Power Station at BerkleeNYC is a recording studio on 441 West 53rd Street in the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood of

Midtown Manhattan Midtown Manhattan is the central portion of the New York City borough of Manhattan and serves as the city's primary central business district. Midtown is home to some of the city's most prominent buildings, including the Empire State Buildin ...

in New York City. It was originally founded in 1977 as Power Station and known as Avatar Studios from 1996 to 2017. Renowned for its exceptional acoustics, the studio has been the site of hundreds of gold, platinum, and Grammy Award-winning recordings.

History

Background

Producer Producer or producers may refer to: Occupations *Producer (agriculture), a farm operator *A stakeholder of economic production *Film producer, supervises the making of films **Executive producer, contributes to a film's budget and usually does not ...

Tony Bongiovi and former

Mediasound Studios Mediasound was an American independent recording studio facility located at 311 West 57th Street in New York City established in 1969 by Harry Hirsch and Bob Walters with financial backing from Joel Rosenman and John P. Roberts. History The s ...

co-worker engineer Bob Walters partnered to open the recording studio, putting together a team of people that included engineer Ed Stasium, Ed Evans, and Bob Clearmountain. They located an abandoned building on 441 West

53rd Street 53rd Street is a Midtown Manhattan, midtown cross street in the New York City borough (New York City), borough of Manhattan, that runs adjacent to buildings such as the Citigroup Center, Citigroup building. It is 1.83 miles (2.94 km) ...

, between

Ninth In music, a ninth is a compound interval consisting of an octave plus a second. Like the second, the interval of a ninth is classified as a dissonance in common practice tonality. Since a ninth is an octave larger than a second, its ...

and Tenth avenues, in New York City's Hell's Kitchen neighborhood, which Bongiovi purchased from New York City for $360,000 as part of a building rehabilitation program. Bongiovi, Walters, and their team worked with Stephen B. Jacobs Associates to design a studio that would apply Bongiovi's ideas regarding

acoustics Acoustics is a branch of physics that deals with the study of mechanical waves in gases, liquids, and solids including topics such as vibration, sound, ultrasound and infrasound. A scientist who works in the field of acoustics is an acoustician ...

, naming the new studio Power Station in acknowledgment of the building's origins as a former

Consolidated Edison Consolidated Edison, Inc., commonly known as Con Edison (stylized as conEdison) or ConEd, is one of the largest investor-owned energy companies in the United States, with approximately $12 billion in annual revenues as of 2017, and over $62 b ...

power station.

Power Station (1977-1996)

Power Station opened in 1977, The studio's largest room, Studio A, is a pine-paneled 52 x 48 foot space with 35-foot ceilings and several isolation booths and a control room equipped with a 40-channel Neve 8068 mixing console. The new studio became a favorite for the

Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, record producer and composer. The co-founder of Chic, Rodgers has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 500 million albums and 75 million ...

Bernard Edwards Bernard Edwards (October 31, 1952 – April 18, 1996) was an American bass player and record producer, known primarily for his work in disco music with guitarist Nile Rodgers, with whom he co-founded Chic. In 2017, Edwards was selected as the ...

project Chic, which recorded several hit albums with Clearmountain at Power Station in the late 1970s. Chic's production team also collaborated on Sister Sledge's hit album '' We Are Family'' and Diana Ross' best-selling album ''

Diana Diana most commonly refers to: * Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name) * Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon * Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...

'' at the studios. In 1979, Ian Hunter recorded his album '' You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic'' at the studio with members of

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

's E Street Band as the backing band. In 1979 Springsteen himself came to the Power Station to work on what would become his only double-album, ''

The River The River may refer to: Films * ''The River'' (1929 film), an American film by Frank Borzage * ''The River'' (1933 film), a Czech film by Josef Rovenský * ''The River'' (1938 film), an American film by Pare Lorentz * ''The River'' (1951 fi ...

''. Other albums recorded at the studio in 1980 included David Bowie's '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'', Carly Simon's '' Come Upstairs'', Suicide's Ric Ocasek-produced

sophomore album A sophomore slump or sophomore jinx or sophomore jitters refers to an instance in which a second, or sophomore, effort fails to live up to the relatively high standards of the first effort. It is commonly used to refer to the apathy of students ...

, and Dire Straits' '' Making Movies'', co-produced by a young Jimmy Iovine. Choosing Nile Rodgers to produce his next album, David Bowie returned to Power Station to record his massively successful album '' Let's Dance'', which featured players from Chic and then-unknown Texas blues guitarist

Stevie Ray Vaughan Stephen Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) was an American musician, best known as the guitarist and frontman of the blues rock trio Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble. Although his mainstream career spanned only seven years, ...

. Dire Straits returned to the studio for '' Love over Gold'' (1982), and John Waite recorded his debut solo album there the same year. Roxy Music recorded '' Avalon'' at Power Station with Clearmountain, and Pat Metheny Group recorded the first of many albums they would record at the studios. In 1982, Jim Steinman produced two songs at Power Station that would simultaneously top the Billboard charts the following year: Bonnie Tyler's biggest career hit, " Total Eclipse of the Heart" and Air Supply's " Making Love Out of Nothing at All". Mark Knopfler returned to the studio to record his award-winning soundtrack album, '' Local Hero'', and Bob Dylan recorded '' Infidels'' at Power Station in 1983. 1984 marked the recording of Bon Jovi's debut studio album, the band's frontman no other than studio co-founder Bongiovi's cousin

Jon Bon Jovi John Francis Bongiovi Jr. (born March 2, 1962), known professionally as Jon Bon Jovi, is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, and actor. He is best known as the founder and frontman of the rock band Bon Jovi, which was formed in 1983. He ...

, who had been working at the studio since 1980. The same year, Bruce Springsteen recorded much of his hit album '' Born in the U.S.A.'' at Power Station, and

Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone (; ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Widely dubbed the " Queen of Pop", Madonna has been noted for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, songwriting, a ...

chose to record '' Like a Virgin'' with Nile Rodgers at the studio. In 1984, a

supergroup Supergroup or super group may refer to: * Supergroup (music), a music group formed by artists who are already notable or respected in their fields * Supergroup (physics), a generalization of groups, used in the study of supersymmetry * Supergroup ...

composed of

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful, soulful voice and wikt:sartorial, sartorial elegance, and his stylistic explorations, combining Soul music, so ...

, Chic drummer Tony Thompson, and Andy and

John Taylor John Taylor, Johnny Taylor or similar may refer to: Academics *John Taylor (Oxford), Vice-Chancellor of Oxford University, 1486–1487 *John Taylor (classical scholar) (1704–1766), English classical scholar *John Taylor (English publisher) (178 ...

Duran Duran Duran Duran () are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Birmingham in 1978 by singer and bassist Stephen Duffy, keyboardist Nick Rhodes and guitarist/bassist John Taylor (bass guitarist), John Taylor. With the addition of drummer Roger ...

came to the studio to record a one-off album, subsequently naming both the group and its debut album The Power Station after the studio where it was recorded. In 1986, Cyndi Lauper recorded '' True Colors'' and

Peter Gabriel Peter Brian Gabriel (born 13 February 1950) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, and activist. He rose to fame as the original lead singer of the progressive rock band Genesis. After leaving Genesis in 1975, he launched ...

recorded '' So'' at Power Station. Other artists recording at the studio in the 1980s included

Keith Jarrett Keith Jarrett (born May 8, 1945) is an American jazz and classical music pianist and composer. Jarrett started his career with Art Blakey and later moved on to play with Charles Lloyd and Miles Davis. Since the early 1970s, he has also been a ...

, Bill Frisell,

Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a model, singer and actress. Born in Jamaica, she and her family moved to Syracuse, New York, when she was a teenager. Jones began her modelling career in New York state, then in Paris, working for ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician, songwriter, and poet. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. ...

, James Taylor, Bobby McFerrin, and

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...

. In the 1990s, Jim Steinman returned to Power Station with Meat Loaf for the recording of '' Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'', and the studio became popular with jazz musicians, including John Scofield, Joshua Redman, and Diana Krall. By 1995, over 400 gold and platinum records had been recorded at Power Station, and that year, 9 of the 13 major Grammy award winners were recorded and/or mixed at Power Station.

Avatar Studios (1996-2016)

In May 1996, Chieko and Kirk Imamura bought the entire building from Bongiovi in a bankruptcy auction for $5.4 million, and continued to run the business as Avatar Studios (under the Avatar Entertainment Corporation). In 2015, the studio was up for sale again, but the owners would only consider offers from buyers who want to keep it as a recording studio.

Power Station at BerkleeNYC (2017-present)

In September 2017, with the support of the New York City Mayor's Office of Media and Entertainment and the Economic Development Corporation, Pete Muller with

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

acquired the studios and renamed them Power Station at BerkleeNYC. The studio reopened in 2020 after a full renovation, while maintaining the studio spaces.

Power Station New England

In 1995, Sonalysts, which had begun as an underwater acoustics research company, licensed the Power Station's design and naming rights from Bongiovi and Walters. The company built a perfect replica of the original Studio A in Waterford, Connecticut, as a part of the new Power Station New England.

Selected list of albums recorded at Power Station/Avatar (by year)

* Chic: '' Chic'' - 1977 * Chic: '' C'est Chic'' - 1978 * Chic: ''

Risqué Risqué may refer to: * Material that is slightly indecent or liable to shock, especially as sexually suggestive * ''Risqué'' (album), album by Chic * Risque (comics) Risque (Gloria Dolores Muñoz) is a fictional character, a mutant appearing ...

'' - 1979 * Ian Hunter: '' You're Never Alone with a Schizophrenic'' - 1979 *

Sister Sledge Sister Sledge is an American musical vocal group from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Formed in 1971, the group consisted of sisters Debbie, Joni, Kim, and Kathy Sledge. The siblings achieved international success at the height of the disco era. ...

: '' We Are Family'' - 1979 *

: ''

'' - 1980 *

Carly Simon Carly Elisabeth Simon (born June 25, 1943) is an American singer-songwriter, memoirist, and children's author. She rose to fame in the 1970s with a string of hit records; her 13 Top 40 U.S. hits include "Anticipation" (No. 13), " The Right Thin ...

: '' Come Upstairs'' - 1980 * David Bowie: '' Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)'' - 1980 *

Diana Ross Diana Ross (born March 26, 1944) is an American singer and actress. She rose to fame as the lead singer of the vocal group the Supremes, who became Motown's most successful act during the 1960s and one of the world's best-selling girl groups o ...

: ''

'' - 1980 *

Dire Straits Dire Straits were a British rock band formed in London in 1977 by Mark Knopfler (lead vocals and lead guitar), David Knopfler (rhythm guitar and backing vocals), John Illsley (bass guitar and backing vocals) and Pick Withers (drums and percuss ...

: '' Making Movies'' - 1980 *

Suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

: '' Suicide: Alan Vega and Martin Rev'' - 1980 * Diana Ross: '' Why Do Fools Fall in Love'' - 1981 *

Aerosmith Aerosmith is an American Rock music, rock band formed in Boston in 1970. The group consists of Steven Tyler (lead vocals), Joe Perry (musician), Joe Perry (guitar), Tom Hamilton (musician), Tom Hamilton (bass), Joey Kramer (drums) and Brad Whi ...

: '' Rock in a Hard Place'' - 1982 * David Bowie: '' Let's Dance'' - 1982 * Dire Straits: '' Love over Gold'' - 1982 * John Waite: '' Ignition'' - 1982 * Pat Metheny Group: '' Offramp (album)'' - 1982 * Roxy Music: '' Avalon'' - 1982 * Bob Dylan: '' Infidels'' - 1983 * Bonnie Tyler: '' Faster Than the Speed of Night'' – 1983 *

: ''

Standards, Vol. 1 ''Standards, Vol. 1'' is a 1983 album of jazz performances that marked the starting point of the Keith Jarrett's "Standards Trio" in collaboration with Gary Peacock on double bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums. It was recorded during two long ses ...

'' - 1983 * Keith Jarrett: '' Changes'' - 1983 * Keith Jarrett: ''

Standards, Vol. 2 ''Standards, Vol. 2'' is a jazz album by pianist Keith Jarrett, with Gary Peacock on double bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums; the three are collectively known as Jarrett's "Standards Trio". It is the successor to their 1983 album '' Standards, ...

'' - 1983 * Mark Knopfler: '' Local Hero (soundtrack)'' - 1983 *

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

: ''

'' - 1984 *

: '' Born in the U.S.A.'' - 1984 *

: '' Like a Virgin'' - 1984 * Pat Metheny Group: '' First Circle'' - 1984 * The Power Station: '' The Power Station'' - 1984 *

and Double Trouble: '' Couldn't Stand the Weather'' - 1984 * Bill Frisell: '' Rambler'' (1985) *

: '' Slave to the Rhythm'' - 1985 * Cyndi Lauper: '' True Colors'' - 1986 *

: '' Mistrial'' - 1986 *

: '' So'' - 1986 * Bill Frisell: '' Lookout for Hope'' (1988) * James Taylor: '' Never Die Young'' - 1987 * Pat Metheny Group: ''

Still Life (Talking) ''Still Life (Talking)'' is an album by the Pat Metheny Group. It was released in 1987 on Geffen Records. It won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and was certified gold by the RIAA on July 2, 1992. Track listing Personnel * ...

'' - 1987 * Bobby McFerrin: '' Simple Pleasures'' - 1988 *

: ''

We Too Are One ''We Too Are One'' is the seventh studio album by British pop duo Eurythmics, released on 11 September 1989 by RCA Records. It would be the duo's last studio release until 1999's '' Peace''. Background and release When it was released in 1989, ...

'' - 1989 * Pat Metheny Group: '' Letter from Home'' - 1989 *

: '' My Romance'' - 1990 * John Scofield: '' Time on My Hands'' - 1990 * John Scofield: '' Meant to Be'' - 1991 * Keith Jarrett: Bye Bye Blackbird'' - 1991 * Pat Metheny Group: '' Secret Story'' - 1992 * John Scofield Quartet: '' What We Do'' - 1993 * Joshua Redman: '' Joshua Redman'' - 1993 * Meat Loaf: '' Bat Out of Hell II: Back into Hell'' - 1993 * Joshua Redman Quartet: '' MoodSwing'' - 1994 * Diana Krall: '' Only Trust Your Heart'' - 1995 * Joshua Redman: ''

Freedom in the Groove ''Freedom in the Groove'' is a 1996 studio album by American jazz saxophonist Joshua Redman. Reception Leo Stanley of AllMusic stated: "Abandoning the traditional hard bop that has dominated his past recordings, Redman attempts to work himself in ...

'' - 1996 * Michael Brecker: ''

Tales from the Hudson ''Tales from the Hudson'' is Michael Brecker's fourth album as a leader. It was recorded at the Power Station in New York City in 1996. The album won Brecker two Grammy awards for Best Jazz Instrumental Solo (for his solo on "Cabin Fever") and Be ...

'' - 1996 (2 Grammys) * Gary Burton with

Chick Corea Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea (June 12, 1941 – February 9, 2021) was an American jazz composer, pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and occasional percussionist. His compositions "Spain", " 500 Miles High", "La Fiesta", "Armando's Rhumba", and ...

, Pat Metheny, Roy Haynes, Dave Holland: '' Like Minds'' - 1998 * Michael Brecker: ''

Two Blocks from the Edge ''Two Blocks from the Edge'' is Michael Brecker's fifth album as a leader. It was recorded in 1997 at Avatar Studios in New York City, and released in 1998. It features pianist Joey Calderazzo and drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts, noted for their wo ...

'' - 1998 * The Black Crowes: '' By Your Side'' - 1999 * Joe Jackson: '' Symphony No. 1'' - 1999 * Michael Brecker: ''

Time Is of the Essence Time is the continued sequence of existence and events that occurs in an apparently irreversible succession from the past, through the present, into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequence events, to ...

'' - 1999 * Little Steven: '' Born Again Savage'' - 1999 * Journey: '' Arrival'' - 2001 *

Björk Björk Guðmundsdóttir ( , ; born 21 November 1965), known mononymously as Björk, is an Icelandic singer, songwriter, composer, record producer, and actress. Noted for her distinct three-octave vocal range and eccentric persona, she has de ...

: '' Vespertine'' - 2001 * Natalie Cole: '' Ask a Woman Who Knows'' - 2002 * Hiromi: '' Another Mind'' - 2002 * Norah Jones: '' Feels like Home'' - 2004 *

John Mayer John Clayton Mayer ( ; born October 16, 1977) is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist. Born and raised in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Mayer attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, but left and moved to Atlanta in 1997 with ...

: '' Continuum'' - 2006 * John Patitucci: '' Line by Line'' - 2006 * Deborah Cox: '' Destination Moon (album)'' - 2007 *

Dream Theater Dream Theater is an American progressive metal band formed in 1985 under the name Majesty by John Petrucci, John Myung and Mike Portnoy while they attended Berklee College of Music in Boston, Massachusetts. They subsequently dropped out of the ...

: '' Systematic Chaos'' - 2007 *

Herbie Hancock Herbert Jeffrey Hancock (born April 12, 1940) is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, bandleader, and composer. Hancock started his career with trumpeter Donald Byrd's group. He shortly thereafter joined the Miles Davis Quintet, where he help ...

: '' River: The Joni Letters'' - 2007

Producers and engineers associated with Power Station/Avatar

* Tony Bongiovi (co-founder, producer and engineer) * Bob Clearmountain (engineer) *

* Jim Steinman (producer and songwriter) * Jimmy Iovine (producer) * Jeff Bova * Neil Dorfsman (engineer) * Scott Litt (engineer) *

Dave O'Donnell Dave O'Donnell is an American record producer, engineer and mixer, known for his work with James Taylor, Sheryl Crow, Bettye LaVette, Eric Clapton, Keith Richards, John Mayer, Lyle Lovett, Milton Nascimento, Keb' Mo' and Ray Charles. In 1984, ...

(engineer) * Jason Cosaro (engineer) * Larry Alexander (engineer) * Steve Boyer (engineer)

References

External links

*
Avatar website

Avatar Studios 30 Year Anniversary Party
{{Coord, 40, 45, 59, N, 73, 59, 22, W, source:kolossus-ptwiki, display=title Recording studios in Manhattan Hell's Kitchen, Manhattan