Image via Complex Original
Frank Ocean always sends his fans on a roller coaster ride of emotions. In recent weeks, we’ve been teased by with cryptic live-streams and unfulfilled promises of release dates for his sophomore album Boys Don’t Cry. But last night at midnight, Frank finally graced the world with new music. With Boys Don’t Cry expected to finally arrive later this weekend (fingers crossed), Frank Ocean fans can now enjoy an additional project, Endless, a 45-minute visual album containing 16 tracks of new music. When you look at the credits, an interesting fact emerges: The notoriously secretive singer recorded the album all over the world, from Jay-Z's favorite hotel in New York to an industrial space in Portugal to legendary spots in London and Los Angeles. Here’s a rundown of the recording studios and more quirky locations where Frank Ocean (finally) made all of that Endless music happen.
The Mercer Hotel
Jay Z and Kanye West famously recorded much of 2011’s Watch the Throne while holed up in six rooms of the luxurious Manhattan hotel. For the follow-up to the legendary Channel Orange, Frank Ocean took a page out of his collaborator Kanye’s book and recorded part of Endless there.
Abbey Road
Recording at Abbey Road is like recording in a music history museum. Possibly the world’s most famous recording studio, the London landmark has been home to Radiohead, Pink Floyd and, of course, The Beatles, who helped forge its iconic status with their 1969 album of the same name.
Gráfica Maiadouro
Frank Ocean definitely traveled across the world to create Endless. In addition to recording at Abbey Road in the United Kingdom, Frank Ocean got out of the country to work at Gráfica Maiadouro, a graphics printing company with an industrial space located in Maia, Portugal, according to his album credits. This is one location that we'd love for Frank to explain some more.
EastWest Studios
This historic studio is located on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. The Beach Boys used the studio to record their masterpiece Pet Sounds, and Michael Jackson recorded parts of Thriller at EastWest in 1982.
Conway Recording Studios
Also located in Hollywood, Conway Studios has been used by countless Grammy winners such as Beyoncé, Justin Timberlake, Michael Jackson, and Daft Punk. Superstar artists often choose to record at Conway because the gated garden surrounding the studio blocks paparazzi access, providing privacy during recording sessions.
Capitol Studios
This Hollywood recording studio, which has hosted icons like Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole, features a one-of-a-kind underground echo chamber 30 feet below the earth’s surface. The concrete chamber, designed by music legend Les Paul, has acoustics that create unique reverberation effects for recordings.
The Hotel Bel-Air
This luxurious five-star hotel—famous for being the site of a Marilyn Monroe photoshoot just six weeks before her death—sure seems like a nice place to work while recording an album, that dark bit of history notwithstanding. You could certainly do much worse than a suite by the gardens.
Studio G Brooklyn
This 5,000 square foot recording studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn might not be as fancy as the Hotel Bel-Air, but it certainly gets the job done. Studio G has been used for Family Guy voice work and recording sessions by Plastic Ono Band and Talib Kewli.
MSR Studios
Located next to Times Square, MSR is the biggest full-service recording studio in New York, with spaces in three buildings. Studios at MSR have their own kitchenettes and lounges, so it's the perfect place to hunker down and finish an overdue album (no matter how long it takes).
Wolfgang Tillmans' Home
German visual-artist Wolfgang Tillmans is known primarily for photography, but the Endless album credits reveal his vocal work on the album opener, “Device Control.” Tillmanns also lent Frank Ocean his home for use as a recording studio, one of the least expected spaces in the album credits.