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Did You Know About This Legendary Recording Studio Above The Gowanus Canal?
By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 6, 2014
Modified Jan 7, 2014
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By
Jen Carlson
Published Jan 6, 2014
Modified Jan 7, 2014
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Did you know that situated above the contaminated Gowanus Canal is a legendary recording studio, complete with a staircase that leads down to "the pond," some murky waters detached from the Superfund site? Owner and producer Martin Bisi told us this afternoon, "'the Pond', which is at the bottom of the stairwell of the building, is a portion of an actual original pond, and runs under the entire area, including under the landmark building which is adjacent to Whole Foods across the street. It can't be followed to the Canal." But on to the music...
BC Studios—which is still up and running today—is like the Sound City of the East Coast, established in 1979 by Bisi with Bill Laswell and Brian Eno. The bands that recorded there include Sonic Youth, Swans, Dresden Dolls, Afrika Bambaata, and Fab Five Freddy... amongst others. A new documentary is coming out about the place, and you can see the trailer below, where you'll hear a much different Gowanus discussed ("there were wild packs of dogs running around... it was taking your life in your hands").
Tagged
documentary
Gowanus
martin bisi
recording studio
sound and chaos
original
Jen Carlson
Jen Carlson is a former WNYC and Gothamist editor.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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