Over 50 years ago, Frenchman Jacques de Lane Lea started the studio business that still bears his name. An influential figure in film dubbing and post-production, he came to own a string of sites in London. During the 1960s De Lane Lea studios diversified into recording major pop artists including the early Beatles, the Rolling Stones, and, of course, Jimi Hendrix. These days the company has returned to its film roots, its London base being in Dean Street in the heart of Soho's film district.
This basement studio was the recording venue for many early Hendrix classics, including "Hey Joe" and "The Wind Cries Mary." This site has now been redeveloped into a huge steel and glass building, housing, on the ground floor, a Boots' chemist. The building sits very uncomfortably with its more regal surroundings.