Where do recordists build their studios? Bedrooms? Garages? Basements? Attics? All of the above, of course. The luckiest ones, however, are able to find a dedicated space — and, Lord willing, book enough clients to cover the rent every month. But in order to build the Music Integrated Kiosk Environment (M.I.K.E.), Stuart Hyatt decided to commandeer, of all things, a derelict grain silo. He was able to finish it thanks to volunteer labor, donated materials, the help of local technical college and funding from a non-profit arts organization in Wisconsin — giving the project a pronounced regional identity. Several months later M.I.K.E. returned the favor — it produced a community-oriented album and eventually turned into a communal recording space for local artists.
It's hard to think of a less obvious home for a recording studio but Hyatt insists that M.I.K.E. makes perfect sense. "In terms of tapping into vernacular architecture and a sense of regional aesthetic, it definitely fits," he says. "Putting this in Miami or New York makes less sense — it's kind of a ubiquitous structure here in the Midwest. Activating it and inviting people in can only be a reflection of the community. Both structurally and kind of metaphorically, it made sense as a container of nutrients for people, and if that could be expanded into the realm of creativity this could be a sort of storage facility for ideas among people you were working with."
