Hansa Studios
‘Hansa by the Wall’ — where Bowie made the Berlin era
Hansa Tonstudio sat in West Berlin a stone's throw from the Berlin Wall — the reason it became known as ‘Hansa by the Wall.’ Its cavernous main room and Cold-War location gave records made there a distinct atmosphere of tension and space.
David Bowie recorded the core of his Berlin era at Hansa in the late 1970s, and years later U2 arrived to begin Achtung Baby as the Wall came down. Here are the albums in our archive tied to the studio.
Albums recorded at Hansa Studios
Frequently asked
- What albums were recorded at Hansa Studios in Berlin?
- David Bowie's Berlin-era records — including “Heroes” and Low — and U2's Achtung Baby, which the band began at Hansa in 1990.
- Why is Hansa called ‘Hansa by the Wall’?
- The studio's main room overlooked the Berlin Wall during the Cold War, and that proximity became part of its legend and its sound.