TWO ambitious Bolton musicians have opened a recording studio in Media City.

GAS Music owners Gary Hilton and Steve Southern, from the band Modern Family, will use all their expertise to help create custom-made music for advertising, TV, film and gaming.

The pair, who are being supported by Bolton computer company Scan, will offer a 'bespoke' music service as well as

specialising in creating music.

Mr Hilton and Mr Southern, from Johnson Fold, are also working with ex-Factory Records man Jeff Jones. They spotted a gap in the market having worked in the industry for decades.

Father-of-two Mr Hilton, aged 48, of Four Lane Ends, said: “We are approachable and we want to be involved in what we think is good music. We have a box we can move anywhere to record then bring it back to the studio and master it. We can have a piece of music done and dusted in just a few hours.

"The recording and the business side to music can be quite expensive and daunting. We want to be neither. The aim is to make a piece of music to fit the end user. This is what we love and this is what we want to be doing when we write music."

The project is focused on providing a cost-effective and accessible service that allows people to ‘come direct’ to the songwriters with their ideas, ensuring creative directors retain control.

Elan Raja, Managing Director at Scan, helped supply GAS with state-of-the-art studio equipment.

He said: “We are a local business to them, so it’s a great partnership. It’s really important meeting people like Gary who are at the cutting edge of the audio industry. As most of the other companies are based in London, GAS is unique to the area.”

Modern Family Unit will continue to play and record, and have their debut album due out early next year.