Breakglass Studios

Breakglass Studios has been Montreal's quietly influential musical heart since 2005, occupying a sprawling 10,000-square-foot space in Little Italy where some of the city's most important records have been made. Founded by Jace Lasek (The Besnard Lakes) and Dave Smith, with James Benjamin joining as partner in 2011, the artist-run facility has hosted everyone from Arcade Fire and Patrick Watson to Kaytranada and Purity Ring.

It's a recording studio, yes, but Breakglass also operates as a creative ecosystem that includes live events, an intern training program, and immersive installations. The space maintains its DIY ethos—artists can smoke joints in the kitchen and experiment freely—while offering professional-grade analog and digital recording capabilities, including rare vintage consoles and extensive tape machine collections.

Benjamin's Grammy-winning work on Kaytranada's Bubba exemplifies the studio's reach beyond Montreal's indie rock origins into electronic music and beyond. With the recent launch of Breakglass Records and expansion into multiple revenue streams, the studio represents a new model for artist-owned cultural institutions in an industry where traditional structures are failing.