Music is the fabric of life for Knitting Factory Entertainment. The company operates the Knitting Factory, a downtown New York City music venue that has played host to such artists as Sonic Youth, John Lurie's Lounge Lizards, and Lou Reed. The club is now at the center of a media company that includes four clubs (in New York; Hollywood; Boise, Idaho; and Spokane, Washington) and several record labels, including Shimmy Disc (neo-psychedelic), Knit Classics (jazz standards), and Instinct Records (dance and acid jazz). Founder Michael Dorf opened the Knitting Factory in 1987 and owns a majority of the company.