Rick Rubin‘s California studio Shangri-La is almost as legendary within music circles as the veteran producer himself as the origin of some of the most groundbreaking records of the last two decades. However, it’s also a notoriously mysterious environment, as access is rare and footage or photographic evidence of the iconic work done is even rarer. That will soon change with the release of the Showtime documentary series Shangri-La, which will showcase some of the recording processes and philosophy behind them.
The trailer, which you can watch above, sums it all up with vocal clip of Rubin himself explaining what led him to establish the iconic recording space: “These things that we can’t explain happen regularly,” he says. “We might be able to create an environment conducive to it happening.” The trailer mainly focuses on a white hallway, ostensibly from somewhere within the studio, along with a series of rapid-fire clips intercut with title cards reading another piece of Rubin’s philosophy: “Keep asking questions until you fully understand.”
Oscar- and Grammy-winning director Morgan Neville, who previously worked on 20 Feet From Stardom and Won’t You Be My Neighbor? directed Shangri-La, which will air in four parts this summer. The film originally debuted at SXSW this spring.
