Daniel Mendez

Daniel Mendez is a music recording professional who has worked for over 20 years as a producer, engineer, and mixer. In 2011, he founded the music production, publishing, and licensing company, Head Above Water.

Mendez began his career in Seattle, Washington as an engineer working for producers such as Steve Lillywhite, Tim Palmer, Joe Chiccarelli, Jack Endino, Don Gilmore, Adam Kasper, Gavin MacKillop, Martin Feveryear, Brett Eliason, David Torn, and Michael Shrieve on sessions with Heart, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, The Posies, Green Apple Quick Step, Built to Spill, Super Deluxe, The Cunninghams, Quiet Riot, Phish, and Barenaked Ladies, among others. During this time, Mendez worked out of numerous iconic studios in the Pacific Northwest including Bad Animals (now Studio X), London Bridge, Studio Litho, Avast!, Robert Lang Studios, Sound House, Ironwood, and the now defunct Stepping Stone Studios (where he was head engineer).

Mendez was recruited to Los Angeles, where he went on to work at legendary houses such as The Record Plant, The Village, Sage & Sound, and NRG with a diverse roster of artists and bands including Don Henley, Michael Jackson, Ice Cube, k.d. lang, Duran Duran, Lit, Eve 6, Dashboard Confessional, and Train.^[1][2][3] Mendez’s work can also be heard on the soundtracks/scores of the Academy award-winning film Almost Famous (credited as Daniel Mendes), the Academy award-nominated Vanilla Sky, and Sweet November.

He has produced singer/songwriters and bands like Noah Gundersen, The Native Sibling, Doubting Paris, and more. He currently operates out of Matchbox Studios,^[4] in Austin, Texas, in partnership with longtime friend and fellow producer, Dwight Baker.^[5]

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