Different Fur

Different Fur
IndustrySoftware & Programming
Founded1968
Founder
HeadquartersMission District, San Francisco, California
Websitedifferentfurstudios.com

Different Fur Studios (formerly Different Fur Trading Company) is a recording studio located in the Mission District area of San Francisco, California, at 3470 19th Street. Since 1968, Different Fur has recorded music from a wide range of artists, including major Grammy and Oscar-winning musicians as well as many important independent musicians.

Location in the Mission District, San Francisco, next to The Lexington Club

History

Different Fur was founded in 1968 by the electronic music composer and keyboardist Patrick Gleeson and John Vieira. Its name was suggested by poet Michael McClure, while he was being recorded by Gleeson. By the early 1970s Gleeson was doing sessions with Jefferson Starship on his recently acquired 8-track recorder and Moog synthesizer. It was his expertise in early synthesizers, like the Moog, which eventually led Gleeson to collaborations with Herbie Hancock, whom Gleeson credits with helping Different Fur get off the ground.[1] By 1971 Gleeson was working with Hancock on his albums Crossings and Sextant. He went on to record many of the synthesizers on Hancock's master work Head Hunters, as well as several solo albums at Different Fur.[2]

Front door of recording studio

Gleeson eventually sold Different Fur in 1985.[3] However, it remains an active recording studio to this day. The studio is currently owned by Engineer Patrick Brown.[4]

In February 2009, the relatively unknown and very recently signed to Fat Possum band Wavves filmed a video with bloggers yourstru.ly. The project was a three-part live filming of the two-piece band playing some of the songs off their new EP including "So Bored." While the original videos only received modest views after release, they marked the beginning of an ongoing partnership between Different Fur engineers and YoursTruly video producers that have resulted in live sessions with The Morning Benders, Chromeo, Little Dragon, Big K.R.I.T., Toro Y Moi, P.O.S, Girls, Freddie Gibbs, Death Cab For Cutie etc.

Artists who have recorded at Different Fur include Neil Young, Brian Eno, David Byrne, Devo, The Units, Kronos Quartet, Bobby Hutcherson, Primus, Al Di Meola, Joe Henderson, William Ackerman, Bobby McFerrin, Gene Clark, Michael Hedges, Terry Riley, Earth, Wind & Fire, Alan Hovhaness, Joe Satriani, The Residents, Erasure, Mr. Bungle, Autopsy, Yo-Yo Ma, John Zorn, Rodrigo y Gabriela, The Morning Benders, Daniel Selby, Herbie Hancock, OneRepublic, Tristan Prettyman, among many others.

Music for Peanuts TV Specials and parts of the soundtrack of Apocalypse Now have been recorded there.[5]

Different Fur was featured in the SF Weekly Music section on June 15, 2011. The article focuses on work done with a number of local bands and artists.[6]

Selected discography

References

  1. ^ "Maygarden, Tony: "Synth Pioneer - Patrick Gleeson", 2007". Archived from the original on 2012-01-07. Retrieved 2007-10-31.
  2. ^ Jackson, Blair: "The 70's", Mix Online, November 2004 Archived 2011-06-04 at the Wayback Machine
  3. ^ "Different Fur Studios: History". Different Fur. Archived from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved 2011-11-20.
  4. ^ Mix Magazine article announcing the purchase of Different Fur by Klepto Records
  5. ^ Droney, Maureen: "Different Fur's 25th Anniversary", Mix Magazine, April 1997
  6. ^ "Ian S. Port: "Fresh Times for Mission Recording Studio Different Fur" article on SF Weekly". Archived from the original on 2011-06-16. Retrieved 2011-06-15.

37°45′37″N 122°25′15″W / 37.760339°N 122.420895°W / 37.760339; -122.420895