Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision - Trailer - Documentary
Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision chronicles the creation of the groundbreaking recording studio, Electric Lady Studios. Rising from the rubble of a bankrupt Manhattan nightclub to becoming a state-of-the-art recording facility inspired by Hendrix’s desire for a permanent studio, Electric Lady Studios was the first ever artist-owned commercial recording studio.
Hendrix had first envisioned creating an experiential nightclub, inspired by the short-lived Greenwich Village nightspot Cerebrum, whose patrons donned flowing robes and were inundated by flashing lights, spectral images, and swirling sound. Hendrix enjoyed the Cerebrum experience so much that he asked its architect, John Storyk, to work with him and his manager, Michael Jeffery, to transform what had once been the Generation Club into “an electric studio of participation.” Shortly after acquiring the Generation Club lease however, Hendrix was steered from building a nightclub to creating a commercial recording studio.
The documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos as well as track breakdowns of Hendrix classics such as “Freedom,” “Angel” and “Dolly Dagger” by recording engineer Eddie Kramer who was awarded an Emmy for his work on the film "Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin'."
Hendrix had first envisioned creating an experiential nightclub, inspired by the short-lived Greenwich Village nightspot Cerebrum, whose patrons donned flowing robes and were inundated by flashing lights, spectral images, and swirling sound. Hendrix enjoyed the Cerebrum experience so much that he asked its architect, John Storyk, to work with him and his manager, Michael Jeffery, to transform what had once been the Generation Club into “an electric studio of participation.” Shortly after acquiring the Generation Club lease however, Hendrix was steered from building a nightclub to creating a commercial recording studio.
The documentary includes never-before-seen footage and photos as well as track breakdowns of Hendrix classics such as “Freedom,” “Angel” and “Dolly Dagger” by recording engineer Eddie Kramer who was awarded an Emmy for his work on the film "Jimi Hendrix: Hear My Train A Comin'."
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Short filmTranscript
00:00For a man like Jimmy Hendricks, he had to have a studio.
00:11Jimmy's idea was to own a nightclub.
00:13He had already bought the existing premise at a bankruptcy sale for $50,000.
00:18When I explained the facts of life in New York City, and that Jimmy was neither Italian
00:23or white, that he would have a great difficulty operating an establishment of that nature
00:28on 8th Street.
00:29So I proposed that we could build a recording studio that was like a nightclub.
00:33He probably spent most of his money in recording studios.
00:38We went down to 8th Street, Greenwich Village.
00:43This is going to be Jimmy Hendricks' recording studio.
00:47There was holes in the floor, and parts of walls had been ripped out.
00:51This was totally creative chaos.
00:53It was frantic trying to raise the capital, and I'd have to go to Max's Kansas City
00:58and ask Nikki Ruskin to float the check that would cover the payroll.
01:03The construction of Electric Lady was a nightmare.
01:06We were always running out of money.
01:08Poor Jimmy had to go back an hour on the road, make some money, come back, then we could
01:13pay the crew.
01:14When he went out to the L.A. Forum and brought back $100,000, he could work for about four
01:18weeks without a cash flow problem.
01:20I remember literally seeing bags of money.
01:23In 1969, we just hit a wall financially, and the place just shut down.
01:29I wasn't going to be deterred by just a thing like money.
01:32He borrows against the future earnings of Jimmy's royalties, and we're off to the races.
01:39Jimmy and Eddie had a very nice connection.
01:42He would say to me, hey man, I want some of that purple on the wall, and green over there.
01:47We'd start laughing about it.
01:48It was fun.
01:50He could make an atmosphere that he felt comfortable in, and that he was able to direct
01:55and say, this is what I want.
01:58The studio started to get really popular.
02:00We did a session with Led Zeppelin.
02:02They loved the place.
02:03Stevie Wonder recorded here.
02:05Carly Simon.
02:06Lena Horne.
02:07The buzz was out.
02:08People heard, they loved it, and they wanted to be here.
02:11I recorded at Jimmy Hendrix's studio.
02:12You couldn't go wrong.
02:13I mean, you're going to have a sound that was spectacular.
02:18No one had ever seen anything like it.
02:19Jimmy had that way before anybody else.
02:22It was a magical place, and he was proud to be there.
02:26I mean, his spirit still is there.
02:29I mean, people walk into the studio, and hair stands up on the back of their head.