C&I Studios Opens New Recording Studio

Chances are, your favorite song wasn't recorded in Fort Lauderdale. The city is known for a lot of things, but recording music isn't one of them. This might change, though, thanks to Fort Lauderdale’s C&I Studios. The FAT Village idea agency is looking to expand South Florida's music scene with the opening of a new recording studio.

C&I Studios — now a vibrant 9 years old — will be opening the Barn at C&I Studios on April 30 and celebrating with a private black tie event. The 1,000-square-foot recording studio will be open to local musicians looking to create music or just practice. “Anyone who is recording music is who we are going after,” says Joshua Miller, C&I Studios CEO. The studio can support up to a ten-piece band. From concept to completion, the studio took six months to build. Four of those months were used to decorate and outfit the space with reclaimed wood and antique furnishings, giving the studio a welcoming feel.

The studio will be run by Joshua Diaz, who is the lead singer of local band -kids-. “As an artist, if you want to create surreal art, you need a surreal space to work,” Diaz said. The studio prides will have industry standard gear, as well as a collection of analog, acoustic, and folk instruments that will be available to recording musicians. The space won’t be open to just anyone who just wants to waltz in and bang away on a banjo, but it will be open to local bands who want to create new music or work on a record. “People let us know what project they are working on, but there is no set rate,” said Miller. 
While the space isn’t fully open yet, C&I has already broken it in, using the studio to record some of its own projects. C&I Studios — which cosponsored the inaugural For the Love Festival with Exposed PR back in February — has always been a fierce advocate for local music. “It’s always been about building a scene — building a community," Miller said. 

In the end, C&I Studios hopes to shape and help the music scene evolve here in South Florida. Making state-of-the-art equipment more accessible to artists in Fort Lauderdale is one way it hopes to do that. While the opening party on April 30 will be by invitation only, C&I Studios expects to see an influx of local artists come to record in the next few months.

The studio is located at 516 NW First Ave., Fort Lauderdale. To reserve time at the studio and inquire about rental rates, email [email protected] or call 954-357-3934.