Danton Supple is a British

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and mixer, best known for his work with

Coldplay Coldplay are a British rock band formed in London in 1997. They consist of vocalist and pianist Chris Martin, guitarist Jonny Buckland, bassist Guy Berryman, drummer Will Champion and creative director Phil Harvey. They met at University ...

Early career (1985–1994)

Danton Supple was introduced to the world of recording studios in the 1980s, at his girlfriend's uncle

Paddy Kingsland Paddy Kingsland (born 30 January 1947) is a composer of electronic music best known for his incidental music for science fiction series on BBC radio and television whilst working at the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Educated at Eggar's Grammar Sch ...

BBC radiophonic workshop The BBC Radiophonic Workshop was one of the sound effects units of the BBC, created in 1958 to produce incidental sounds and new music for radio and, later, television. The unit is known for its experimental and pioneering work in electroni ...

studios in Hammersmith, West London, "a place full of technology and music". Lacking the then required grade 8 in music to do a related course at college level, he instead looked into a way of turning his knowledge of maths and physics to getting a job in a studio and work his way up. While working at the recently established Shoreditch-based Strongroom Studios in 1986, Supple was introduced to a visiting producer from the renowned

SARM Studios Sarm Studios is an independent recording studio in London. Originally founded in east London in 1973, the studio's original location was renamed Sarm East Studios in 1982 when Jill Sinclair and Trevor Horn purchased Basing Street Studios from Isla ...

, leading to four years of audio training in West London. During his time at SARM, Supple did every job "from manning the reception to working behind the

mixing desk A mixing console or mixing desk is an electronic device for mixing audio signals, used in sound recording and reproduction and sound reinforcement systems. Inputs to the console include microphones, signals from electric or electronic instr ...

or editing tape", eventually working alongside producer

Trevor Horn Trevor Charles Horn (born 15 July 1949) is an English music producer, label and recording studio owner, musician and composer. He is best known for his production work in the 1980s, and for being one half of the new wave band The Buggles (wit ...

as assistant

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who invent, design, analyze, build and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while considering the limit ...

. Three years at the now defunct Westside Studios followed, engineering sessions for

Clive Langer Clive Langer (born 19 June 1954 in Hampstead, London, England) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Alan Winstanley. He composed the music for the films '' Still Crazy'' and '' ...

and

Alan Winstanley Alan Kenneth Winstanley (born 2 November 1952) is an English record producer and songwriter, active from the mid-1970s onwards. He usually works with Clive Langer. His early career during the mid-1970s was as an audio engineer, working on albu ...

and honing his skills with recording bands and acoustic instruments, before eventually going freelance in 1994.

Record producer and mixer (1994–present)

Initially, Supple's freelance career focused mostly on mixing and

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

, working with artists as diverse as Pet Shop Boys, Morrissey,

Jimmy Nail James Michael Aloysius Bradford (born 16 March 1954), known as Jimmy Nail, is an English singer-songwriter, actor, film producer, and television writer. He played the role of Leonard "Oz" Osborne in the television show '' Auf Wiedersehen, Pet'' ...

Cathy Dennis Catherine Roseanne Dennis (born 25 March 1969)Gregory, Andy (2002) ''International Who's Who in Popular Music 2002'', Europa; , p. 133 is a British singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. She was the vocalist for D Mob, which had the s ...

, U2 or

Suede Suede (pronounced ) is a type of leather with a fuzzy, napped finish, commonly used for jackets, shoes, fabrics, purses, furniture, and other items. The term comes from the French , which literally means "gloves from Sweden". The term was firs ...

among many others. He also increasingly moved into production, with R.O.C.'s eponymous 1996 debut album and Morrissey's 1997 " Rare Tracks" album amongst his first producer credits. In 2003, Danton Supple co-produced British indie rock band Starsailor's gold-certified second studio album, " Silence Is Easy" with Phil Spector and John Leckie, which reached number 2 in the UK charts in September 2003. The album's third single "

Four to the Floor Four-on-the-floor (or four-to-the-floor) is a rhythm pattern used primarily in dance genres such as disco and electronic dance music. It is a steady, uniformly accented beat in time in which the bass drum is hit on every beat (1, 2, 3, 4)."T ...

" produced by Supple attained chart positions around Europe and Australia, reaching number one in France and Wallonia. Having previously mixed English rock band

's 2002 breakthrough album ''

A Rush of Blood to the Head ''A Rush of Blood to the Head'' is the second studio album by British rock band Coldplay. It was released on 26 August 2002 by Parlophone in the United Kingdom, and a day later by Capitol Records in the United States. Recording started after t ...

'', the band opted to bring him on board as producer to start over on their troubled third studio album, which had been slated for a 2004 release but had already been delayed due to the band's dissatisfaction with the sound achieved from previous sessions. '' X&Y'' was released to general critical acclaim in June 2005, with ''

NME ''New Musical Express'' (''NME'') is a British music, film, gaming, and culture website and brand. Founded as a newspaper in 1952, with the publication being referred to as a 'rock inkie', the NME would become a magazine that ended up as a f ...

'' seeing it as reinforcing the band's status as "the band of their time". The album was the worldwide best-selling album of 2005, receiving multiple music awards as well as nominations including Best Rock Album and Best Rock Song at the 48th Grammy Awards. In 2009, Supple produced

Spandau Ballet Spandau Ballet () were an English new wave band formed in Islington, London, in 1979. Inspired by the capital's post-punk underground dance scene, they emerged at the start of the 1980s as the house band for the Blitz Kids, playing "European D ...

's seventh and final studio album, '' Once More''. The same year, he engineered U2's compilation album ''The Best of 1980-2000'' and produced the charity record "War Child 10", among other projects. In the last decade, Supple has worked extensively as producer, engineer and mixer with artists including Thirteen Senses, Starsailor,

Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...

Norma Jean Martine Norma Jean Martine is an American singer-songwriter, originally from Middletown, Orange County, New York, United States, but now based in London, England, whose song writing credits include Giorgia, Michele Bravi, Lena, Marco Mengoni, Ronan Kea ...

Charlie Simpson Charles Robert Simpson (born 7 June 1985) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is a member of multi- BRIT Award-winning rock band Busted and he is also the lead vocalist and the rhythm guitarist in the British post-hardcore band ...

, Oh Baby,

Elbow The elbow is the region between the arm and the forearm that surrounds the elbow joint. The elbow includes prominent landmarks such as the olecranon, the cubital fossa (also called the chelidon, or the elbow pit), and the lateral and the me ...

, Amy Macdonald and Kylie Minogue. Supple's most recent production work includes American singer-songwriter Ben Wylen's debut album ''People Say'', released in 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Supple, Danton English record producers English audio engineers 1965 births Living people Mixing engineers