Chris
Bolster

Engineer

Chris
Bolster

Engineer

Chris’ interest in the capture of audio started when his music teacher first enabled him to slip out of class for a few hours to set up the high school’s PA system. This grasp soon broadened into live and theatre sound, broadcast and radio before his discovery of studio recording.

In 1995 his engineering career began at York Street Studios in his native New Zealand. Within this studio he worked with a whole host of local and international talent, and his passion for classic vintage equipment began with the use of the legendary 1974 EMI/NEVE Custom QUAD console that was installed at the studio.

In 1998 Chris decided to try his luck in the land afar, and five weeks after arriving he joined Abbey Road Studios and his adventure in recorded music truly began. Within the hallowed walls Chris has been broadening and developing his recording knowledge, evolving and if not stylising his technique, while working across a diverse range of musical projects and genres generated through the studios’ clientele.

With time, his real passion emerged for the studios, its individual acoustics spaces, the wealth of modern and vintage equipment still in service, and not to mention the overwhelming legacy of those who have performed there before him.

During his time at the studio Chris has worked on album and tracking sessions with some of rock, pop and electronic music’s most influential artists including Al Di Meola, Foo Fighters, John Fogerty, Kate Bush, Oasis, Matthew Herbert, Maroon 5, Ozzy Osbourne, Paul McCartney, Ray LaMontagne and Take That. He has also worked alongside a number of world class engineers and producers including Chris Kimsey, Danton Supple, Dave Sardy, Eddie Kramer, Ethan Johns, Geoff Emerick, Jon Brion, Phil Spector and Phill Brown.

Chris has worked on motion picture soundtracks such as Beyond the Sea, Harry Potter, Punch Drunk Love and 12 Years A Slave. And surround DVD production work for artists including The Beatles, Coldplay, George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Placebo and Travis.

He was also involved in the live broadcast recording for the Live From Abbey Road series, working with Bat for Lashes, Blondie, Civil Wars, Doves, Feist, Foals, Florence + the Machine, Gossip, Gregg Allman, The Killers and Yusuf, as well as the Absolute Radio Acoustic Sessions where he engineered for Beady Eye, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford and Sons, Suede and Tom Odell.

His selected discography is testament to the multiplicity and array of work undertaken, not to forget the magic moments exhibited.

Discography

Black Friday - Tom Odell
One Love (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) - Ziggy Marley
Always On My Mind - Eric Clapton & Bradley Walker
Are We There Yet? - Rick Astley
ÁTTA - Sigur Rós
Catch a Fire (50th Anniversary) - Bob Marley & the Wailers
If I Want In - Imogen Clark
RJ Thompson - Live At Abbey Road
Sissy Imann - Sissy Imann
Stir It Up (Alternate Jamaican) - Bob Marley
Black Pumas (Abbey Road 90th Anniversary Sessions) - Black Pumas
For Those That Wish to Exist at Abbey Road - Architects
Higher - Michael Bublé
Honeymoon - Jade Bird
Love not War - War Child
Shufflemania! - Robyn Hitchcock
Spotify Singles - Lewis Capaldi
Terrain (Extended) – Live in Studio One: An Abbey Road 90th Session - Portico Quartet
Básicos - Manuel Carrasco
Christmas Tree Farm (Old Timey Version)  - Taylor Swift
CTV3: Day Tripper's Edition - Jaden
I'll Be Your Mirror: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground & Nico - Various Artists
Still Night Blue - Splippleman
CTV3: Cool Tape, Vol. 3 - Jaden
Halluzinationen - Sophie Hunger
Quiero - Paulina Goto
Spotify Singles - Bombay Bicycle Club
Spotify Singles - Georgia
The Pianoman at Christmas - Jamie Cullum
I Love Sausage Rolls - Ladbaby
A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships - The 1975
Auf Nach Tschikkawikka - Lendgold
La Cruz Del Mapa - Manuel Carrasco
Molecules - Sophie Hunger
Up! - Ultimate Painting
What Night Hides  - ELE
3 Way Junction  - Juergen Bollmeyer
Harry Styles: Behind The Album - Apple Music
On Air - The Rolling Stones
Spotify Singles - Royal Blood
Under Stars - Amy Macdonald
Unplugged at Abbey Road - The Rifles
Vol. 2: A Kind of Magic - Jazz Loves Disney
Wish I could - Wandering Hearts
Beautiful Lies - Birdy
C4's Future Sounds - Channel 4
GOGO DEMPA - Dempagumi.inc
Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here Symphonic - The London Orion Orchestra
Running - Comic Relief Single - James Bay
Un'Altra Vita  - Elodie
 Occhi Profondi  - Emma
Channel 4 Future Sounds Live Video Recording - Aurora, Loyle Carner, Alessia Cara, Pretty Vicious, SG Lewis, Bonkaz, Blossoms, Izzy Bizu, Barns Courtney, TALA
Cover Story - The Verbs
Good Souls: The Greatest Hits - Starsailor
Live From Abbey Road Classics - Brian Wilson & Feist
Live From Abbey Road Session - GoGo Penguin
Ronaldo (OST) - Walter Mair
The Big Music Project - BPI - Daniel Scott/Aina More
Ephemeral - Rich Aucoin
Goodbye Yellow Brick Road: Revisited and Beyond - Elton John
The Beatles (OST) - Magne Furuholmen
Wake Up Dreaming - Jacky Cheung
All Your Life A Tribute To The Beatles - Ali Di Meola
Collaborations - Michael Nyman
Come Rain Come Shine - Tomoyasu Hotei
Full Circle - Adrian Munsey and Andrew-Powell
Ice for Aureliano Buendia - Evgeny Grinko
John Wilson Orchestra at the Movies (The Bonus Tracks) - John Wilson
Michael Nyman Collaborations - David McAlmont
Molten Gold / Pink Frost 13" - The Chills
Momentum (Deluxe Edition) - Jamie Cullum
New (Collector's Edition) - Paul McCartney
Original Motion Picture Soundtrack - 12 Years a Slave
Standards For Living - Steen Jorgensen
The Founder Effect I - Wilkinson, Thomas, Noble & Coxon
The Founder Effect II - Wilkinson, Thomas, Noble & Coxon
The Founder Effect III - Thomas, Noble, The Both
Wrote A Song For Everyone - John Fogerty
Human Heart - Ramin Karimloo
Journey to the Centre of the Earth - Rick Wakeman
Mörkerseende - Andreas Grega
Overexposed - Maroon 5
ParaNorman (Original Soundtrack) - Jon Brion
Season 5 - Live From Abbey Road
The Best of Yami Matsutoya: 40th Anniversary - Yami Matsutoya
50 Words For Snow - Kate Bush
Cold Blows The Wind - Bellowhead
Director's Cut - Kate Bush
Don't Worry - About Group
Emergencys, False Alarms, Shipwrecks, Castaways, Fragile Creatures, Special Features, Demons And Demonstrations 1999-2010 - Joel Plaskett
L'Amore E Una Cosa Semplice - Tiziano Ferro
Letters - Matt Cardle
Ora - Lorenzo Jovanotti Cherubini
Season 4 - Live From Abbey Road
Start & Complete - About Group
You're No Good - About Group
Hedonism - Bellowhead
Imagine Project - Herbie Hancock
Isla - Portico Quartet
John Ireland: Orchestral Songs and Miniatures - BBC Concert Orchestra / Roderick Williams / John Williams / Martin Yates
Meta - Sonohra
We Will Remember Them - Various Artists
Greatest Hits - Foo Fighters
Libres - Sonohra
NW8 - Guus Meeuwis
Season 3 - Live From Abbey Road
The Beatles Rockband - The Beatles / Harmonix
Alla Mia Età - Tiziano Ferro
Dig Out Your Soul - Oasis
Hooked - Sophie Delila
Ray LaMontagne - Gossip In The Grain
Reborn - ERA
Safe Trip Home - Dido
Season 2 - Live From Abbey Road
Silent Cry - Feeder
Songs and Themes - Spring Heel Jack
There's Me and There's You - Herbert
12 - Herbert Grönemeyer
Memory Almost Full - Paul McCartney
Score - Matthew Herbert
Season 1 - Live From Abbey Road
The McCartney Years - Paul McCartney
Time Machine - Машина Времени
Anthony Collins: Vanity Fair; Etc. - BBC Concert Orchestra / John Wilson
Beautiful News - Matt Redman
Beautiful World - Take That
Elgar: The Spirit of England - BBC Symphony Orchestra / David Lloyd-Jones
In the Lounge with Gary Williams and his musicians - Gary Williams
Kortgehouden - Freek de Jonge
LOVE - The Beatles / Cirque du Soleil
Magpie - Stephen Fretwell
Nessuno è Solo - Tiziano Ferro
Scale - Matthew Herbert
Under Attack - The Alarm
Aerial - Kate Bush
Alone Together - Gary Williams
Concert for Bangladesh - George Harrison
Edward German - BBC Concert Orchestra / John Wilson
Elgar: The Sketches, Drafts and Recordings of His Piano Concerto - David Lloyd-Jones / David Owen Norris
New York - Stephen Fretwell
Popeline - Diane Tell
Prince of Darkness - Ozzy Osbourne
Remixed - Lamb
Some Time in New York City - John Lennon, Yoko Ono, Plastic Ono Band
Welcome to Japan - The Music
Absent Friends - The Divine Comedy
Best Kept Secrets: The Best Of Lamb 1996-2004 - Lamb
Beyond The Sea (Original Soundtrack) - Kevin Spacey
Early Years - Electric Light Orchestra
Soulmates Never Die (Live in Paris 2003) - Placebo
Zurawski - Zurawski
52-Week High - Flying Other Brothers
Between Darkness and Wonder - Lamb
Concerto for Group and Orchestra - Deep Purple / Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
ELO 2 (First Light Series) - Electric Light Orchestra
Goodbye Swingtime - The Matthew Herbert Big Band
Live 2003 - Coldplay
Nathalie (Original Soundtrack) - Michael Nyman
Red, White and Blues - Martin Scorsese Presents
Silence Is Easy - Starsailor
Summer - Summer
The American Adventure - The Electric Soft Parade
The Beatles Anthology [DVD] - The Beatles
The Life of David Gale [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Alex and Jack Parker
You Gotta Go There To Come Back - Stereophonics
Crepúsculo - Duncan Dhu
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - John Williams
Kooky Tunes [Jay] - Keith Thompson
Possession [Original Motion Picture Soundtrack] - Gabriel Yared
Sangam: Michael Nyman Meets Indian Masters - Michael Nyman
Simple Song - Matt Bogart
So Far - Susan Egan
Thunderpants (Original Soundtrack) - Rupert Gregson Williams
We Were Soldiers [Original Motion Picture Score] - Nick Glennie-Smith
Iris (Original Soundtrack) - James Horner
Just Enough Education To Perform - Stereophonics
More Than Us (Live in Glasgow) - Travis
Upswing - The Peter Cater Big Band
What Sound - Lamb
fetish - Tomoyasu Hotei
Live at Abbey Road - Laurie Holloway
The Greatest Hits - Texas
Space: 1999 (Year 1 - An Original Soundtrack Recording) - Barry Gray
Take in the Sun - Bike
Space: 1999 (Year 2 - An Original Soundtrack Recording) - Derek Wadsworth
Supersystem - The Feelers
Better Never Than Late - The Exponents
Suddenly Strange - Bic Runga
Vision - Mark De Clive Lowe
Backspacer - Supergroove