Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision
Directed by John McDermott
Featuring Steve Winwood, Billy Cox, Mitch Mitchell, Eddie Kramer
Runtime 1 hour 29 minutes
Releases in theaters August 9

by Shah!, Staff Writer

“Don’t raise me up, I am but a messenger.” - Jimi Hendrix

Electric Lady Studios: A Jimi Hendrix Vision is the latest documentary from John McDermott about the great Jimi Hendrix and the creation of the recording studio Electric Lady Studios. It chronicles the studio’s beginnings from a bankrupt Manhattan nightclub to the eventual state-of-the-art permanent studio Hendrix always dreamed of having.

I can confidently say that, like most people, Jimi Hendrix has always been a figure that’s been around in my life. Whether you’re familiar with his music or not, you’ve definitely heard his influences in other artists’ work. To call him one of the greatest guitarists in history is an understatement. The work he left before his death is arguably one of the biggest, most revolutionary contributions to the music industry. This documentary, however, barely scratched the surface of what he’s done as a musician, as it was mostly about the recording studio (Electric Lady Studios) he commissioned and founded. While it’s mostly a competent and informative project that pretty much covered everything you need to know about the origins of the studio, I was left a bit dissatisfied with some of its content. The simple collection of old clips and talking head interview sessions felt just ordinary and nothing groundbreaking — especially given the topic at hand.

The director John McDermott has made documentaries on Hendrix before. Like his other docs, this one features archive footage of Hendrix and his performances, followed by interviews with Hendrix’s colleagues and friends, usually talking about his craft, work ethic, what he liked and disliked, and his overall legacy and impact as a musician. As the title suggests, the whole thing was about Electric Lady Studios. The interviews are mostly in discussion of the studio, its rise to fame, what it does to other artists, and what it was like when Hendrix was running things. To hardcore Jimi Hendrix fans, the information being fed in the documentary itself is probably nothing new. As for myself, I did find it educational at points but as it went on, I just felt like listening to Hendrix’s songs.

Despite its short runtime, I did feel the pacing drag especially in the middle section. The interviews do offer incredible insights about the studio, though. It was especially fascinating to hear the trials and tribulations Hendrix and his colleagues went through as they tried to find their voice in the studio. It’s endearing and touching to hear just how much this studio meant to Hendrix in particular. He wanted it to be a safe haven for all artists to create their art in the most comfortable atmosphere. The process involves hoops of financial problems. It didn’t matter to Hendrix how much money he was losing, because in the end, he did it all for art. Hearing musicians such as Steve Winwood and Billy Cox talk about how much Hendrix truly loved music is heartwarming especially if you’re familiar at all with his discography. His love for the game is real and authentic. You could hear it in his electrifying beats, gorgeous vocals, and you could see it in this film.

Beyond the origins of the studio told here, there wasn’t much meat on the bone to make it a truly unique and fantastic documentary. There’s nothing particularly engaging in the way it’s edited or orchestrated that hooked me as certain documentaries do. The archival footage, while fun to watch, makes me want to go back and watch Hendrix’s old performances more than anything. To certain fans and enthusiasts of Hendrix, I’m sure there’s an appealing factor in this project that I don’t necessarily share the same passion for. I’ve learned the history here, that’s great — but now I just want to relisten to Electric Ladyland.

An album of the same name will be released next month featuring tracks that are talked about in this documentary so that’s one thing I’m looking forward to now. I guess it’s on me that I wanted more of Hendrix himself in this documentary because, after all, it’s fitting and almost poignant that he wasn’t necessarily prominent in this. As he once said — he is but a messenger. And what wonderful message did he leave us with.

"Electric Lady is different. It has been built with great atmosphere, lighting, seating and every comfort that makes people think they are recording at home." - Jimi Hendrix