Robin Danar

Robin Danar is a music producer, engineer and mixer originating from New York and now based in Los Angeles, CA. Robin is a modern version of what the music industry once was. He comes from a time when contributions by a producer were much more than what they often are today - when musician/arranger/producers had names such as Tom Dowd, Leon Russell and Al Kooper. He applies this old-school artistry and sensibility to new music and technology. Robin understands the landscape and it appears remarkably in all of his work. He has plied his trade worldwide, sharing his talents as a musician, recording and mixing engineer, and producer with scores of artists.

History

Robin Danar started his career engineering records in New York City for mentors like Steve Lillywhite, Phil Ramone, Gary Katz and Russ Titelman with artists like Billy Joel, Paul Simon, Donald Fagen, Material and Chaka Khan. At the same time, he was doing live sound and recording at now-defunct CBGB's with bands ranging from Blondie, the Ramones, Patti Smith and Television through the Dead Boys and The New York Dolls [ [http://www.jivemagazine.com/forum/showthread.php?t=19216 Jive Magazine] , Jive News: Robin Danar - Altered States - March 18th.] .

He spent over a decade mixing front of house sound internationally for acts including Laurie Anderson, Suzanne Vega, Shawn Colvin, The B-52's, The Church, The Blue Nile and Cyndi Lauper and finding new artists, developing their careers and producing their albums. He also continued producing live performance recordings and broadcasts. Recent projects include albums with Judith Owen and Abba Roland as well as live recordings with Macy Gray, Five for Fighting and Robert Bradley's Blackwater Surprise. He was also involved in recording Bonnie Raitt and Los Lobos for the Wim Wenders film "A Soul of a Man," part of the PBS series "Martin Scorcese Presents The Blues."

Robin Danar has also established a career as Technical Producer of many events, handling all aspects of live audio, broadcast audio and recording. He is very involved with Santa Monica's KCRW. His role as a producer of the annual "A Sounds Eclectic Evening" includes performances by artists such as Beck, Norah Jones, Beth Orton, Shelby Lynne, Zero 7 and others. Recently, the featured artists for the show and recordings have included Coldplay, Franz Ferdinand, Death Cab for Cutie and many special guests.

His role as a producer of the Shortlistofmusic Award has included similar broadcasts and recordings of the show for MTV and XM Radio with a variety of artists including Damien Rice, Interpol, N.E.R.D., Bright Eyes, Sigur Ros, TV on the Radio and Cat Power. Robin also helped put together a jam featuring Iggy Pop, The Hives, Pete Yorn and Mike Watt. [ [http://www.robindanar.com/ Robin Danar Official Site] ]

"Altered States" (2008)

"Altered States" was released March 18, 2008. The album is a collaboration of Robin Danar with several other artists, including Inara George, Jesca Hoop, Peter Yorn, Kinky, Andy Levin, Holly Palmer, Lisa Loeb, Steve Reynolds, Paul Buchanan, Quincy Coleman, Rachael Yamagata, Julian Coryell, Minibar, Jim Bianco, Gary Jules, The Section Quartet and Julianna Raye [ [http://www.popmatters.com/pm/review/55487/robin-danar-altered-states/ PopMatters] , "Altered States" Review.] [ [http://www.kcrw.com/music/programs/tu/tu080506robin_danar_featurin KCRW] , Robin Danar, featuring Julianna Raye - The Last Waltz/Such a Night.] .

John O., Chris Jones and Kevin Salem helped with production on three of the album's tracks. Michael Fossenkemper and Dominick Maita did the mastering.

Robin Danar, a cutting-edge producer/engineer whose work at the epicenter of the punk scene at CBGBs and with taste-making radio station KCRW (a prime influence on Hollywood film/tv music supervisors) has made him a force in the alternative music scene, has created a ground-breaking work with ALTERED STATES. Robin plays the role of auteur as he orchestrates an almost cinematic program of unique productions, each featuring a notable artist doing a well-known song from far outside their normal genre. The results are striking, provocative and evocative. Featured vocalists include Pete Yorn, Rachael Yamagata, Lisa Loeb, Paul Buchanan (The Blue Nile), Inara George (The Bird & The Bee) and many more doing highly original versions of songs by The Damned, Michael Jackson, Morrissey, Talking Heads, Johnny Mathis, The Rolling Stones and more! [http://www.shanachie.com/artist/rdanar.htm Shanachie Entertainment - Altered States review]

About the album, Robin Danar said,

"Altered States" was designed for how things are today in the music business. People hear as much new music through its use in film, TV and commercials as through radio, which in most cases has a very limited spectrum. People buy music by the song and make their own playlists. I've made my own mix--a movie soundtrack album without a movie. None of this work was done in a recording studio, just homes and garages that had mics, preamps and computers. All of these artists and songs have existing fan bases. My goal is to allow these fans to enjoy other artists and musical directions they might enjoy. Don't give up on good radio either. It does still exist, you've just got to find it.

[ [http://www.robindanar.com/ Robin Danar Official Site] ]

Robin Danar was interview for "Altered States" on XM's [http://www.musiciansradio.com/index.php/podcast_player/index/73 Musician's Radio]

Discography

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References

External links

* [http://www.robindanar.com Official Site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/robindanar Robin Danar] at MySpace
* [http://www.shanachie.com/artist/rdanar.htm Shanachie Entertainment] Artist: Robin Danar
* [http://mog.com/Robin_Danar Robin Danar - MOG]
* [http://www.musiciansradio.com/index.php/podcast_player/index/73 Musicians Radio]