Atwater Community Center | |
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| Address | 3218 Glendale Boulevard, Atwater Village, Los Angeles |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 34°07′4.57″N118°15′37.94″W / 34.1179361°N 118.2605389°W |
| Type | Recording studios |
| Years active | 1991-present |
| Website | |
| gsonstudios.com | |
G-Son Studios are studios established in 1991 in Los Angles, California by the hip-hop group, the Beastie Boys.
G-Son was established in a ballroom on the site of the former Atwater Community Center, on the corner of Glendale Boulevard and Larga Avenue in Atwater Village, LA. The Beastie Boys established the studios as a way of saving money as the cost of renting studio space whilst making the commercially-unsuccessful album Paul's Boutique had been prohibitive. [1]
The studios were named after a neighboring plumber's shop named Gilson, which had an "i" and "l" missing from its sign. Interior remodelling of the site was largely done by Mark "Money Mark" Nishita, who was then working as a carpenter. [1] The Beasties included a basketball court and a skate ramp in their studio so that they could entertain themselves between recording sessions. [2] Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz said of G-Son that “We had time and space to get serious – that clubhouse turned us into musicians”. [3]
Albums recorded at the site include Ill Communication and Check Your Head . [4] Videos shot at the location include the one that accompanied the Beastie's 1992 single Pass the Mic . [4]
The location also served as the HQ for the Beastie's recording label, Grand Royal, as well as that of Mike "Mike D" Diamond's clothing range, X-Large. [4] By 2004 the site was no longer in regular use by the Beasties, who had returned to New York. [5]
The site was sold in 2006, [6] and as of 2025 remains in use as a recording studio and space for creatives, with the building decorated with a mural dedicated to Adam “MCA” Yauch. [4] [5] During the 2020's, WIP (Work In Progress), a series of dance exhibitions, has been regularly held at G-Son to show-case the works in progress of upcoming artists as well as providing rehearsal space for them. [7]
The Beastie Boys were an American hip-hop/rap rock group formed in 1981 in New York City. They were composed of Adam "Ad-Rock" Horovitz, Adam "MCA" Yauch, and Michael "Mike D" Diamond. The Beastie Boys were formed out of members of experimental hardcore punk band the Young Aborigines, which was formed in 1979, with Diamond on drums, Jeremy Shatan on bass guitar, John Berry on guitar, and Kate Schellenbach later joining on percussion. When Shatan left New York City in mid-1981, Yauch replaced him on bass and the resulting band was named the Beastie Boys. Berry left shortly thereafter and was replaced by Horovitz.
3rd Bass is an American hip hop group that was most active in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Formed by MC Serch, Pete Nice, and DJ Richie Rich, the group was notable for being one of the first successful interracial hip hop acts. Along with Beastie Boys and producer Rick Rubin, MC Serch and Pete Nice were two of the very few white hip hop artists who were widely respected in the community. The group dissolved in 1994 and again in 2000 and 2013 after short-lived reunions. The group released two studio albums in their initial career and both of them were certified gold by the RIAA.
Paul's Boutique is the second studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on July 25, 1989, by Capitol Records. Produced by the Beastie Boys and the Dust Brothers, the album's composition makes extensive use of samples, drawn from a wide range of genres including funk, soul, rock, and jazz. It was recorded over two years at Matt Dike's apartment and the Record Plant in Los Angeles.
Check Your Head is the third studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on April 21, 1992, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. Three years elapsed between the releases of the band's previous studio album Paul's Boutique (1989) and Check Your Head, which was recorded at the G-Son Studios in Atwater Village in 1991 under the guidance of producer Mario Caldato Jr., the group's third producer in as many albums. Less sample-heavy than their previous records, the album features instrumental contributions from all three members: Adam Horovitz on guitar, Adam Yauch on bass guitar, and Mike Diamond on drums.
To the 5 Boroughs is the sixth studio album by the American hip-hop group Beastie Boys. The album was released on June 14, 2004 internationally, and a day later in the United States. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, becoming the group's third consecutive album to do so, with 360,000 copies sold in its first week and is certified Platinum by the RIAA for sales of over 1,000,000 in the U.S. It was the group's first major release after the September 11 attacks on New York City and reflects on the after-effects.
Atwater Village is a neighborhood in the 13th district of Los Angeles, California. Much of Atwater Village lies in the fertile Los Angeles River flood plain. Located in the northeast region of the city, Atwater borders Griffith Park and Silver Lake to the west, Glendale to the north and east and Glassell Park to the south. The eastern boundary is essentially the railroad tracks. The area has three elementary schools—two public and one private. Almost half the residents were born abroad, a high percentage for the city of Los Angeles.
Ill Communication is the fourth studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on May 31, 1994, by Grand Royal and Capitol Records. Co-produced by Beastie Boys and Mario Caldato, Jr., it is among the band's most varied releases, drawing from hip hop, punk rock, jazz, and funk, and continues their trend away from sampling and towards live instruments, which began with their previous release, Check Your Head (1992). The album features musical contributions from Money Mark, Eric Bobo and Amery "AWOL" Smith, and vocal contributions from Q-Tip and Biz Markie. Beastie Boys were influenced by Miles Davis's jazz rock albums On the Corner (1972) and Agharta (1975) while recording Ill Communication.
Michael Louis Diamond, better known as Mike D, is an American rapper, musician, and music producer. He is a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys.
Adam Nathaniel Yauch, also known by the stage name MCA, was an American rapper, bassist, filmmaker and a founding member of the hip hop group Beastie Boys. Besides his musical work, he also directed many of the band's music videos and did much of their promotional photography, often using the pseudonym Nathanial Hörnblowér for such work.
Adam Keefe Horovitz, popularly known as Ad-Rock, is an American rapper, guitarist, and actor. He was a member of the hip-hop group Beastie Boys. While Beastie Boys were active, Horovitz performed with a side project, BS 2000. After the group disbanded in 2012 following the death of member Adam Yauch, Horovitz has participated in a number of Beastie Boys-related projects, worked as a remixer, producer, and guest musician for other artists, and has acted in a number of films.
Wendell Timothy Fite, also known as DJ Hurricane is an American hip hop DJ, producer and rapper. He is best known for his work with the Beastie Boys. He was a member of the groups Solo Sounds and The Afros and recorded three solo albums, featuring many well-known artists such as Xzibit, Public Enemy, Kool G Rap, Black Thought, Papoose and Talib Kweli.
"(You Gotta) Fight for Your Right " is a song by American hip hop/rap rock group Beastie Boys, released as the fourth single from their debut album Licensed to Ill (1986). One of their best-known songs, it reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in the week of March 7, 1987, and was later named one of The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs that Shaped Rock and Roll. The song was also included on their compilation albums The Sounds of Science in 1999, Solid Gold Hits in 2005 and Beastie Boys Music in 2020.
Grand Royal was a vanity record label founded in 1992 by rap group Beastie Boys in conjunction with Capitol Records after the group left Def Jam Recordings. It was based in Los Angeles, California.
"Ch-Check It Out" is a song by alternative hip-hop group Beastie Boys, released as the first single off their sixth studio album, To the 5 Boroughs (2004), on May 3, 2004. The song heavily samples "(Sittin' On) The Dock of the Bay" by Peggy Lee. Following its appearance on an episode of American teen drama television series The O.C. in April 2004, the song was released as a single on May 3, 2004.
The Mix-Up is the seventh studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on June 26, 2007. The album consists entirely of instrumental performances and won a Grammy Award for Best Pop Instrumental Album.
Eric "Bobo" Correa is an American percussionist and a member of the hip hop bands Beastie Boys, then Cypress Hill and Ritmo Machine as well as the Industrial metal band Sol Invicto. He performed and recorded with the Beastie Boys through the 1990s.
The discography of Beastie Boys, an American hip hop group, consists of eight studio albums, four compilation albums, five video albums, seven extended plays, 40 singles and 44 music videos.
Glendale Boulevard is a north–south street in Los Angeles. It starts off as Lucas Avenue at 7th Street west of Downtown Los Angeles, California.
Hot Sauce Committee Part Two is the eighth and final studio album by the American hip hop group Beastie Boys, released on May 3, 2011, through Capitol Records. The project was originally planned to be released in two parts, with Hot Sauce Committee, Pt. 1 originally planned for release in 2009. The release was delayed after band member Adam "MCA" Yauch's cancer diagnosis. After a two-year delay, only one collection of tracks, Part Two, was released and the plan for a two-part album was eventually abandoned after Yauch's death on May 4, 2012.
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