Studio B
Categories: Dance Clubs, Music Venues [Edit]
259 Banker St(between Calyer St & Franklin St)
Brooklyn, NY 11222 (718) 389-1880
- Nearest Transit:
Greenpoint Ave (G)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Good for Kids: No
- Wheelchair Accessible: No
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: DJ, Live
- Best Nights: Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: Outdoor Area/Patio Only
- Coat Check: Yes
42 Reviews for Studio B
Oh Studio B, you had so much going for you, in theory. Alas, not so much in practice. Your drinks were $9 and served in crappy plastic cups, your rooftop garden was utterly freezing and cluttered with low-hanging palm tree fronds, and your crowd contained bros clutching a bottle of Bud in each fist and ladies (I use this term loosely) who insisted on taking about 12 billion pictures with their shitty digicams.
I went to see The Brazilian Girls, and they were great, but the opening acts were only so-so. On the plus side, the couch area was comfy and the bathroom was decent.
Maybe I'm too picky about my venues, but I expected better in Greenpoint. I won't be back.
(I am re-posting my review b/c SOMEONE thought that they would be cute by hacking into my account and delete some of my reviews.. allthingsmustcometoanend.. Yelp HQ retrieved them)
June 21, 2008 / 4 Stars
Fun and No fun... We made the trip out here from the Lower East Side to see a secret Crystal Castles show on Thursday 6/19 which was for free. Tons of hipsters however a group of douche bags somehow got into the show whom I apologize to judge but they honestly looked liked they belonged at a Keith Sweat show or a 50 cent show. They were sticking out like a sore thumb not to mention the were an eye soar of rumbustious assholes who thought that a Crystal Castles show was a mosh pit. My friend somehow had a busted lip, the other couldn't walk and had her chest punched. Me, ehhhh I somehow made friends with some guy next to us in the front row that looked like a bouncer that kept me safe from the drama. I did however manage to wear my fucking vodka tonic.
Who ever the first act was, was good.. and I wish that I knew his name...... Crystal Castles were amazing sans the douche bags... And yes this place is in the middle of no where. In fact there are many warehouses in this part of town..... I wouldn't know how to get here just make sure that your cab driver does...
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Dude, so many haters!
I guess they would be hatin' if they didn't get VIP treatment. Of course they'd be hatin' if they didn't have the rooftop area cleared for them and their friends. And they would totally be hatin' if they had to pay cover and didn't have a bartender all to themselves.
I would be hatin' too if I wasn't able to sit in the quasi-tropical lounge area (huge potted palms, lovely wooden slatted benches and tables, a mini fountain/pool and colored can lights to set the mood).
But I'm not a hater, I'm a lover and I loved being here at Studio B on Saturday night.
I think the best part was looking down on all the hipster weirdos and having them look up at us with all that hatin' in their eyes.
:D
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My roommate and I came to check out the roof deck on a Friday night, and we got completely gouged. First, our cab driver couldn't find the place, as other people have mentioned (it's two turns off Greenpoint Ave., not that difficult).
We got there around 11, and were told the bar was having "technical difficulties" and hadn't opened the doors yet. So we wandered the lovely little neighborhood and definitely should have gone somewhere else.
When we did get in, around 11:30, both of us nice-looking ladies were charged a $15 cover, only to find that were were two of about five women in the whole place, in a total crowd of maybe 30. They shouldn't have charged us the cover in the first place, and no way should they have charged $15 for a completely empty club with lousy house music.
We also discovered that the roof deck, the only reason we trekked all the way out to Greenpoint, was closed for the evening (because there were only 30 people in the whole huge club). The guy who charged us the cover said he "didn't know" if the roof deck would be open, just to get us to pay and come inside and find out it wasn't. Shady, man.
The drinks were $8 apiece, with a $30 credit card minimum and they were in plastic cups and really weak. We stood around a little while and then left for less lame pastures. I do not recommend Studio B unless your very favorite band in the whole damn world is doing a one-night reunion and you have a very large flask to bring with you.
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I was here for the Diggnation live taping here last Wednesday. The place is huge, but they wouldn't let ppl in cuz they had some building code limitation on how many ppl can be in the place. Eventually they did let us all in after an hour plus of wait.
The price of the drinks is Manhattan prices ($6 for a Heineken), lost 1/2 a star cuz of that.
Towards the end of the night, chatted w/ the bathroom attendant (they're imo, the best ppl to talk to get an idea of the place). Although his English is shaky, I understand from him that the place is not often crowded, especially not crowded just because its a Friday or Saturday. It comes down to who's performing that night.
With it nowhere near closeness to the train, I don't think I will be back here anytime soon.
This may all be moot since the club is likely only a memory now, but...
Studio B's forte has always been it's unique and often stellar lineup of electro, techno and yes, rock acts. While I enjoy and appreciate a top notch establishment, my real basis for return visits to a club of this size is the acts they invite to play there. I never had a problem here. The sound was quite good with a decent crowd there absorbing the sound waves, the door policy was always fair and friendly, the admission prices were always fair, and the bathrooms, in my experience, were usually pretty clean. Even with Studio B's somewhat overpriced drinks in plastic cups, crappy bartenders (sorry, but most of them were) and less than inspired decor, I've been a very happy repeat customer in recent years.
While it is located in a warehouse laden area of Greenpoint, there are some residences up the block so I can understand if noise becomes a problem for a few. If they had not built the rooftop deck, I believe this would never have been a problem. I mean, the place isn't high enough for sound to dissipate as it does in Manhattan. I don't think they ever had a cabaret license (which is an absolutely ridiculous Giuliani law created to give absolute control to the nypd) which means they were paying off the city under the table which likely would've continued without the addition of the deck. There is nothing like this spot in Greenpoint or the rest of Brooklyn for that matter so I hope they work things out with the city and neighbors. Being a Greenpoint resident, I'm particularly sorry to see them go, if in fact they are closed for good.
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I am a regular at Studio B and everytime I go there I'm always pleased at the quality of service. The line is never a problem (the bouncers are actually nice) and when you are inside the bartenders are SUPER FAST and polite. I went there one day and it was very packed, the NY in me took over and I was like "great I'll never get a drink". I was really really wrong cause within seconds I had a drink. I've gone to almost all the biggest clubs in Manhattan and you either pay alot to see a good artist or you pay alot to see a crappy artist. At studio B I've never seen the cover over $15 and they have some of the best artists perform there (Ex. LCD Soundsystem, The Klaxons, Z-Trip, GrandWizard Theodore, Chromeo, etc.). Go to the studio b website to check out the lineups (clubstudiob). If you really want to take in the NY underground scene then Studio B is what your looking for.
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Okay, so you've trekked all the way out to Greenpoint to a no-frills dance club full of hipsters willing to pay Manhattan prices for G&Ts in tiny plastic cups. Didn't you realise what you were getting yourself into?
Seriously, Studio B is a great place for house/electro dancing. Most of their shows are either missable, or focus strictly on the various genres that Hot Chip remixes can be mixed into (read: Electroclash or Billville Dance Rock). But every once in a while they throw a party that really just shouldn't be missed. Like an old school rave set by Moby. Oy, my memories of that night are fuzzy, but when he dropped "Go" at peak hour and the crowd went frickin' mental? I remember that quite vividly!
Young crowd, really too young. Probably so young that they think I've just coined the term "electroclash" as a genre of music. But the draw for me is the unwillingness that scenesters have to venture so far out into the wastelands of bleak Greenpoint for dancing. And, sure, North Brooklyn hipsters are repellent, but I'd take them over MPD starfuckers and eurotrash ANY day of the week!
Seriously, make the trip. You'll have a great time! Just make sure you enter a few local car service numbers into your phone before you go...
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okay, let's wait in line for what seems like an HOUR. i think 3 of us caught a terrible cold that night from standing outside for so long. we had been walking around the city all day looking for makeup and costumes for the Roller Derby.
honestly, i like Studio B. it's spacious, parking is not an infinite possibility- but you'll still find a spot and the staff and promoters aren't as pretentious and/or rude as the ones you find in the city. i generally like the space because of their line-ups and fun events. i mean, what other club in Manhattan hosts a rock show and then a retro roller derby in the same night? it's great. =)
their bathroom reminds you of a High School bathroom- no real design... just plain stalls and such. it's spacious, though... so you don't feel crammed or suffocated waiting for a stall. the turn around is quick, too. lol. i don't think they care too much about design aesthetics, anyway. the sound system is pretty nice. i had a close look at the mixers and other equipment, too. not too shabby.
the venue reminds me of many rave/warehouse parties i used to go to. industrial and just straight to the point. lots of raw space- therefore, a blank canvas for promoters/event planners to spruce it up to their liking.
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Calling all hipsters! oh wait nevermind. your all here.
My first clue should of been when the girl in front of me who looked like she had just booked her sweet sixteen party the day before, told the bouncer her birth date was 1977.. and they let her in. I had to know the real age of this sequence wearing (matching blazer and skirt) girl, so i went up to her and asked. She was18. And celebrated with her other i go to gym class still and talk about what happened in 9th period friends. Oh great i thought. what have i gotten myself into.
This place is a decent size but fills up with drunkies fast. So be prepared to get bumped into at least 378921389132 times. Thank god i wore heels or else this shorty would of had some bruises.
However amongst the ridiculousness, the DJ, Daft Punk's "cover-band" was awesome. I had a great time dancing once i learned to hold my own and push back ;P Good thing the drinks were strong!
I wish the crowd wasnt so young, but i will throw this out there that it was my first clubbish type place that played techno music and didnt have giant juice head guidos being giant juice head guidos. I'll take you hipsters over that any day!
Id come back here, if i was wasted.
Sky"
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"Oh no hipsters from Williamsburg go here, therefore it must suck and be pretentious!" Sorry, not only are folks wrong in their assessment of people they identify as "hipsters" (which is an misused and over broad term to demean folks), but Studio B is easily the best club to dance to electronic music DJ's and artists in NYC right now.
Much of that has to do with the fact that it is actually not pretentious, and does not cater to the truly well off, and privileged "hipsters" who frequent bottle service and strict door policy clubs/lounges around town. You get drinks in a plastic cup. Unless drinking out of plastic cups has become hip, I must be missing something (maybe I'm just not down enough).
The prices for drinks are not quite Manhattan level, but more than a dive bar, sure. It's a huge club, so I guess what else would one expect? However, the prices for coming to see legendary DJ's like Carl Craig and Moby can be $8-10. For the size of the venue, compare that to $40-50 or maybe more if you don't buy in advance to go to the awful scene that now exists at Pacha and whatever they call the old Crobar/Studio Mezmor, especially if anyone with a big name is spinning.
The atmosphere in Studio B is great if you want to dance, as there is a huge dance floor to move, and you can get very close to the DJ, unlike most other big clubs in the city.
The bar can be a bit crowded, but it's great that they also have the lounge area in the back. One wonders if that will become VIP soon (or maybe it has) but the last time I was there it didn't seem that way.
The sound is also very good, and the times I've tried to, you can actually go outside and come back in. The bouncers don't seem too crazy either, which makes things all the better. I think that the crowd is not always as "hip" as folks think as I saw some folks in the late 30's and early 40s who did not seem that way and may have been old Detroit Techno fans to come out for Juan Atkins spun a pretty poor set, that emptied the place out not too long ago. I really think it depends on who you are coming to see.
I have hope that it will remain this way because it's not located near anything, but this is NYC, so you never know. Enjoy it while you can.
Last night was my second time coming to Studio B, but my actual first time making it thru the doors. The first time I came here was with my friend to try to get any standby tickets for LCD Soundsystem, with none to be had. And last night was the big Down & Derby, the big roller skating extravaganza.
My problems with the place: the line outside was an entire block length, in 25 degree weather late on a Saturday night. So obviously everybody was freezing their "skates" off. The problem is, it wasn't totally crowded inside so there was no reason to extend the line as long as it was. And when you goto the bouncer, he only had about 10 wristbands at a time, and he'd have to go back in and get more. Now, isn't more fruitful and make more sense to have as many wristbands outside as possible? Not only to get people in faster, but to at least accomodate the bouncer so he won't have to keep going in and out. But whatever. Once inside, there were no skates to be had. Yes, the flyer did say that the number of skate rentals would be limited so I wasn't exactly surprised.
When you walk in, you can either goto the left, where you can hit a spacious lounge area. Or you can go right, where there's a bar and a coat check. the floor itself isn't too big but its spacious enough for people to be dancing, or roller skating in this case.
Yes, the bathrooms are quite clean and there was actually soap and towels in the bathroom. Usually clubs run out of both early in the evening so it was good that there were still alot of both left.
I would love to come back here for a show, and on a night where there isn't house music because house music sucks. And do I need a DJ every 2 minutes yelling "shake your hands in the air and wave them like you just dont care"? No, I dont and at that point I really didn't care either.
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NO!
Yes to booking agent.
NO TO BOUNCERS.NO TO PRICES.NONONONO
On the upside, sneak up to the green room if you can (stairs through door by the stage). Not that it's nice up there. But it's probably better than downstairs.
NO.
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We were waiting in the TICKET-HOLDERS line for the Fixed party. However, they kept letting in the non-ticket holders. They knew the ticket-holders would wait in line forever if we had to. More $$ for them.
After all that waiting, we walked into an empty space. Nobody was dancing....yet. I got bored and left but I should've stayed around and waited for Xavier. Dammit.
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Don't try to take a cab here. Seriously. The cabbies have no idea where it is. But, once you do get here, be ready to stand in line for awhile. When you get inside make sure you don't have to use the toilet, cause if you do be ready to stand in another line and then when you do get to the stall, you'll find out there isn't any toilet paper. Once you've gone and made you bladder a happy camper move over to the bar and spend all of the money you made that day at work, cause drinks are wicked expensive. After getting your drink, it's finally time to groove to the music, which is pretty much the only truly positive thing about the place, the get some amazing acts and it's not that expensive to get in to the place. Just be prepared to be wiping other people's sweat off of you, cause it's gonna be really crowed. So when you finally get to drunk/tired to stay anymore, good luck finding a cab, cause they're in short supply out in the middle of nothing. Overall, I'd only recommend this place to someone who is a die hard fan of the band that is playing there, and if they're playing some where else, go there instead.
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Damn they do get some good talent more often than not and once it fills up (dead till 11ish/12) it's awesome to dance with a bunch of psycho youngsters that make you feel ancient but wtf they don't care!
All I wonder is.. what was the whole idea behind this place when they built it? Let's make a sickening Euro Trash looking disscotech? cuz that's what it feels/looks like... just like the wrong (or should I say right!?) crowd showed up. goddamn it's purgatory.
I've only been here once this summer and that was to see this guy's band I used to work with...Team Robespierre.
They opened with Walter Meego for VHS or Beta.
I think we got in for free, I don't remember paying and they had an open bar for an hour or two.
The bartenders were super cool and served us a few beers at a time so we didn't have to wait around for more drinks
The space is pretty impressive. Gigantic.
Which is good because they really pack 'em in.
The bands we saw were awesome and we had a great time. Although people got really pushy by the time VHS or Beta came on and I had to move to the back to enjoy myself.
I also got some buttons, a CD and a t-shirt from my ex-co worker for his band, Team Robespierre, which is cool and I wear the t-shirt a lot! Thanks Ty! You guys rock!
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Crowded, overpriced, oversold, bad layout.
DO. NOT. WANT.
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Just okay. Drink prices are rape. The sound system is only really good if you're standing behind the sound guy. The bands are, more often than not, not happy to be there.
Bonus points go for the implacable, unswervable car service guys who hang out in front of the bar for like the entirety of the show. Also, the bathrooms are clean enough that you almost feel like you're at a restaurant or something.
In all though, this is a pretty mediocre venue that kind of owes its main customers a lot more than it delivers. Three stars.
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Oh Studio B, your insanely close proximity to my apartment makes me forever in your debt. as a CA exile in this great borough of Brooklyn, the weather in the near teens the night I visited you made me oh so grateful how little I actually I had to be outside.
But enough about that. Studio B is a pretty legit location. Hailing from LA, I am, shall we say, skeptical, about places that are passed off as "clubs" in Brooklyn. I'm used to Hollywood, Sunset Strip, celebrities, paprazzi, etc. Brooklyn, in case you haven't noticed, has none of that (not that I'm complaining).
...So when my roomate told me that DJ Diplo was spinning at Studio B, mere blocks from our humble abode, I thought, sure, what's the worst that could happen? The venue is huge - which was great since it was packed. The music was AWESOME and the clientele was literally having the most fun I've ever seen people have. seriously. Interestingly enough, I thought it was one of the least hipster-infested locales in the 'burg/'point (although that means only like, 65% of the people there were wearing fake "nerd" glasses)
Why did studio B lose points if it was oh so awesome? 2 things. first of all, coat check was an absolute NIGHTMARE. really slow and inefficient. second, apprently it was "18 and over night" and no one told me. It was at least 50% a high school dance. which was kind of funny, but also, mostly weird and made me feel like an over-the-hill cougar (which is pretty impressive since I'm only 22).
But if you're looking for dancing in the BK, this is your spot.
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Overall, Studio B line ups can be pretty awesome.
The parties and acts they book here are a great way to spend a night out.
The venue is ehh and shows start late at night (sometimes past 1am) but I don't care because they had a VHS or Beta free show and tickets to MSTRKFT were $12.
I would pee in a Gatorade bottle if it keeps tickets away from the $40+ range.
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Too hot, too loud, lackluster interior with way to many sweaty bodies in all sorts of hipster fashion madness dancing to an impressive line-up of djs and bands make this out of the way club a perfect fit for the neighborhood. It is a fun night, just bring your American Apparel bodysuits and bootie shorts and some gratuitous retro accessories (any decade seems acceptable these days) and get ready to dance likes it's Halloween in 1999.
This was my first time out at a Brooklyn nightlife venue and on my walk to Studio B, there was this awry familiarity about the streets, and I wasn't sure why. I walked into the club and I remembered why. Obviously, anything more awkward than walking the streets in one of your one-/two-night-stands' domain is actually running into them at their home-turf club. Well, that didn't actually happen till later in the night, but unnecessarily awkward nonetheless. Anywho, I was pleasantly surprised by this place, it had affordable drinks, sufficient space and a healthy crowd, not packed but crowded, though I must say, go to the gay male bartenders, they make the drinks much stronger. The bathrooms were rather ghetto as expected, oh well. Also, it was very very gay, or should I say lesbian, I don't think I've so many lipstick lesbians in America, at one place, EVER! YAY!!! Oh and the boys were fineeeee... There was some strange pompom making table at the back, and Maritess Z. wanted to make one, so I joined her, against my will, but I shouldn't complain, as I did pick up a very cute boy there, ha-ha! We started talking over how our friends were making pompoms, smooth, I know... Oh, and I liked the music too, though I felt like I was in the '80s. FAB nontheless!
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Great Party on Friday!! The music was amazing, big props to the people who put the party together.
Good points: we got in to see a fantastic DJ lineup for $8 reduced admission through going.com; the sound was fantastic; the lighting was like that of a proper cavernous club hosting major DJs, but the space was relatively small, so you could actually work your way around the dance floor to find friends or meet people...
One star deducted for being in the middle of nowhere. Granted, I have never been anywhere else in the area, but it certainly seemed to be on a random side street by the highway and not even our driver knew how to find it...
And finally: I'm not sure if I should add or take away stars for this, but the crowd was dancing (and dressing) like it was 1999. Not Prince's 1999, either...like, rave-hits-the-mainstream 1999.
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I guess the reason we were kept waiting outside for 15 minutes when it was completely empty inside (think cricket's chirping) was because Studio B is located on a dead block and the crowd is the flag to other people who can't find the place. At least they had free ghetto beers till 11:45pm. Great looking venue with a bunch of couches to chill out at while the crowd filtered in and filled up the place.
The DJ's were spinning really great electro and progressive house for the first few hours... then they started getting into harder and more tech stuff, to pump up the crowd for Simien Mobile Disco's show. Meh. Then the volume became semi-unbearable... and as the night rolled on, so did the crowd. Think nasty, drunk scensters who are annoying beyond belief. Good venue, decent sound, great show/music, so-so crowd, stupid lines.
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i definitely do not miss this place. i've only ever been here because of bands/groups performing there - and each time was a miserable experience. i've seen girl talk, bonde do role/diplo & MIA here - and it was always the same story. get into the venue (which is in the middle of nowhere, brooklyn), buy an overpriced drink (if you can get the bartender's attention) and try to establish a spot somewhere on the dance floor. expect to wait HOURS for the acts to even begin. i would get there at 10 PM to be on the safe side - and the shows wouldn't typically begin until midnight. that's nice and all, but i'm freakin' tired and i want to see the show i paid for. once the show actually begins, the place becomes packed beyond belief. you can barely move, barely dance and get more frustrated than anything else. oh, and never, ever, use the coat check. made that mistake once and ended up waiting on line for an hour just to get my bag. absolutely horrible. it's a shame that there are some good performances here now and then, but i just refuse to go and suffer at that hellish place.
If you want a place to dance, get a little crazy and see some stellar acts without having to go to a huge venue, this is the place. I love how completely unpretentious it is. Just be careful of the front near the stage. I have seen so many fights with people getting close to the stage and nearly been in a few brawls myself.
There are tons of cheap Polish places to drink around there before hand as well.
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Hit and miss. I've had some of my best nights out there, and other nights the place is a morgue. So 3 stars. But one of the best venues in NYC when it's on.
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I've learned to take Studio B with a grain of salt. Although I've seen some amazing bands in the space, recently I've had some less than stellar experiences that center around their booking, scheduling, drink prices and the pure agony of the volume they pump their speakers to.
First off, their DJs are great, If you're going to dance, you'll have a great time! +1 for the club! To boot, amazing bands pass through the space on a regular basis (Battles, for example). Then it goes downhill... be careful after a show, not to step on the hordes of beer bottles that have been discarded on the ground, you may just break your neck!
The Studio is known for mismatching their acts, as witnessed at the recent Noisettes and Battles show. The Noisettes and Battles actually pair up decently, however a third, obscure band was scheduled right in between the two, the sound was so avant garde and poorly performed (it was like watching a garage band in a jam session, far more appropriate as an opening act) I ended up walking out, and nearly went home before Battles came on (I walked two friends to the Subway Station, however). The Noisettes and Battles were AMAZING, but that hour in between, I was elsewhere in Greenpoint.
A similar thing happened with Gang Gang Dance a few months ago (where I actually found another bar to chill and missed that show). To boot, the Studio's sound system is amazing, so amazing, in fact, they feel they have to max out the volume and break your ears, you can only imagine how you'd feel if you were listening to some bad music. Although, I did find it amazing, how some folks in the lounge area were able to curl up on the couches to nap!
Anyways, beyond the booking and scheduling shortcomings, paying $8 for a small plastic cup of mixed whatever is just ridiculous! $6 for a bottle beer is even more ridiculous. Walk 10 minutes into Williamsburg and you'll get twice the drink for half the price, and maybe a free pizza!
Otherwise, the hipster crowd you'll likely share the space with is normal North Brooklyn fare, possibly a bit younger and more energetic (anyone for moshing?) than some of the more mature places you'll find on Bedford/Metropolitan and Lorimer. The club is always packed, which is amazing, given how large the club is and how far it is from public transportation!
So, yes, I take Studio B with a grain of salt, and the closest I'll probably get to being a regular will be chilling at my friends' apartment right around the corner.
But Damn! M.I.A. is on stage this week.
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Came to see Of Montreal and Michael Showalter, and was happy with $3 drink special promotion and the fact that there were two bars for me to indulge my inner alcoholic. Great space, good acoustics, no fuss staff.
Also, Paul Rudd was there. Did you know I go gaga over Mr. Rudd? I
didn't either, until my
heart
dropped
into my
stomach.
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I understand this place used to be a Polish night club. It has a strange layout for live shows - there's a fairly large seating area to the side of the stage (the view is blocked by amps and speakers).
And like so many small New York venues, they throw up a stage and staple up some foam pads and call it a day. The acoustics aren't great (i.e. if you walk to a different area of the club the sound quality is better/worse). And the sound is a little too cranked up for the space, so many times the music sounds muddied and generally blah.
I like the location - it's off the beaten path in a generally surreal area of a post-industrial waterfront. But that's about it.
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Given the number of top-notch events that have played out here ever since it opened in the fall last year, I'm surprised there aren't any reviews of this place yet.
Studio B takes the whole electro-rock, electro-house, electro-whatever, new wave, 80s, hipster anthem scene from the Tribeca Grand (Fixed), Savalas and Lit (the Cut gang behind Mad Suspect and Dirty Down), and Thursday nights at Hiro and moves it to a big, slightly out of the way space in Greenpoint that houses two bars, a smallish stage, and a soundsystem that doesn't disappoint. The space is tons bigger than Savalas and Lit, and the drinks are a little cheaper than Hiro and the Tribeca Grand, making it a nice addition to the scene.
The quality of your night is really going to depend on who's playing or dj'ing that night. I for one went to see the brothers Dewaele perform first as Soulwax and then take the decks as 2ManyDJs, and it was BANGING. Generally speaking, if you're into this scene, I don't think you can go wrong, because the bookings seem to have been pretty solid so far. But if you're into this scene, you've probably already been here.
ADDENDUM
I have nothing to do with this place, but if you like baile funk, if you like house music, if you like Brazilian music, if you like dance music, if you like Miami bass, if you like ghetto tech, hell, IF YOU LIKE MUSIC, PERIOD, don't miss Diplo (as in half of the former Hollertronix and M.I.A.'s dj) and Bonde do Role at Studio B on March 30.
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First of all, Studio B deserves 5 stars for the space -- huge, good lighting, nice dance floor, and generally good setup...except that some dipshit decided to put the bar right at the entrance, which looks ridic from the back when the dance floor is empty and people are elbowing each other for a drink -- oh and there's another downfall: Here you have this sweet night spot then you're gonna go and raid my pockets? $8 for a crappy cocktail! Bah!
Headlining acts are great (dancie, mash-up, 80's, electro...recently saw Booka Shade there) but COME ON- get some opening DJ's that can actually match beats. So basically, if you have sacks of cash lying around, this place is pretty sweet for a good time danse parti...or if you're sans money bags, they let you open a tab (go credit card debt!!).
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A good venue, but it's very easy to get totally robbed with the price/size of the drinks.
Soundsystem is good, DJs are really good, and the layout is nice. It's easy to find a place to hang out and people-watch, or chill, or dance your ass off, or get a cold (expensive) adult beverage.
I don't know if I was just on a low-attendance night or because I was one of the rare car-owning Bridge and Tunnel crew in Brooklyn, but I was able to find a street parking spot a few feet from the front door, which made me oh so happy.
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I didn't expect to come to Studio B at all this one Friday night I was vacationing in NY. My cousin caught wind that Dirty on Purpose, Shout Out Out Out and CSS were going to play live at this place. and FOR FREE!!!. The line was wrapped all around the block. We found someone my cousin knew and got in the club quickly. The place was packed yet the vibe was so live. Somehow my drunk cousin gets us in the VIP area which is to the right of the performers on the stage. You could literally reach out and touch the artist if you wanted but I wouldn't recommend it lol. Crowd surfing and mosh pits are easily viewed from a safe distance up there. I would come back to this club again. That night was wild.
The space is amazing and they book great shows. Yeah, I guess $8 a drink is expensive in the grand scheme of things but you are in NYC and you are in a club. And since I got to see Moby play an incredible show for $10 and I had a flask with me, drink prices didn't hurt that much.
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My least favorite venue that I have ever been to. I am a little bitter, and I will explain why.
I spent ALL DAY making the trip to Brooklyn to see Patrick Wolf. For reasons completely unknown to me, he played less music than the crappy opening band. I can only assume this is the fault of the club. What a waste of my effort and money.
Furthermore, the host was completely annoying - nothing but a gimmick. They are just trying too hard.
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solid space with a decent layout. the people behind the soundboard understand that volume != quality and keep things at a listenable level. i would give this place a higher rating but:
1) $6 for a corona. i wouldn't let someone pour corona on me if i was on fire and it is laughable that anyone pays $6 for it. anyone who is trying to drink their personal style deserves corona in spades.
2) it is located in brooklyn which i desperately want to like because it is crawling with hot ladies who think casual sex is going to be the next olympic sport but it may as well be FUCKING SIBERIA given the subway situation out there. i suppose this isn't so much a complaint about studio b but rather the MTA. i could see the empire state building standing in front of the place but it took me an hour and a half to get back to the UWS.
anyway, i saw LIGHTNING BOLT there and you didn't so it holds a special place in my heart for that alone.
JCTSFR: NIPLEASE
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