'Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision' Trailer Released

The trailer for Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision has been released, providing a nice glimpse into the upcoming documentary that chronicles the conceptualization and construction of the famed recording studio in Manhattan that opened less than a month before Jimi Hendrix's untimely death in 1970. Abramorama has recently acquired global theatrical distribution rights from Experience Hendrix, L.L.C., and will be premiering it on August 9 at Quad Cinema, less than a half mile from the still fully-operational Electric Lady Studios. 

View Trailer For Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision below:

“The construction of Electric Lady [Studios] was a nightmare,” recalls award-winning producer/engineer and longtime Jimi Hendrix collaborator Eddie Kramer in the trailer. “We were always running out of money. Poor Jimi had to go back out on the road, make some money, come back, then we could pay the crew . . . Late in ’69 we just hit a wall financially and the place just shut down. He borrows against the future royalties and we’re off to the races . . . [Jimi] would say to me, ‘Hey man, I want some of that purple on the wall, and green over there!’ We would start laughing about it. It was fun. We could make an atmosphere that he felt comfortable in and that he was able to direct and say, ‘This is what I want.’”

Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision recounts the creation of the studio, 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. He was 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 so enjoyed the Cerebrum experience that he asked its architect John Storyk to work with him and his manager Michael Jeffery.  Hendrix and Jeffery wanted 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.

Directed by John McDermott and produced by Janie Hendrix, George Scott and McDermott, the film features exclusive interviews with Steve Winwood (who joined Hendrix on the first night of recording at the new studio), Experience bassist Billy Cox and original Electric Lady staff members who helped Hendrix realize his dream. 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 Eddie Kramer.

The documentary explains in depth that while Jimi Hendrix’s death robbed the public of so much potential music, the continued success of his recording studio provides a lasting legacy beyond his own music. John Lennon, The Clash, AC/DC, Chic, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Lady Gaga, Beyoncé and hundreds more made records at Electric Lady Studios, which speaks to one of Jimi’s lasting achievements in an industry that has radically changed over the course of the last half century.

Screenings of Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision 

(Check local listings for additional dates)

August 9  - Quad Cinema - New York, NY              

August 13 - Center for the Arts in Natick - Natick, MA                   

August 15 - Regent Theatre - Arlington, MA               

August 15 - Center for the Arts in Natick- Natick, MA                   

August 19 - Laemmle NoHo 7 - North Hollywood, CA    

August 19 - Carolina Theatre - Durham, NC                 

August 20 - Laemmlie Monica Film Center - Santa Monica, CA        

August 20 - Center for the Arts inNatick - Natick, MA                   

August 21 - Laemmle NewHall - Santa Clarita, CA         

August 23 - Mary D. Fisher Theater - Sedona, AZ                  

August 25 - Avonca Beach Theatre - Avonca Beach, AUS   

August 26 - Woodward Theater - Cincinnati, OH              

August 28 - Avonca Beach Theatre - Avonca Beach, AUS    

August 29 - The Cabot - Beverly, MA                 

August 30 - Gateway Film Center - Columbus, OH             

September 2 - Gateway Film Center - Columbus, OH             

September 8 - WFMU - Jersey City, NJ             

September 9 - Grail Moviehouse - Ashville, NC                 

September 13 - The Flicks - Boise, ID                      

September 16 - The Grand Illusion Cinema - Seattle, WA                  

September 17 - The Hollywood Theatre - Portland, OR                

September 18 - The Light Addlestone - Addlestone, UK            

September 18 - The Light Bolton - Bolton, UK                   

September 18 - The Light Bradford - Bradford, UK                

September 18 - The Light Cambridge - Cambridge, UK            

September 18  The Light New Brighton - New Birghton, UK        

September 18  The Light Banbury - Oxfordshire, UK           

September 18  The Light Redhill - Redhill, UK                   

September 18  The Light Sheffield - Sheffield, UK                

September 18  The Light Sittingbourne - Sittingbourne, UK         

September 18  The Light Stockport - Stockport, UK               

September 18  The Light Thetford - Thetford, UK                

September 18  The Light Walsall - Walsall, UK                  

September 18  The Light Wisbech - Wisbech, UK                

October 7 Old Town Center for the Arts - Cottonwood, AZ