Revisiting the Beastie Boys’ ‘Dungeon’ Studio on Mott Street [VIDEO]
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Beastie Boys kickin’ it at the Dungeon
All this talk about the possible co-naming of Ludlow and Rivington as “Beastie Boys Square” has us in the mood…
Hard to believe, but yes, Hello Nasty is more than fifteen years old at this point. Throwback track “Three MC’s and One DJ” is easily one of the album standouts, and its accompanying music video was actually shot in Little Italy. On Mott Street. Let’s collectively reminisce.
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Mixmaster Mike on his way
In the mid-nineties, the Beastie Boys recorded the majority of Hello Nasty in the basement of 262 Mott Street. The trio dubbed this subterranean studio/rehearsal space “The Dungeon,” and referenced it in a few of the album cuts. The facility here was spartan at best. (Moby also lived in this building at the tail end of the eighties) Mike D. told NYRock back in 1998:
Our rehearsal room is in fact underground, a basement room with no fresh air and it smells pretty bad in there and we ate the same stuff all the time, rice and eggs, kind of a local speciality in that area.
“Three MC’s and One DJ” was shot entirely on location. It opens with Mixmaster Mike walking northward to 262 Mott with a Ghostbusters-inspired pack strapped to his back. The Beasties are in the basement, frozen in performance positions, awaiting the arrival of the turntablist.
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262 Mott Street, onetime studio home of the Beastie Boys
The original entrance was completely transformed in the ensuing years. These days, the Fjallraven backbpack boutique occupies the ground level and unaffordable condos reside up above. Wonder how much it would be to lease the cellar today, as this area is so friggin’ hyper-gentrified.
Also, remember that Mike D was spotted in these parts last December, shopping at REI.
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