This is a pretty spacious venue spot with options for cold and hot beverages. I came here as an invitation to attend an event hosted by the brooklyn conservatory of music therapy program. The service at the coffee bar was a bit slower because of the long line, but overall had a great experience! read more

Love this place! Fantastic music-such a cool vibe! The street's a little busy so park on 7th Ave and walk around the corner to Union....

The music is wonderful, however I found the service left much to be desired. My wife and I tried to get a drink at the bar. The bartender told me "I have 5 people ahead of you, if you sit and wait give me 10 minutes.". We sat and waited. It took her a half hour to serve those 5 tables. One gentleman had to go back to the bar to remind her he had a drink ordered. She finally came to our table a full 45 minutes later to ask if we wanted anything. This person was clearly over her head and the show was almost over so we said no. We enjoyed the music but the poor service dampened our experience. read more

This is a cool spot. No liquor yet, but apparently coming soon! For now, water and juice. I watched a jazz performance here with a friend. The place has about 100 seats, but can fit about 200. The structural beams in the middle of the room can be a pain if you're sitting offset from the stage, but still good acoustics and nice decor. I liked the art work set into the walls. I hope to visit again! read more

The music is great but the establishment is ridiculous, this is not on par with any decent establishment. Staff was rude and tried to explain to me why i couldnt take photos of my friends while they were playing a set? Like what the hell lol... In order for musicians to receive any photos or videos of their performance they have to pay for them? Just not the direction that a music venue in brooklyn should be going.. And especially considering the place is completely out of the way, you'd imagine they would want more people to know about this place but i guess not? Stupid read more

ShapeShifter Lab - The band is great but fuck this place? - Music Venues Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

ABSOLUTELY UNPROFESSIONAL LIARS!!! After booking a date here, and planning a multimedia show here for one and a half months, they canceled my event two hours before I was to load in. Their initial reason was, and I quote,"We are being forced to shut down for the week due to internal business issues." However, they were open for business the very next day. When I asked about having a sit down meeting to know why my show was canceled and discuss reimbursements, Matt Garrison is totally unavailable. After a spearheaded statement via email conversation, he decided to confess the truth about why my show was canceled: "You have no idea what is going down. You actually should be thanking me for making sure of protecting your artistic interests in the long run. "Dirty work"... What a joke. You don't have a clue. Refrain from coming to useless conclusions. Have a sit down with Fortuna, figure out what needs to be done and get it over with. We offered you everything for FREE. Find the date and make your project function. If you do NOT want to proceed, that's fine. Don't waste more time or energy. Just get to it. Yes or no.... Because Fortuna and I are having a difficult time agreeing in how to proceed with business/personal matters. Your date reached a climax. It may not be the last event to end up in such a manner. It could happen again today depending on how the next hours unfold. I'm not coming in today because i will only work under specific conditions. It's not about you at all. We were both mortified that it came to canceling the date but it HAD to happen. You definitely have my personal apologies for it coming to that. I'm sorry. Please meet with Fortuna and settle on a new date. I personally promise and guarantee that whatever internal disagreements we may have will not affect the new date you both settle on. Book it." As the son of a great, and a union musician, I expected better from Matthew Garrison and I GOT BURNED!!!! He is the most unprofessional business owner I have ever come in contact with in new york! He is not trying to create a sense of community amongst musicians here. He is a greedy, money hungry coward who is only chasing checks. read more

We had our wedding party and everyone had a wonderful time. The staff is friendly and efficient and the sound system is great read more

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This venue has great sound! Saw Delage perform here - these ladies sounded great, and the venue's sound-woman made it that much better! Plus, it's a nice, intimate space - and has a huge stage for larger acts. read more

ShapeShifter Lab - Delage performing on stage! - Music Venues Near Me - Brooklyn, New York

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I have heard so many great performances here I lost count. and in many cases the artists featured were just as great as stylistically diverse and beyond category that many other venues would not even care to try to book them. Matt and Fortuna have a truly great thing going. To not only have the courage to leap headfirst into something as financially risky as starting a non-genre specific, generally open to all creative music and arts venue, but also successfully running it for eight years straight is admirable. Thanks again for sticking it out and doing it. Respect. read more

Stopped by for the first time with a couple of friends to hear the group Koplant No perform. Never realized that this place was here after hanging out in the area for so long. Venue is very cool and laid back, acoustics are good as well. We'll be going back the next time we are in the mood for some smooth jazz. read more

Came here for the jack dejohnette show. Reasonably priced 25 dollar tickets. Jack et al were really good. It was a good performance, in a terribly run place. I expected a much more professional bar or club with a will call window or booth ... not the Blue Note, necessarily, but not a garage full of art students on perpetual break either. Aloofn and dismissive (and infuriatingly slow) service was standard issue. I felt like I was invading some Pratt dorm party. Entire audience had to wait outside for an hour before the show -- even ticket holders. Each ticket holder received a carefully drawn (with a sharpie) picture of "hello kitty" (honest to God) as the entry "stamp", which, of course, meant an excessively long wait outside in the cold before being permitted to enter Shapeshifter Lab. Then for the second set, we had to go outside and do it all again. Worse than a frat party. These folks do not have their act together yet; unfortunately they really seem to like it that way. I asked a friend who lives around the corner (who invited me to this show) and this is not a fluke: it is standard operating procedure at this Very Special Venue. I almost didn't bother going back for set two. At least the performance was memorable in a good way - second set was better than the first, which made this night not a complete drag. read more

A friend rented this space out for a private party and while it's a nice layout, spacious, and the place looked cool, the service was unnecessarily bad. Two bartenders standing idly at an empty bar managed to ignore me for several minutes and then made me feel like I was doing something wrong by ordering a drink. Later when I asked for a water the guy sighed in my face and went and filled my glass with warm water from the tap.... instead of directing me to the water-dispenser that I later learned was on the other side of the bar. It wasn't a big deal but was annoying considering that this was someone's birthday and she could have held it elsewhere at a venue that actually wanted the business. read more

If you've ever wanted to experience the cutting edge of sound as art, you should spend an evening at ShapeShifter. To call it "experimental" elevates the concept. I've seen dozens of the musicians who've performed here. And I say performance cautiously. The music is created as much as performed. The space is comfortable. The staff are passionate. And the vibe can redirect your life. I took some lessons in improvisation from Matt, and I think it added years to my life. And to top it off, Fortuna makes the best cup of coffee in the Canal. read more

I saw a really great jazz quartet at Shape Shifter Lab this past weekend after an impromptu invitation from a friend. It's a large, open, loft-like space with exposed brick, tucked away on a one way street in the Gowanus that I didn't even know existed! It struck me as a welcoming space from the first moment I entered. There was a small cover for the band, and they had a little cafe serving beer, wine, and snacks for the show. They also have some interesting art that is for sale. My friend was checking out one of them, and I must say I couldn't help but pick a few faves out of the collection myself. Check out their calendar and go see some cool stuff! read more

Cool, industrial-like space that opened about 2 months ago. Exposed white-washed brick wall with local art on the walls. Small intimate setting, maybe only 100 in the audience. Came for the Jeff Ballard trio on a Monday, 6/4. Cash only for tix at the door. Liquor license in the works, should be up as early as next week. Juice available for now, pay whatever you want as a donation. read more

A great spot with great sound. Unlike the Manhattan venues this feels like you are sitting down with friends. In the couple of shows that I've heard, the artists seem to be more willing to play out and more likely to take chances. Last night, Jack DeJohnette did a bass drum solo for several minutes and the audience was mesmerized. At a Manhattan club, the audience would have started talking after 30 seconds. They are just getting started, so for large events the organization of tickets is still a little rough, but the staff are invariably polite and helpful. About 10 different beers and 8 different types of wine are available. You pick it up at the bar and bring it to your seat. I love having this alternative to the Blue Note, Iridium, etc. which have a distinctly older and more conservative crowd, a much more formal atmosphere, and higher ticket prices. Here, you can hear people who are not "known" almost any night of the week. It has the feeling of a really creative club and not a museum. I can't imagine the the work that it takes to start a place this, but I'm just happy they did and I hope they flourish. read more

This is not for everybody. If you are open to explore another jazz scene in Brooklyn, this works perfect. Very relaxing open space. For me, sound is good even from the side bar. Luckily I have not seen the show failed me. And finally they accept credit card. read more

It's a good space and I went to watch Earthdriver's event tonight (which was fabulous). The ticketing system needs improvement, though. The line was long and the woman taking orders was flustered and was calling me and my friend over to buy a ticket long after we had purchased them. Also, would be better if the bathrooms were both unisex. What I really like is the size of the stage in comparison to the size of the audience. The stage is almost bigger than the audience which guarantees an intimate show. read more

I paid for streaming to see a live performance at Shape Shifter Lab, it was terrible, not the performance, the site, no full screen view, sound was horrible and only a side view of the band, the view should have faced the front of the stage not the side and the sound production was super horrible, so horrible I had to write it twice. I felt like I was ripped off by paying for the streaming. They absolutely know about the sub par streaming service. You can't make money by ripping off people, ripped off people tell other people. If their business tactics don't change their door will be padlocked very soon. read more

These grumbling types don't get it. Shapeshifter books great music and is a nice place to listen. Enough said.

What an awesome place .. Great vibe and refreshing music scene. Went to see Fabian Almazan last night and had such a wonderful night! The staff was great and the artists seemed to really be enjoying themselves. Definitely go if you're feeling some great music and nice vibe! read more

Great place. Sound system is terrific. Been there five or six times and music is always great. Nice staff. Sets start late, but the place is so mellow (and the pre-music sounds so interesting) that it doesn't really matter. read more

I went to support my friend's band, as I do pretty much every other night of the week at various venues around NYC. I had high hopes for this place, especially after I walked in and saw the cool layout... that lasted about 30 seconds. The bartender at first would NOT let us try any of the wines before purchasing one. Now, I understand if you're a dive bar that serves only "Red" or "White" wine, but since they do not have their liquor license here there was a variety of wines. My mother, being a bit of a wine snob, merely wanted a tiny sip to try before shelling out a whole NINE DOLLARS ($9?!?!) for one glass. After a rude reaction and a few minutes going back and forth, he let her try one and we ended up getting 2 glasses just because we were sick of standing there. He then proceeded to pour us each HALF A GLASS of wine. It was such a hilariously small amount of wine for $9 that I took a picture of it and we waited around to speak to the manager. She dodged us several times before the band eventually began to play, so we sat down as to not miss their set. Not only was my boyfriend IN the band, but I was old friends with the majority of the players, so naturally I took out my camera to grab a shot or two of them playing. My friend had a film camera, so it seemed like a fine thing to do... UNTIL THE MANAGER CAME UP BEHIND ME, PHYSICALLY PUT HER HANDS ON ME AND GRABBED MY CAMERA OUT OF MY HAND. I have NEVER witnessed such an unprofessional, hands-down unacceptable reaction. She could have simply tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Hey please don't do that," but she actually GRABBED my camera. I pulled back and sternly expressed for her to please NOT TOUCH ME, which resulted in her sending over some strong-arm dude to tell me I had to leave. After missing a good chunk of my friend's set arguing with him, he told me he would let me stay if I went and APOLOGIZED to the manager/owner lady. I've been going to various music events around New York my entire life and I have NEVER been so disgusted by any management as I was by these guys. For an unestablished new business, they did absolutely nothing to warrant a return visit. It did, however, encourage me to make a Yelp account and try to warn the rest of Brooklyn. I see pretty much everyone else has had a terrible experience here as well! As far as I know from bands that have played there, THEY SCAM YOU OUT OF MONEY TOO!!! Not only did they take pretty much ALL of the money from my friend's band that night, they messed up the recording (part of why the band was paying so much) and lost a few parts of the mix completely. THIS PLACE IS A JOKE. DO NOT GIVE THEM YOUR BUSINESS. read more