Electric Lady Studios

Electric Lady Studios, at 52 West 8th Street, in New York City's Greenwich Village, is a recording studio originally built by Jimi Hendrix and designed by John Storyk in 1970. A variety of artists have recorded music there, including John Lennon, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Carly Simon, The Clash, Peter Frampton, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Al Green, Dave Matthews Band, Christina Aguilera, Bad Religion, Stevie Wonder, Cactus, Goldfrapp, Billy Cobham, Curtis Mayfield, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lou Reed, Mandrill, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, The Early Years, Sinéad O'Connor, Billy Joel, Billy Idol, Nas, The Mars Volta, Frank Zappa, Mike Oldfield, The Magnetic Fields, Guns N' Roses (Chinese Democracy sessions), Elkie Brooks, Patti Smith, John McLaughlin, Kiss, Van Halen, Weezer, Interpol, Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, Monster Magnet, The Pink Spiders, Deee Lite, Chris Braide, Rancid, D'Angelo, Wolfmother, Miley Cyrus, The Big Pink, Erykah Badu, Common (as well as the majority of the Soulquarians), and Metric.

History

In 1968, Hendrix and his manager Michael Jeffery had invested jointly in the purchase of the Generation Club in Greenwich Village. Their initial plans to reopen the club were scrapped when the pair decided that the investment would serve them much better as a recording studio. The studio fees for the lengthy Electric Ladyland sessions were astronomical, and Jimi was constantly in search of a recording environment that suited him.

Construction of the studio took nearly double the amount of time and money as planned: permits were delayed numerous times, the site flooded due to heavy rains during demolition, and sump pumps had to be installed (then soundproofed) after it was determined that the building sat on the tributary of an underground river. A six-figure loan from Warner Brothers was required to save the project.

Designed by architect and acoustician John Storyk, the studio was made specifically for Hendrix, with round windows and a machine capable of generating ambient lighting in myriad colors. It was designed to have a relaxing feel to encourage Jimi's creativity, but at the same time provide a professional recording atmosphere. Engineer Eddie Kramer upheld this by refusing to allow any drug use during session work. Artist Lance Jost painted the studio in a psychedelic space theme.^[1]

Hendrix spent only four weeks recording in Electric Lady, most of which took place while the final phases of construction were still ongoing. An opening party was held on August 26, 1970 and the following day Hendrix created his last ever studio recording: a cool and tranquil instrumental known only as "Slow Blues". He then boarded an Air India flight for London to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival, and died less than three weeks later.

Electric Ladyland Studio's address at 52 West 8th Street has a long history. It was previously inhabited by Abstract Expressionist artist, Hans Hofmann. Known as the "Village Barn", he began lecturing there in 1938, eventually retiring from teaching in 1958 to paint full time.

Popular culture

Electric Lady Studios was prominently featured in the movie Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist where a series of scenes were shot inside the actual recording studios. Nick (Michael Cera) and Norah (Kat Dennings) make multiple mentions during their visit there of the historical nature of the studio, and list many factual references to the multitude of artists who recorded there.

See also

• Albums recorded at Electric Lady Studios

References

External links

• Official web site