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History    
     

Chris Hanzsek and Tina Casale opened Reciprocal Recording in Seattle, WA in 1984.

Located in an office suite next to a railroad switching yard, the studio's $10 per hour price tag helped to compensate for the minor acoustical issues that developed from time-to-time.

In 1985 the business moved to the "basement in Madrona" location. Later that year Chris and Tina launched C/Z Records with the production and subsequent release of the "Deep Six" compilation - essentially a showcase for a handful of bands that together displayed a gritty new identity for Seattle's burgeoning rock culture...



Above is the control room at the Interbay location.

Madrona Studio Location.

1986 - 1992

In the spring of 1986 Chris reopened Reciprocal Recording with Jack Endino at the 4230 Leary Way NW location in Ballard.

The "Grunge" explosion was underway. Tina moved back to Pennsylvania. C/Z Records was put up for adoption... and Chris, Jack and Rich Hinklin became three very busy round-the-clock engineers. In 1988 Reciprocal Recording won NAMA's "Best Recording Studio in the Northwest" award. The building at 6th and Leary had been used as a recording studio since the late 1970's and continues that tradition today.

1978 - 1986   Triangle Recording
1986 - 1991   Reciprocal Recording
1991 - 1993   Word of Mouth
1993 - 2000   John & Stu's Place
2000 - ????    Hall of Justice

Chris and Jack looking busy at the Tascam M50 console and Otari MX5050 MKIII. Reciprocal Recording, 1986.

Jack Endino, Chris Hanzsek, Joe Dillon and Bill Potter take a quick pose in Reciprocal Recording’s control room, 1986.

We worked like dogs back then.

The studio "coffee can."

1992 - 2005

Chris opens Hanzsek Audio at 1414 NW Leary Way, Ballard.

Built inside a concrete shell that originally housed rectifiers for a power station, this studio served an expanding variety of clientele and hosted many engineers and guest producers, including Kurt Bloch and Jack Endino.

For over thirteen years this facility played host to hundreds of bands and artists, including musicians from France, Ireland, England, Switzerland, Brazil, Canada and Japan.  Local film and video producers were drawn to Hanzsek Audio's new multi-media capabilities.

In the Summer of 2005 lease negotiations with the landlord turned sour and the studio was forced to close.

Postscript

1980:  While a Theater Arts major at Penn State Chris discovered the joys of college radio, becoming "Stew Dent" for a weekly punk rock program.

1981-82:  Chris and Tina move to Somerville, Mass. to explore Boston's music scene.  Tina plays in the band Monad, Chris buys his first 4 track from Ottmar Liebert and takes a job as soundman and recording engineer for the D# quintet, an eclectic jazz band featuring a young Bill Frisell.  Bands begin to visit the new "studio" growing on the second floor of a house now fully stocked with former high school chums and their band's rehearsal spaces.

February 1983:  Chris buys an airline ticket to Seattle after college buddies entice him to move.  The rest is history...

 

In 1968 Chris gets a trumpet lesson from Mr. Paul.

 

       
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