Coop Studios is a professional recording and production facility founded and operated by Chris Laybourne, a multi-instrumentalist, engineer, and producer known in both rock and dance-music circles. Originally located in Freeport, New York, with later associations to Oceanside on Long Island’s South Shore, the studio has served as a creative hub for regional artists spanning rock, metal, Latin pop, and electronic music. Laybourne, sometimes credited as "Chris (Crispy Chicken) Laybourne,” has been the studio’s primary engineer, arranger, and mixer, overseeing sessions that combine analog warmth with modern production sensibilities.
Among its notable credits, Borgo Pass’s 2005 album Nervosa was recorded and co-produced by Laybourne and the band at The Coop Studios in Freeport. The record’s thick guitars and organic drum sound typify the kind of live, heavy rock aesthetic associated with the Long Island underground of the early 2000s. In later years, the Oceanside iteration of Coop Studios expanded its scope, working on a range of projects from singer-songwriter sessions to high-energy club tracks.
The studio’s reputation in the dance and Latin-fusion world is highlighted by its involvement in Louie Vega’s single “Woman” featuring George LaMond, where recording and mixing took place at Coop Studios, Oceanside NY, with engineering by Chris Laybourne and Frankie C. Other affiliated artists include Dave Diamond (of Zen Tricksters and Assembly Of Dust) who has referenced Coop’s recording community on his The In Between: Live and Not Live release, and the modern rock group Feverseed, whose debut EP Let Yourself Down reflects the kind of indie-minded, performance-driven production ethos Laybourne’s studio has long supported.
Crispy Chicken has been directly referenced within the Dabbleverse, as named within an episode of Who Are These Podcasts? featuring actor and musician Adam Busch, who referenced Crispy Chicken as leading to him meeting "Stuttering" John Melendez for the first time.
Researched by Darren Paltrowitz on November 1, 2025.