The Hansa Studios in Berlin
Bowie, U2 and REM – the Hansa Studios in Berlin are a legend in the international music scene.
Forty years is actually still rather young for a family firm. And nevertheless, Berlin’s Hansa Studios, which belong to the Meisel producer dynasty, have long since become legendary in the industry. It all began with the small Hansa Musikproduktion sound studio, which was established by the brothers Peter and Thomas Meisel. Very soon, however, they moved recording to the studio of the Ariola music label at Köthener Strasse 38, in the middle of what was then divided Berlin. Shortly afterward, it made music history as the legendary Hansa Studio 2, or the “Big Hall by the Wall”.
The Meisels opened Hansa Studio 1 in 1973. Three years later, they purchased the Ariola building near Potsdamer Platz, which was still a partial ruin due to damage caused during the Second World War. The brothers converted it into a music production building together with the Meistersaal, a concert hall that was only pre-war structure to survive the war here. This neoclassical building had once been at the heart of a bustling artists’ metropolis, but was now on the front line of the Cold War, only 150 metres from the Berlin Wall. At that time Hansa Musikproduktion was the leading producer in Germany. Hits were being recorded here one after the other.
Above all, however, once person contributed to the studio’s legendary status and international fame: David Bowie, who wrote his hit “Heroes” (1997) in the studio near the Wall. It didn’t take long until he was followed by his friend Iggy Pop and then Depeche Mode, U2, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds or later REM. In the 1990s the Meisels decided to take a step backwards. The music industry was under pressure as a result of digital developments. Studio 2 was converted back into its original state as the Meistersaal. Today music is still produced in Studio 1 in Köthener Strasse, which offers the typical recording studio charm of the 1970s. Travis, Manic Street Preachers and Neil Tennant of the Pet Shop Boys have already paid visits to the sound studios in 2013.
