Still, despite its humble façade, one might be surprised to learn that musical greats the likes of M Nasir, Teresa Teng, Hetty Koes Endang and Sudirman once recorded here.
In fact, this location, also home to Kings Hall café, used to be a one-stop centre that manufactured vinyl records and duplicated cassette tapes as well.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, King Musical Industries CEO Ng Cheong Kien shared that the business had been started by his father, Lian Chin, in 1963.
Initially, the business had been used for artistes under Life Records, a label also founded by Lian Chin. Fun fact: according to Cheong Kien, it was his father who had discovered the iconic Teng in Taiwan!
Cheong Kien himself joined the company in 1976 as a fresh graduate, and what he saw left an indelible impression on him.
“I looked at the studio and the way it was run. It was very difficult because we were at the hands of technical people. If the studio engineer didn’t come to work, what could we do?” the 70-year-old said.
He thus decided to learn the necessary skills himself by studying audio engineering. Later, under his leadership, they expanded from two recording rooms on the premises to five.
Fitted with state-of-the-art equipment, King Studio, as it became known, was a highly sought venue, especially when Cheong Kien decided to open the business to artistes from other labels such as BMG.
Highs and lows
Cheong Kien’s longtime assistant, Zulkarnain Shaharani, can recall other notable personalities who recorded at King Studio. “We had Sharifah Aini, Jaclyn Victor, Francissca Peter… there are so many I’ve forgotten. Ah, Ning Baizura,” he told FMT Lifestyle.
There were also rock legends: “We had Ella, Search, Wings, and Lefthanded,” he added. In fact, the popular song “Isabella” was purportedly composed by M Nasir in the studio!
Indeed, the 1980s and ’90s were a busy, bustling time – until it wasn’t. “There was the big financial crash in 1997. We still had some recordings in 1998 and 1999, but digital studios were also starting to come in,” Cheong Kien recalled.
“Bookings were low, and we went from two shifts to one,” Zulharnain chimed in.
Finally, in 2002, they decided to stop operating King Studio and opted instead to rent out the various recording rooms to tenants. “I felt very, very sad. It’s like my whole life was gone,” CK said.
Looking to the future
Among the tenants is Arun Sarravanan Rajaratnam, the owner of Rockstar Musika. The 50-year-old, popularly known as Sarra Kings, was formerly a sound engineer at King Studio.
Sarra produces albums and jingles, among other services. In fact, legendary local band The Strollers did a recording session there just last year!
Even after all these years, Sarra remains impressed by the design of the recording studio he utilises, which produces high-quality sound.
It’s a sentiment echoed by another tenant, Karmen Lee, the founder and CEO of TeenEdge Malaysia. The organisation provides creative-arts mentoring for young people
She, too, does recordings and enjoys how spacious her studio space is, as well as the sound it produces.
Another thing she loves is the building’s history, notably King Studio’s contribution to the Malaysian music industry.
“I like to share the company’s history and bring new students on a tour of the premises. At first, some of them will be shocked – and then they’ll get excited, especially the younger ones when they see the old equipment,” the 31-year-old noted.
Indeed, one of the rooms is used to display vintage gear and instruments such as tape recorders, xylophones, and a harmonium.
While the days of musical legends creating masterpieces in King Studio might be long gone, Cheong Kien is hopeful that seeds of greatness will be sown in the next generation here.
“My hope is for children to be exposed to music. They are the future, and this gives me a lot of enthusiasm about the coming days of the music business,” he concluded.