial studio.
“I would say that what’s developed here at Dream House has been an
evolution,” Bonenfant offers. “When we came in here initially, it was a place
to work for myself, Adrien, and Henry Walter, who goes by the name of
Cirkut. We were all friends and were working on Adrien and Henry’s record
when they were signed to Last Gang Records.”