JIMI HENDRIX
ELECTRIC DREAMS
Near the end of his life, Jimi Hendrix founded Electric Lady Studios as a place where he could express his creativity to the full. Anew boxset full of previously unreleased recordings reveals how the guitar genius was pursuing a bold new vision
Words Tim Tucker
Photo Steve Braker
“JIMI COULD JUST STRETCH OUT, JAM WITH MUSICIANS THAT INSPIRED HIM”
-JEFF SLATE
The Generation blues club in Greenwich Village, New York, was afavourite hangout of Jimi Hendrix, a place where he could enjoy the music he loved and jam with musicians he respected. He liked it so much he bought the property in November 1968, with the idea of installing some recording equipment to capture live recordings by himself and others. He was soon persuaded by his producer, Eddie Kramer, to turn the space into a fully fledged recording facility, and the concept of Electric Lady Studios was born.
Work started on converting the space into a recording studio in January 1969, but due to unforeseen setbacks and logistical complications, Hendrix wouldn’t start recording there until June 1970. When he did, it became the perfect place for him to develop the tracks for his next project.
At this time, Jimi was still riding high on the success of his double album Electric Ladyland, his third with the Jimi Hendrix Experience, released in October 1968. This sprawling self-produced set showcased Hendrix’s extraordinary vision for the future of rock, incorporating blues, psychedelic pop, funk and soul, and blending them all into a sound and style uniquely his own. The result gave Jimi his first number one album in the US, and he was able to command enormous fees as one of the hottest acts on the touring circuit.