Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision

No famous musicians or celebrities are being interviewed. No Jimi Hendrix interviews either, we only get to hear and see the recording engineers who built and ran the studio with several Hendrix outakes of recordings that didnt make it to the album. And what bliss to hear those engineers recollect their memories of the birth of Jimi Hendrix' recording room in Manhattan, New York City.

Jimi was always full of ideas which he couldnt immediately translate into work because of the incredibly expensive recording studios which already had costed Jimi a fortune. He didnt like the cold and soulless atmospheres of the usual recording studios either, hence his wish to build one of his own! And so he did!

Jimi's input into the design was especially geared towards the lighting, because he wished to be surrounded by a warm atmosphere, hence his wish to have different light colors available for any mood he was into.

A really fun and detailed look into how this magical Jimi Hendrix studio came to be. Highly recommended for Jimi Hendrix fans! And now I gonna listen to Electric Ladyland, which still blows my mind to this very day!

Greetings again from the darkness. Usually a story about building a recording studio likely would hold no interest to anyone who wasn't an audio geek. But attach Jimi Hendrix to the story and suddenly all music fans are curious to learn something new about the guitar god. Filmmaker John McDermott has completed numerous Hendrix projects in the past, and likely knows as much (or more) about Jimi Hendrix than any other living being.

Jimi's original vision was to create an experimental nightclub, not dissimilar to Cerebrum, the failed Greenwich Village club he had frequented. He hired architect John Storyk to design the place, and soon enough the plan evolved into a cutting edge recording studio, with input from Hendrix manager Michael Jeffrey, and sound engineer extraordinaire, Eddie Kramer. Many of those involved, including Storyk, offer insight into what the process was like.

Storyk is not the only one interviewed. We also hear from Kramer, studio manager Jim Marron, and members of the Jimi Hendrix Experience, bassist Billy Cox and drummer Mitch Mitchell. However, it should be noted that this is not a biopic on Hendrix, although it's fascinating to see some of the clips of Hendrix performing and have Eddie Kramer break down some of the sound for us. The studio is the star here, and singer Steve Winwood offers the perspective of a performer who recorded on site.

From rubble to a world class recording studio, Electric Lady Studio has long outlived Jimi Hendrix, and is assumed to be the first artist-owned commercial studio. Known to have recorded there are stars such as John Lennon, Stevie Wonder (clips included), Carly Simon, AC/DC, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, and Taylor Swift. Located at 52 W 8th Street in New York City, the studio remains active today, despite the initial uncertainty after Hendrix passed in 1970.

McDermott certainly makes the studio's origin story an interesting one to follow, and there is enough new information included here that even Hendrix fans will be impressed. The end features a montage of records cut in this musical mecca over the last five years, and Jimi reminds us to continue, "Peace and Happiness and all that other good s***."

In theaters beginning August 9, 2024.