Randall Dunn is an American record producer,

audio engineer An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproduction, ...

, and musician. As a record producer, he has worked with musical acts such as

Sunn O))) Sunn O))) (pronounced "sun") is an American experimental metal band formed in 1998 in Seattle, Washington. The band is known for their distinctive visual style and slow, heavy sound, which blends diverse genres including doom metal, drone, bla ...

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Marissa Nadler Marissa Nadler (born April 5, 1981) is an American musician and fine artist. Active since 2000, she is currently signed to Sacred Bones Records and Bella Union, and released her ninth full-length studio album, ''The Path of the Clouds'', in Oc ...

Wolves in the Throne Room Wolves in the Throne Room is an American black metal band formed in 2002 in Olympia, Washington, by brothers Aaron and Nathan Weaver. They have released seven full-length albums, two live albums, and one EP to date. They have stated one of the f ...

, Boris, Anna Von Hausswolff,

Akron/Family Akron/Family were an American folk-influenced experimental rock band active from 2002 to 2013. Former members have lived in Portland, Oregon; Los Angeles, California; and Joshua Tree, California. Music and history Though each member of the band� ...

Oren Ambarchi Oren Ambarchi (born 1969) is an Australian musician. He is a multi-instrumentalist who plays mainly electric guitar and percussion. Biography Oren Ambarchi was born in Sydney to an Iraqi Jewish family. Ambarchi has been performing live since ...

Eyvind Kang Eyvindur Y. Kang (born 23 June 1971) is an American composer and multi-instrumentalist. His primary instrument is viola, but has also performed on violin, tuba, keyboards and others. In addition to his solo work, Kang has worked extensively with ...

The Cave Singers The Cave Singers is an American band from Seattle, Washington. Composed of former members of Pretty Girls Make Graves after its disbandment in 2007, former PGMG-member Derek Fudesco teamed up with Pete Quirk (of Hint Hint) and Marty Lund (of Cobra ...

Earth Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surfa ...

, and

Jesse Sykes Jesse Sykes (née Solomon) (born July 17, 1967) is an American singer and songwriter, best known for her band Jesse Sykes & the Sweet Hereafter, which was formed in 1999 with Phil Wandscher. Early life and education Sykes was born in Mount Kis ...

, among others.

Pitchfork A pitchfork (also a hay fork) is an agricultural tool with a long handle and two to five tines used to lift and pitch or throw loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. The term is also applied colloquially, but inaccurately, to th ...

has described him as "a go-to producer for metal but also for indie acts looking to add more edge and atmosphere."

Early life

Originally from Michigan, Dunn moved to Seattle in 1993 to explore his interest in film music. He attended

the Art Institute of Seattle The Art Institute of Seattle was a for-profit art and culinary school in Seattle, Washington. The school was one of a number of Art Institutes, a franchise of for-profit art colleges with many branches in North America, owned and operated by Ed ...

to study sound design for film, and formed connections with local musicians, including

Skerik Skerik is an American saxophonist from Seattle, Washington. Performing on the tenor and baritone saxophone, often with electronics and loops, he is a pioneer in a playing style that has been called saxophonics. He is a founding member of Critt ...

and

Matt Chamberlain Matthew Chamberlain (born April 17, 1967) is an American session musician, drummer, producer and songwriter. Biography Life and career Chamberlain was born in San Pedro, California on April 17, 1967. He began learning how to play the drums ...

. In an interview, Dunn stated, "I'm sort of a frustrated filmmaker that turned into a record producer. The people I met when I moved here spun me in a way that sent me down this path of treating sound the way I would have treated film." During his studies he received practical experience at Hanzsek Studios under the instruction of

Jack Endino Jack Endino (born Michael M. Giacondino; 1964) is an American producer and musician based in Seattle, Washington. Long associated with Seattle label Sub Pop and the grunge movement, Endino worked on seminal albums from bands including Mudhon ...

. He gradually became involved in the recording and producing of sessions.

Career

Record producer

As a fan of the band Naked City, Dunn contacted keyboardist

Wayne Horvitz Wayne Horvitz (born 1955) is an American composer, keyboardist and record producer. He came to prominence in the Downtown scene of 1980s and '90s New York City, where he met his future wife, the singer, songwriter and pianist Robin Holcomb. He ...

in Seattle who introduced him to

. Dunn received his first credit for a session with

, resulting in the piece "5th NADE/Invisible Man" on the

7 NADEs ''7 NADEs'' is the debut album by violinist/multi-instrumentalist Eyvind Kang which was released in 1996 on John Zorn's Tzadik Records as part of the Composer Series.

album released in 1996. His involvement resulted in a long-term friendship with Kang, through whom he met a number of musicians, mostly in the jazz-rock genre. Dunn was later introduced to the engineer Mell Dettmer and together they founded Aleph Studios. In 1998 he engineered the live portion of the album ''Bumpa'' by

Critters Buggin Critters Buggin is a Seattle, Washington-based instrumental group which performs in a jazz, rock and African-influenced, eclectic style. The band is composed of Matt Chamberlain (drums, percussion, piano, programming, synths, loops, samples and d ...

, while he received a writing credit for his involvement with ''Mr. Birdy's Fryday'' by the Rockin' Teenage Combo. In 2001 he worked together with trumpet player Lesli Dalaba and guitarist Bill Horist, releasing the ambient album ''Zahir''. He engineered Kang's 2002 album ''Live Low to the Earth, in the Iron Age''. In 2005, he was credited as an engineer on the Impaled album ''Death After Life'' released through Century Media. In the same year, Dunn met Dylan Carlson of the band Earth in Seattle and recorded their fourth album, '' Hex; or Printing in the Infernal Method'' at Aleph Studios''.'' After hearing his work with

Asva Asva is a village in Saaremaa Parish, Saare County, on the eastern part of Saaremaa Island, Estonia. (retrieved 28 July 2021) Before the administrative reform in 2017, the village was in Laimjala Parish. Prehistoric settlement Asva is know ...

Stephen O'Malley Stephen O'Malley (sometimes referred to as SOMA; born July 15, 1974) is an American guitarist, producer, composer, and visual artist from Seattle, Washington, who has conceptualized and participated in numerous drone doom, death/doom, and exper ...

contacted Dunn to produce the collaborative album between

and Boris,

Altar An altar is a table or platform for the presentation of religious offerings, for sacrifices, or for other ritualistic purposes. Altars are found at shrines, temples, churches, and other places of worship. They are used particularly in paga ...

. This began a long relationship with the band doing live sound and producing several of their albums including

Monoliths & Dimensions ''Monoliths & Dimensions'' is the sixth studio album by drone metal band Sunn O))). The album was created and recorded over a period of two years and features the collaborations of composer Eyvind Kang, Australian guitar player Oren Ambarchi, Hun ...

and

Kannon Guanyin () is a Bodhisattva associated with compassion. She is the East Asian representation of Avalokiteśvara ( sa, अवलोकितेश्वर) and has been adopted by other Eastern religions, including Chinese folk religion. She ...

. Dunn recorded several songs with

Sun City Girls Sun City Girls were an American experimental rock band, formed in 1979 in Phoenix, Arizona. From 1981, the group consisted of Alan Bishop (bass guitar, vocals), his brother Richard Bishop (guitar, piano, vocals), and Charles Gocher (drums, voc ...

for the soundtrack to the

Harmony Korine Harmony Korine (born January 4, 1973, some sources report September 1, 1974)
" Retrieved on 2009-10-26. is an Ame ...

film

Mister Lonely ''Mister Lonely'' is a 2007 comedy film directed by Harmony Korine and co-written with his brother Avi Korine. It features an ensemble cast of international actors, including Diego Luna, Samantha Morton, Denis Lavant, Werner Herzog, James Fox, A ...

. In 2014, Dunn worked with

and Stephen O’Malley on scoring the short film ''Kairos'' by the Belgian filmmaker Alexis Destoop. It was released as ''Shade Themes from Kairos'' on Drag City in 2014. In 2017, Dunn entered the studio with

Myrkur Myrkur is a Danish black metal band led by singer Amalie Bruun. Myrkur is a solo project within the genre of second-wave black metal. Initially, the real-life identity of the person behind the project was kept unknown. Her identity has since be ...

, producing her second album '' Mareridt.'' In 2018, Dunn produced Anna Von Hausswolff's fourth studio album, Dead Magic. The album was critically well received with reviews highlighting Dunn's attention to capturing her vocal performance. Later that year, Dunn produced

Cloud Nothings Cloud Nothings is an American indie rock band from Cleveland, Ohio, United States, founded by singer-songwriter Dylan Baldi. It currently consists of lead singer and guitarist Dylan Baldi, drummer Jayson Gerycz, bassist Noah Depew, and guitarist ...

' fifth studio album, '' Last Building Burning.'' The Association of Danish Music Critics nominated Randall Dunn for Producer of the Year in 2018 for his work with

Sort Sol 300px, A formation of starlings in the marshlands near Tønder, Denmark">Tønder.html" ;"title="starlings in the marshlands near Tønder">starlings in the marshlands near Tønder, Denmark. image:Fugle,_%C3%B8rns%C3%B8_073.jpg, 300px, Blick of so ...

, and Childrenn. Dunn co-produced the score to the

Panos Cosmatos Panos Cosmatos (born February 1, 1974) is an Italian-Canadian film director and screenwriter. He is known for ''Beyond the Black Rainbow'' and '' Mandy''. Life and career Cosmatos was born in Italy to Greek-Italian film-maker George P. Cosmat ...

film ''

Mandy Mandy or Mandie may refer to: People * Mandy (name), a female given name and nickname * Iván Mándy (1918-1995), Hungarian writer * Mark Mandy (born 1972), Irish retired high jumper * Philip Mandie (born 1942), a former judge on the Supreme Cou ...

'', along with the late

Jóhann Jóhannsson Jóhann Gunnar Jóhannsson (; 19 September 1969 – 9 February 2018) was an Icelandic composer who wrote music for a wide array of media including theatre, dance, television, and film. His work is stylised by its blending of traditional orchest ...

in 2018. On November 9, 2018, Dunn released his first solo studio album titled ''Beloved.'' It featured guest vocals from Frank Fisher of

Algiers Algiers ( ; ar, الجزائر, al-Jazāʾir; ber, Dzayer, script=Latn; french: Alger, ) is the capital and largest city of Algeria. The city's population at the 2008 Census was 2,988,145Census 14 April 2008: Office National des Statistiques ...

and

Zola Jesus Nika Roza Danilova (born Nicole Rose Hummel; April 11, 1989), known professionally by her stage name Zola Jesus, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. Her music has been noted for combining elements of electronic, industrial, ...

Master Musicians of Bukkake

In addition to his work as a producer and engineer, Dunn is a keyboardist and founding member of the experimental group, Master Musicians of Bukkake. Dunn described the project as "a way to escape how I make music in the studio when I’m doing records for people". In 2004, alongside his bandmates, Dunn wrote, arranged and produced the first Master Musicians of Bukkake record, ''The Visible Sign of the Invisible Order.'' The album was released on

' label, Abduction Records and featured the musicians Eryn Young (vocals), James Davis, Don McGreevy,

Alan Bishop Alan Bishop is an American musician best known for being the bassist and vocalist of experimental rock band Sun City Girls. He also pointed out that "people themselves are a really big thing for me. I just try to find people that you can spend ten days with in a small room, still enjoy each other's music and company, and be collaborative". As a musician, Dunn described himself "as an arranger in the studio. (...) You have to think several steps ahead as a musician – tuning, performance, rhythm – you have to think about all these layers of how sounds work". On several occasions, Dunn has expressed a preference for the use of analog recording equipment: "I'm not a huge fan of the predictability of digitally processed music. But when you combine it with analog, you can get a cool medium. I rarely mix in the box .e., entirely digitally, or use

Pro Tools Pro Tools is a digital audio workstation (DAW) developed and released by Avid Technology (formerly Digidesign) for Microsoft Windows and macOS. It is used for music creation and production, sound for picture (sound design, audio post-productio ...

common computerized editing softwareto do mixes. Everything is hands-on with faders. I'll start with tape—if it's a rock band, recording to 16-track two-inch tape. It's a beautiful sound you don't hear much of any more. I like the hybrid approach with the ''soul'' of tape and the precision of digital." Dunn credits his open approach in the studio as being influenced by his studies of Buddhism and psychology.

Discography

Solo studio albums * ''Beloved'' (Figureight, 2018) Collaborative albums * Lesli Dalaba/Bill Horist/Randall Dunn, ''Zahir'' (Endless Records, 2001) *

/Randall Dunn, ''Shade Themes From Kairos'' (Drag City, 2014) As Master Musicians of Bukkake * ''The Visible Sign of the Invisible Order'' (Abduction, 2004) * ''Totem One'' (Conspiracy Records, 2009) * ''Totem Two'' (Important Records, 2010) * ''Totem Three'' (Important Records, 2011) * ''Far West'' (Important Records, 2013) * ''Far West Quad Cult'' (Important Records, 2015)

Production credits

*John Schuller, ''Lesser Angel of Failure'' (World Misery Recordings, 2002) *

, '' Hex; Or Printing in the Infernal Method'' (Southern Lord, 2005) * Kinski, ''Alpine Static'' (Sub Pop, 2005) * Asva, ''Futurist's Against The Ocean'' (Web of Mimicry, 2005) *

, ''

Angel Coma The discography of Sunn O))), an American drone metal band, consists of nine studio albums, three collaborative albums, six EPs, four demos, one remix album, eight official live albums (plus one hundred and fifteen collected bootleg live record ...

'' (Southern Lord, 2006) *

, '' Hibernaculum'' (Southern Lord, 2007) * Jesse Sykes & The Sweet Hereafter, ''Like, Love, Lust & The Ocean Halls of the Soul'' (Fargo Records, 2007) * Kinski, ''Down Below It's Chaos'' (Sub Pop, 2007) *

, ''

Two Hunters ''Two Hunters'' is the second album by black metal band Wolves in the Throne Room and their debut album on Southern Lord Records. The band made minimal use of any digital effects or manipulation in the recording process.Tartar Lamb, ''Sixty Metonymies'' (Ice Level Music, 2007) * Asva, ''What You Don't Know Is Frontier'' (Southern Records, 2008) *

Kayo Dot Kayo Dot is an American avant-garde metal group. Formed in 2003 by Toby Driver after the break-up of ''maudlin of the Well'', they released their debut album ''Choirs of the Eye'' on John Zorn's Tzadik Records that same year. Since then, Kayo ...

, '' Blue Lambency Downward'' (Hydra Head Records, 2008) *

, '' The Bees Made Honey in the Lion's Skull'' (Southern Lord, 2008) *

Sir Richard Bishop Richard Bishop is an American composer, guitarist and singer best known for his work with the Sun City Girls. He styles himself Sir Richard Bishop. In 2005, Bishop began performing as a solo artist, playing throughout Europe, Australia, and th ...

, ''The Peacock Angels Lament/Narasimha'' (Southern Lord, 2008) *

, ''Luminous Night'' (Drag City, 2009) *

, ''

'' (Southern Lord, 2009) *

, ''

Black Cascade ''Black Cascade'' is the third full-length studio album by the American ambient black metal band Wolves in the Throne Room. It was released through Southern Lord Records on March 31, 2009, and in Japan by Daymare Records on May 5, 2009. Trac ...

'' (Southern Lord, 2009) * Black Mountain, ''

Wilderness Heart ''Wilderness Heart'' is the third studio album by Black Mountain, released on September 14, 2010. The album received a nod from ''Exclaim!'' magazine as the No. 18 Pop & Rock Album of 2010. The album was also named as a longlisted nominee for t ...

'' (Jagjaguwar, 2010) *

, ''

Coyote The coyote (''Canis latrans'') is a species of canis, canine native to North America. It is smaller than its close relative, the wolf, and slightly smaller than the closely related eastern wolf and red wolf. It fills much of the same ecologica ...

'' (Hydra Head Records, 2010) *

, ''No Witch'' (Jagjaguwar, 2011) *

Mamiffer Mamiffer is an American band based in Seattle, Washington. It started out as a solo project for former Pyramids and Everlovely Lightningheart member Faith Coloccia that later saw several session musicians and collaborators, most consistently Aar ...

, ''Mare Decendrii'' (SIGE, 2011) *

, ''

Celestial Lineage Celestial Lineage is the fourth full-length studio album by American black metal band Wolves in the Throne Room. It was released through Southern Lord Records on September 13, 2011. On August 9, 2011, "Woodland Cathedral" was posted for streamin ...

'' (Southern Lord, 2011) *

& Steve Noble, ''St. Francis Duo'' (Bo'Weavil Recordings, 2012) *

Rose Windows A rose is either a woody perennial flowering plant of the genus ''Rosa'' (), in the family Rosaceae (), or the flower it bears. There are over three hundred species and tens of thousands of cultivars. They form a group of plants that can be e ...

, ''The Sun Dogs'' (Sub Pop, 2013) * Kinski, ''Cosy Moments'' (Kill Rock Stars, 2013) *

Splashgirl Splashgirl (initiated 2003 in Oslo, Norway) is a Norwegian jazz ensemble comprising the three young musicians Andreas Stensland Løwe (piano and electronics), Jo Berger Myhre (doublebass and tone generator) and Andreas Lønmo Knudsrød (drums, ...

, ''Field Day Rituals'' (Hubro, 2013) *

, ''Sub Verses'' (Dead Oceans, 2013) *

, ''

Hubardo ''Hubardo'' is the sixth studio album by American avant-garde metal band Kayo Dot. It is a concept double album self-released and funded through pre-orders on frontman Toby Driver's Ice Level Records in 2013. It is the follow up to ''Gamma Knife'' ...

'' (Ice Level Music, 2013) *

, ''July'' (Sacred Bones Records, 2014) *

, '' Celestite'' (Artemisia Records, 2014) *

, ''Quixotism'' (Editions Mego, 2014) *

, ''Statu Nascendi'' (SIGE, 2014) *

John Zorn John Zorn (born September 2, 1953) is an American composer, conductor, saxophonist, arranger and producer who "deliberately resists category". Zorn's avant-garde and experimental approaches to composition and improvisation are inclusive of jaz ...

, '' Alastor: Book of Angels Volume 21'' (Tzadik, 2014) *

, ''Rose Windows'' (Sub Pop, 2015) *

, ''Hibernation'' (Hubro, 2015) *

, ''

'' (Southern Lord, 2015) * Daughn Gibson, ''Carnation'' (Sub Pop, 2015) *

Steve Von Till Stephen Francis Von Till Jr. is an American musician, poet, and educator, best known as the guitarist of the band Neurosis, in which he also shared lead vocals with former member Scott Kelly. Following Kelly's departure in 2019, he is now the ...

, ''A Life Unto Itself'' (Neurot Recordings, 2015) *

, ''The World Unseen'' (SIGE, 2016) *Lesbian, ''Hallucinogenesis'' (Translation Loss Records, 2016) * Black Mountain, ''IV'' (Jagjaguwar, 2016) *Headwaves, Self-Titled (Self-released, 2016) *

, ''Banshee'' (Jagjaguwar, 2016) *Ash Borer, ''The Irrepassable Gate'' (Profound Lore Records, 2016) *

, ''Strangers'' (Sacred Bones, 2016) *

, ''Stor Langsom Stjerne'' (Sony Music, 2017) *

, '' Mareridt'' (Relapse Records, 2017) * Anna von Hausswolff '' Dead Magic'' (City Slang, 2018) *

''Last Burning Building'' (Carpark, 2018) *

''Original Soundtrack'' (Lakeshore Records, 2018)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Randall Living people American audio engineers Record producers from Michigan Record producers from Washington (state) Year of birth missing (living people)