The team from Kensal Green.

West London's Kensaltown studios has become a one-stop shop for a close- knit community of songwriters, producers and musicians all benefiting from the complex's loose, collaborative spirit. Music Week talks to the team involved

By diversifying its business to incorporate a record label and a growing team of songwriters, West London's Kensaltown studios is gaining the edge over its competition in the world of commercial recording.

The complex, owned and run by producer Martin Terefe, is amassing a growing stream of releases, with albums from Dawn Kinnard and Ron Sexsmith, among others, on the way. Terefe, who has produced KT Tunstall and Martha Wainwright, uses Kensaltown as his permanent base and the location is swiftly becoming home to songwriters Sacha Skarbek and Andreas Olsson, with Yusuf Islam also sharing studio space in the development.

Located opposite the old Virgin building on Kensal Road, Kensaltown Studios was purchased by Terefe in 2003, who moved there from the nearby Saga Centre. The location has helped the early career development of Ben's Brother and Adele, while current artists working at Kensaltown include 17-year-old Lisa Mitchell and Double O Zero. Consequently, the operation is being likened to the famous Brill Building in New York, where many top writers and producers worked together in the Seventies and Eighties.

Terefe's manager Michael Dixon oversees Kensaltown's operations, citing team involvement in the early stages of an act's development as helping to strengthen the relationship between songwriters and producers.

Dixon enthuses: "It is a unique angle we have. We have the ability to get involved with artists on a low-key, no-budget basis and try out things. Often we will start out with Sacha or Martin writing together and working on demos, then if the demos are fitting, we will work them up from a production perspective and, all going well, the relationship will continue."

The strategy means unsigned acts working without a budget can tap into what Kensaltown has to offer.