Proud Camden is thrilled to present Jimi Hendrix by Eddie Kramer, an unseen photographic portrait of the psychedelic rocker whose shredding of musical genres and pure technical mastery altered our musical vocabulary. This candid collection marks the 45th anniversary of Hendrix’s tragic and untimely death, whilst paying tribute to his creative genius.

Captured by the illustrious record producer and photographer Eddie Kramer, who described his creative collaborations with Hendrix in the studio as ‘a roller coaster of intensity that never stopped’, this exhibition shines a spotlight on those recording sessions, moments of curious experimentation and groundbreaking live gigs which shaped the sound of a generation, from the inside.

Jimi walked into London’s Olympic Studios in early 1967, just after the release of his debut hit single and met the senior engineer, Eddie Kramer. Kramer and Hendrix went on to form a closely collaborative relationship, whereby Kramer learnt to interpret Hendrix’s synesthetic descriptions of sounds and colours, creating an entirely new musical palette from which to produce the ‘sound paintings’ that eventually constituted Hendrix’s three studio albums.

Kramer’s position behind the glass of the recording studio offers an unparalleled vantage point from which to view Hendrix; the most prolific, innovative and visionary musician of all time, where the camera comes as close as possible to recording the reverberations of those truly ground-breaking sessions. Hendrix’s searing political performance at the 1969 Woodstock Festival and the intensity of his recording sessions at Olympic Studios are underscored by shots capturing his sharp sense of humour in moments of downtime – described by Kramer as: “never too stoned to work diligently.”

Capturing the magical moments where Hendrix is composing, experimenting and recording a track, Kramer’s images come as close as possible to opening a window into the creative genius of Jimi Hendrix and the world that he saw, in all its vivid colour.