Hansa Studios Manager on running the studio day by day, whilst welcoming leading UK artists like Harry Styles into Berlin’s iconic creative hub.
For Rocco Weise, no day is ever the same. As studio manager of the legendary Hansa Studios, he oversees consistent recording sessions and is responsible for welcoming some of the world’s leading artists who are inspired by the sound of the city. Since taking over the role in 2021, Rocco has been given the opportunity to both grow and preserve the legacy that Hansa Studios holds over the experimental sounds of international artists.
As the birthplace of David Bowie’s Heroes and Iggy Pop’s Lust for Life, the studio holds an important legacy in music history, and it certainly doesn’t go unnoticed. With its gold plaques scaling the entrance walls and constant demand for private tours, the space holds a special place in artists and music fans’ hearts alike.
It’s clear that Hansa is also a special place to Rocco due to the precision of his care and effort into preserving the design and equipment of each studio. Each morning, Rocco likes to be the first inside Hansa Studios on Köthener Straße to prepare for what his day might entail: “What I love to do is be here a bit earlier now. It’s nice to have some time without any other people here and taking care of the plants. They’re a nice little touch.”
Inside the legendary recording complex are multiple rooms, all with their own unique characteristics. The live lounge features an impressive 70s vintage paisley rug, a grand piano and wide sunlit windows feathered with plants. Facing the lounge is the control room, where Rocco spends many hours alongside the sound engineers, monitoring Hansa’s very special SSL 4000 E-series mixing console. “The SSL 4000-E was a really big step back in the days for the technology of mixing desks. Musicians and producers choose exactly that studio because of the technical possibilities.”
The facilities that make Hansa unique and hold its legacy are the very reason UK artists come to the studios to seek the experimental sound Bowie discovered in Berlin. Rocco has been the host behind the likes of Harry Styles’ most recent album Aperture, Yungblud’s special live recordings and Biffy Clyro’s rock record Futique. His role involved overseeing recording sessions, supporting artists and musicians throughout the creative process, and assisting in the control room, drawing on his background as a sound engineer.
In 2025, Rocco welcomed Harry Styles for the recording of his latest studio album, Aperture. “He recorded drums in the hall and then he also recorded vocals in our really cool staircase.” Harry is the first musician to use Hansa’s staircase to amplify his vocals on the tracks recorded in Berlin, “American Girls” and “Pop”, and it was Rocco’s role to facilitate that for him at the last minute.
“Sometimes it happens exactly like this, where an artist books a period of time, and then they have a walk around, then they see the hall and say, okay, that could be a nice place to record.” However, in Harry’s case, Rocco laughs about how he had different ideas for his vocals. “Oh, this is the staircase, this looks beautiful, and then he was just sitting on the stairs and recorded some vocals there.”
Emil Berliner Studio, known for its rare analogue direct-to-disc vinyl cutting and classical music production, has also utilised unusual spaces for vocal recordings. The studios relocated to the Hansa building in 2010, therefore, Rocco is familiar with its renowned acoustics and audio production. “The Emil Berliner Studio already does that with the cellar; they use it as a reverberation unit. I’ve probably ended up on a few classical recordings myself just from walking in and hearing music, then suddenly thinking, ‘Ah, okay, keep silent.’ It’s funny.”
The building which houses Hansa and Emil Berliner has a special touch for helping artists push the boundaries of their sound. “There’s always been a lot of experimentation here, probably influenced by the studio’s history. So many artists have come through Hansa experimenting with music, instruments and new ways of recording.” Something that is reflected in the best works of Bowie, U2 and Harry Styles.
Rocco finds it important to provide Hansa as a space for smaller artists to be experimental with their music, too. “It’s not only the super VIP artists, but there are also a lot of newcomers coming up here. I have a lot of jazz sessions, because there’s a strong connection to some engineers who are really into that.” The layout of the recording studio is useful for new artists, with the long windows and infrastructure allowing them to communicate clearly with sound engineers across different rooms.
As new and leading artists continue to experiment with recording in the four walls of Hansa, preserving the studio’s identity remains essential to its future. In our print edition, Rocco Weise reflects on the nostalgia and history embedded in Hansa Studios and on the responsibility to protect the creative legacy left behind by generations of artists. CS
Featured images via Charlotte Smith and Rocco Weise/Hansa Studios
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