How George Michael's mixing desk ended up in a village studio

"We came to it by accident."

Anthony Shorter still cannot believe how he ended up owning a mixing desk which used to belong to pop royalty.

Bought second-hand from a man who wanted money for an airfare, Shorter was getting the desk serviced at his recording studio when the techie from the firm doing the work asked: "Do you know who owned that desk from new?"

Shorter recalled: "I was like, 'no'. And he said it was George Michael's. We were like 'OK, we're keeping this for definite now'."

The desk has pride of place at the studio in Shropshire which Shorter owns along with James Revitt. The walls are now adorned with photos of Michael using the kit.

"We've got a purchase receipt from George Michael when he originally bought it so we've got so much history in our studio now," Shorter told BBC Introducing as he began to outline his vision for the studio arm of label Moose Records - and the plan to help fledgling musicians.

They have had the desk since 2025, although it was stored for a year until a move into new premises. And there it sits in the red brick building in Leebotwood south of Shewsbury, where it is not lonely for company alongside other memorabilia such as a guitar signed by UB40 and an original master from The Kinks.

Now there's just the small matter of using the tech.

"I think me and James are going to be so frightened to touch it because we don't want to break it," Shorter said.

But they will have to touch it if their plan is to be put into action.

The idea of the label is to help musicians who cannot afford studio time, with the pair looking to get funding help in the future from the Arts Council.

Moose was set up after Shorter's stepdaughter, singer Macy O, suggested that instead of touring studios in London, "we could do this ourselves".

One music degree later, a meeting with Revitt and the idea was born.

"It just started growing and growing and growing and now we are a team," Shorter explained.

Revitt added: "It was a lot of hard work between all of us to put it together.

"I'm no longer a bus driver. I'm now doing producing music full-time and I couldn't be happier."

Music runs in Shorter's blood as his father Robert Shorter is a drummer who used to be in the Spencer Davis Group in the 1960s and was the studio drummer on their number one Keep On Running.

"My dad has actually been in here; to have him in my studio is really amazing," Shorter said.

"I've got my dad's original reels, the tapes from the session of Keep On Running and I will not let them out of my safe, so I won't let them go anywhere."

As to what goes on at that precious music desk, Shorter said: "The idea is to bring in as many musicians [as possible] just to get some studio time and get their music heard.

"BBC Introducing is the perfect platform for that so we are so behind it as you can see in our studio, we've got screens up that shows BBC Introducing."

The team at Moose Records has since been invited to go to George Michael's house after the George Michael Foundation heard they have his old desk.

The popstar passed away in 2016, aged 53.

"We're going to stay there for the weekend and do a bit of songwriting," Shorter grinned.

"The only clause we have in their contract is we have to climb into George Michael's pink flamingos and swim in his pool.

"It's the flamingos that were used in the music video for Club Tropicana so we we've got to use them!"

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