08/27/2020
Building Electric Lady Studios was a huge challenge for everyone involved, but the overriding fact was that we were doing something that hadn't been done before... We were building a studio specifically for the artist's needs. The idea was to make this a home, a place of refuge, and an environment where Jimi could create without being interrupted, and with the latest technology.
Jimi said to me that he wanted "round windows, man," which are still sitting there to this day in some of the control rooms. Most studios in those days (late 60s, early 70s) were uninspired boxes with fluorescent lights, and no vibe! Electric Lady was the complete antithesis of that. It had the most amazing theatrical lighting system that could "paint" the walls of the studio in a rainbow of colors. Whatever mood Jimi wanted, we could create that for him.
Jimi was so happy to have his own studio that he would show up early for his sessions, and if I were running late with the previous session, he'd stand in the back of the control room to just observe (sometimes people would get a hell of a shock)! It was a great creative period for him and the band, and they were very productive… Electric Lady just worked and sounded fantastic!
After Jimi passed, when I got back in the studio, artists still wanted to come and record at Electric Lady—not just because it was Jimi's studio, but because it had that unique vibe and still does to this day!
