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 Bob Dylan, John Lennon, Kiss, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin, Glass Harp, Blondie, Carly Simon, The Clash, Peter Frampton, Foreigner, Hall & Oates, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie, Al Green, Frank Zappa, Nas, Kanye West, Madonna, Beyoncé Knowles, The Mighty Boosh, Courtney Love, Radiohead, Coldplay, Alice Cooper, Bad Religion, Stevie Wonder, Cactus, Goldfrapp, Greezy Wheels, Billy Cobham, Curtis Mayfield, Moby, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Lou Reed, Mandrill, Muse, Arctic Monkeys, Glasvegas, The Early Years, Sinéad O'Connor, Billy Joel, Billy Idol, The Mars Volta, Caroline Loeb, Mike Oldfield, The Magnetic Fields, Guns N' Roses, Elkie Brooks, Patti Smith, John McLaughlin, Klaus Nomi, Van Halen, The White Stripes, Weezer, Interpol, Ryan Adams, Steve Earle, Ron Rogers, Kid Creole and The Coconuts, 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), Brandon Caie and Metric, Dave Matthews Band, Take That, Rihanna, The Strokes and Christina Aguilera.
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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 re-open 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] Jimi Hendrix hired Jim Marron to manage the construction project & run the studio. More info here.
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, the same day 26 American troops were killed in a Chinook helicopter crash in Vietnam.[2] 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 Lady Studio's address at 52 West 8th Street has a long history. The basement housed The Village Barn nightclub from 1930–67. Abstract expressionist artist Hans Hofmann began lecturing there in 1938, eventually retiring from teaching in 1958 to paint full time.
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. Furthermore Nick discovers a left-handed guitar in the studio which refers to Hendrix.