Main Street in Brooklyn, NY, October 31, 2012
Photo: DumboNYC/Flickr.com
By Kelleigh Welch.
New York City, NY (November 2, 2012)—Days after Hurricane Sandy made landfall in New York City, half of the city remains without power. But while the downtown section of Manhattan remains shut down, recording studios on the upper half of the island and in Brooklyn are starting to get back to normal.
At Avatar Studios on West 53rd Street in Manhattan, the hurricane had only minor effects, and the studio is now open. The studio’s General Manager, Tino Passante, said it never lost power, but did have to temporarily shut down during the storm.
“We had quite a few cancellations, understandably, which I am in the process of rescheduling as we speak. But we are open for business and sessions are running now,” Passante said.
At Daptone Records in the Bushwick neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY, project manager Nydia Davilia said the studio suffered little damage, as the studio is located far from the flood zones. She said employees returned to the studio on Wednesday, and the studio did not lose power during the storm. “We’re pretty lucky,” said Davila. “The flooding didn’t reach here and shockingly, the wind didn’t cause too much damage.”
At the Galaxy Smith Studios in Brooklyn, employee Dave Brandwein said the studio’s team had worked hard to prepare for the storm to avoid any potential damages. “Unlike many studios, we have some windows, which is great, but it was a little scary in the storm,” said Brandwein. “Luckily, we were in a neighborhood which didn’t do too bad and we emerged relatively unscathed. There was no damage to gear, and we had only very slightly delayed—but not cancelled—bookings.”
“We have heard however about a number of studios in the area who have suffered damages in this storm, and we feel terrible that this has hurt the recording community. Also, several music venues in the city have had to cancel multiple shows already, and may have to continue doing so for the next couple of weeks,” added Brandwein. “We would love to do whatever we can to help our fellow recording engineers at this time. If anyone needs a place to work and is in the process of rebuilding or repairing a recording space, please feel free to contact us.”
Avatar Studios
www.avatarstudios.net
Galaxy Smith
www.galaxysmith.com
Daptone Records
www.daptonerecords.com
