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Hansa Studios

By Brian Wise

October 30, 2007

 
Originally uploaded by wnyc

Some of the gold records made at Hansa Studios include albums by Depeche Mode and Falco.

Built in a converted 1910 ballroom, “Hansa at the wall” stood 50 meters from Hitler’s bunker and was badly damaged during World War II. When Bowie 100_0310b.jpgmoved to Berlin in October 1976 he spent three years in and out of the studio, working on his Berlin trilogy - the albums “Low,” “Lodger,” and “Heroes.” The latter album is peppered with references to the districts in Berlin and its title song — a love story about two people trying to escape over the Berlin Wall — became an anthem when the Wall collapsed in 1989.

U2 soaked up the studio’s inspiration for their 1990 album “Achtung Baby.” While the band did not ultimately finish the album here, they drew much inspiration from the city at the time, and images of the studio appear prominently in the CD cover art.

Alex Wende, the current co-owner of Hansa, explained how the studio’s fortunes have grown as musicians have flocked to Berlin in recent years to take advantage of the cheap rents and thriving arts community here. A few of the bigger-name artists to record at Hansa recently include Supergrass, Wyclef Jean, Daniel Lanois, Diamanda Galas, and others. – Brian Wise

Slideshow: Hansa Studios: Then & Now

| Posted in On Site - Berlin

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