Which Berlin studio was steps from the Wall during Bowie’s “Heroes” recordings?

Berlin’s Hansa Studio sat 150 metres from the Wall; guards could be heard cocking rifles during night sessions in 1977. Producer Tony Visconti wanted Bowie’s vocal on “Heroes” to swell with desperation, so he rigged three microphones across the ballroom: one right in front, one 15 feet back, one 50 feet away. Noise gates opened each successive mic only as Bowie sang louder, forcing him to belt the climactic lines that make the track feel like it might breach the concrete outside. Robert Fripp’s searing guitar was a first-take improvisation; he declined a second pass, claiming any overdub would “think too hard.” The song sold modestly on release but became the anthem played when the Wall finally fell 12 years later.