REEMA AT ABBEY ROAD — ONE DAY, TWO ANALOGUE ALBUMS

On 15 February 2026, Reema entered Abbey Road’s Studio Three with a guitar, her songs and the LowSwing team. She performed live, without overdubs or edits. From that day come two hand-numbered vinyl albums, each offering a different way to hear the session. 

Direct to Disc at Studio 3 captures the pressure and freedom of a performance cut straight to lacquer. Guy Sternberg mixed as Reema played, while Abbey Road mastering engineer Alex Gordon cut the record live. Each side had to be performed continuously. The smallest change in her voice or guitar belongs to that moment.

Direct to Master Tape at Studio 3 offers another perspective. The performances were also captured on a Studer A820. Recording individual takes gave Reema and Sternberg the opportunity to choose a complete performance of each song for the tape-sourced LP, while keeping the voice-and-guitar arrangement live and free of overdubs. Sidney Clair Meyer cut this edition from the master tape at Emil Berliner Studios. 

This is an unusually revealing idea for two records: the same artist, songs and room, heard through two analogue recording paths. The direct cut preserves the commitment of a continuous side. The tape-sourced album reflects the choices made from the performances recorded across the day. Neither needs a claim of sonic superiority to be fascinating.

Both editions are available for preorder, with an official release date of 6 November 2026. LowSwing’s newsletter also has news of Reema’s UK album launch and a LowSwing All Stars concert in Berlin this December. 

Which would you play first: the uninterrupted direct cut or the selected performances from master tape?