| Damian Taylor | |
|---|---|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada |
| Occupations | Record producer, audio engineer, musician |
| Instruments | Reactable |
| Years active | 1997 to present |
| Associated acts | The Prodigy Bjork UNKLE |
| Website | www.damiantaylor.com |
Damian Taylor is a Grammy-nominated music producer born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and currently residing in Montreal in Canada. Taylor's experience also includes audio mixer, audio engineer, composer, programmer, performer, editor and software designer. [1]
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Taylor's family relocated to New Zealand in 1987. Taylor moved to London in 1997. He spent a decade based in the UK where he established his career as an engineer and programmer, working with producers and mixers such as Guy Sigsworth, Neil McLellan, Adrian Bushby, Pascal Gabriel, Al Clay, Jim Abiss, Steve Osborne, Cameron Craig, and Tom Elmhirst, and artists such as UNKLE, Adam Freeland, and The Prodigy. Taylor regularly worked at studios such as Strongroom, Olympic, Whitfield Street, Metropolis, The Townhouse, Chiswick Reach, Rockfield and The Pierce Rooms.
After working and travelling full time with the Icelandic singer Björk from 2005 and 2011 on two albums and an extended world tour, Taylor settled in Montreal where he custom-built his own studio, Golden Ratio [2], in the city's Mile-End neighbourhood. The studio was designed with acoustician John Brandt. [1] Taylor returned to Canada to "be involved in the next evolution of Canadian music right across the board" though he continues to work with international artists. [3]
Taylor's Grammy nominated projects include Best Alternative Album for Björk's Vespertine (2001) and Volta (2005) [4], Best Dance Album for The Prodigy's Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned (2004) [5] and Best Remix for Sarah Vaughan's "Fever" Adam Freeland Remix (2005) [6]
Taylor has worked with notable artists such as Diamond Rings, Kasabian, Frou Frou, Stateless, South, The Whip, Freeland, Young Love, Robyn, The B-52s, The Boredoms and Arcade Fire. [7]
Taylor's time as a co-producer in remix teams for UNKLE, Adam Freeland, and Guy Sigsworth (Heavy Rotation) as well as a producer of remixes under both his own name and the Stone Lions moniker have earned him a Grammy nod, remixing tracks of artists such as [Arcade Fire, DJ Shadow, UNKLE, Björk, Placebo, Kylie Minogue, Depeche Mode, and Metallica. [7]
Taylor worked as a co-producer on the film soundtrack for Sexy Beast (2000). [8]
Recent work includes Björk’s multi-media Biophilia and mixing Austra’s debut, Feel It Break. [9]
For Biophilia, Taylor not only performed traditional studio engineering, programming, and mixing, but he also designed and programmed a series of musical performance systems which were used extensively by Björk during the writing of the album and created the audiovisual experience of Biophilia through iPAD apps. [10]
Damian created a Max MSP patch called Woodpecker via the Cycling 74 website. [11] The patch was designed after conversations with Arcade Fire, and it creates fast 16th note midi sequences from keyboard input. It allows the performer to bring a very electronic feel into a live ensemble, free of set tempos and click tracks. There are options to allow you to vary the feel of the sequence, play triplets, and explore various arpeggiation styles. [12]
He is represented by Liz Hart of Miss Management. [13]
| Release year | Album | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Biophilia | Bjork |
| 2011 | Feel It Break | Austra |
| 2009 | Invaders Must Die | The Prodigy |
| 2007 | Volta | Bjork |
| 2005 | Teenage Dance Ordinance | A |
| 2004 | Sexy Beast | Film Score |
| 2003 | Never, Never Land | UNKLE |
| 2003 | Now & Them | Freeland |
| 2002 | Hi Fi Serious | A |
| 2001 | Do Androids Dream Of Electric Beats? | UNKLE |
| 2001 | From Here On In | South |
| 2000 | Rebore Vol 1 | The Boredoms |