PUK Studios.

85 Days in Denmark.

From Dublin, the journey continued into the Danish countryside. In March 1985, ZENO arrived at PUK Studios in Gjerlev, near Randers, for 85 days devoted to their debut album. An old farm had become a remarkable residential recording complex: far from the bustle of the city, yet equipped for ambitious music.

Jon Quist and Birte Quist had created a place where recording and everyday life shared the same roof. The band stayed on site. There were long sessions at the mixing console, conversations between takes, and days that did not always end when the studio lights went out.

ZENO was the first band of international standing to work there after the renovation. With producer Terry Manning, the recordings begun in Dublin continued to take shape — in rooms that would later welcome artists including George Michael, Depeche Mode and Elton John.

On 28 December 2020, a fire destroyed the studios. The photographs preserve the building, the people who made it special — and a chapter of ZENO’s story that cannot be recreated.