Vancouver's The Hive music recording studio to close its doors

Rising rents and financial constraints is causing The Hive Creative Labs to close its doors after ten years and producing nearly 900 records.

The Burquitlam industrial park music recording studio was built by Jimi Hendrix’s cousin and re-opened in 2003 by Jesse Gander and Colin Stewart.

The independent studio has been widely credited in the industry for helping to launch many successful music careers. It has recorded some of Canada’s most recognized bands and artists over the last decade including Japandroids, Yukon Blonde, Ladyhawk, Black Mountain and Dan Mangan.

According to the company’s Facebook page, “Colin Stewart will be moving his Hive brand over to Victoria, starting a destination studio out in the woods. It’s a 15 minute drive from the ferry terminal. It has lots of space for bands to sleep and relax, so if you want to get out of town to do your next record, you know where to go.”

His business partner, Jesse Gander, “will be moving in with our old partner Stuart McKillop at Rain City Recorders in East Vancouver. That place is loaded with a ton of gear, and will be the loudest studio in Vancouver.”

The Hive’s doors will close at the end of today. Its closure has been hailed as a great loss to the local music scene.

Featured Image: The Hive