Rodaidh McDonald

Last updated

Rodaidh McDonald
Birth nameRoderick William George McDonald
Born Edinburgh, Scotland
Occupation(s)Music producer, record company executive
Labels XL
Website rodaidhmcdonald.com

Roderick William George "Rodaidh" McDonald [1] is a Scottish record producer, and record company executive. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland and currently resides in Los Angeles, California, United States. His production and mixing credits include The xx, King Krule, Adele, Sampha, Beck, Weyes Blood, Lykke Li, Daughter, Savages, The Horrors, Bobby Womack, Vampire Weekend, Glaive, Hot Chip, and Gil Scott-Heron. [2]

Contents

Career

Early career

In 2008, McDonald organised Italo disco club nights in London under the 'Cocadisco' brand. [3]

XL Recordings

Between 2009 and 2019, McDonald worked with XL Recordings, operating as A&R as well as overseeing activities in XL Studios, the label's in-house recording studio. He has worked at XL Studios with a number of acts including The xx, Adele, Sampha, Jai Paul, The Horrors, Bobby Womack, Vampire Weekend, Gil Scott-Heron, and Giggs. [4] He also signed artists including King Krule and Powell. [5]

Production

McDonald’s production is found across multiple genres and styles, both on and outside of XL.

In 2009, McDonald recorded and mixed The xx's multi-platinum album xx which won the Mercury Music Prize in 2010. [6]

In 2010, McDonald visited Ethiopia with Richard Russell and Nick Zinner. They subsequently released an EP together under the name Fresh Touch. [7]

In 2011, McDonald participated as a producer in Damon Albarn DRC Music project. Collaborating with producers Dan the Automator, XL Recordings, Richard Russell, Jneiro Jarel, Actress, Marc Antoine, Alwest, Remi Kabaka Jr., Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Kwes, McDonald went to Kinshasa in DR Congo for one week to record an album called Kinshasa One Two . [8] All proceeds will benefit Oxfam's work in the DRC. [9] The album was released by Warp Records. [10]

In 2012, he continued his relationship with The xx, mixing the band's second album Coexist with Jamie Smith. [11] On 16 September 2012, Coexist entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. [12]

In 2013, McDonald contributed production to albums by Daughter, King Krule, Savages, and Willis Earl Beal amongst others. Savages' album Silence Yourself , was shortlisted for the 2013 Mercury Music Prize. [13]

In an interview with Dazed and Confused in June 2014, McDonald confirmed he was working on a third xx album in New York, Texas, and Iceland. He also confirmed he was working on the debut album for Sampha, as well as UK singer Denai Moore. [14]

On 20 January 2017, I See You by The xx, which was co-produced by McDonald and Jamie Smith, entered the UK Albums Chart at number one. I See You also entered at number one in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and the Netherlands. In the United States it gained the number 1 position in the sales chart and number 2 in the Billboard 200. [15] In July 2017, it was announced that both I See You and Sampha’s debut, Process , also co-produced by McDonald, had both been nominated for the 2017 Mercury Music Prize, [16] with Process winning the prize in September 2017. [17]

The same year also saw McDonald shortlisted as Producer Of The Year at the 2017 A&R Awards. [18]

A further US No.1 album came in March 2018 when David Byrne's American Utopia , produced by McDonald, Byrne, and Brian Eno, debuted at No.1 in the US Top Album chart and No.3 in The Billboard 200. [19] American Utopia was nominated for 'Best Alternative Music Album' in the 2019 Grammy Awards. [20]

Discography

YearArtistTitleAlbumLabelCredit
2023 Dermot Kennedy ‘’Sunday”- Interscope Production, Writing
Mustafa ‘’Name Of God”-Regent Park SongsProduction, Mixing
Mayer Hawthorne all songs‘’For All Time”P&L RecordsProduction, Arranging
Beck ‘’Thinking About You”- Universal Mixing
Don Toliver ‘’Leather Coat” Lovesick Atlantic Production, Writing
Youth Lagoon all songs Heaven Is a Junkyard Fat Possum Production
Paris Texas ”Everybody's Safe Until…”, “Lana Del Rey” Mid Air self releasedProduction, writing
IDK ”Thug Tear”, “Rabbit Stew”F65 Warner Production
Glaive ”Oh Are You Bipolar One or Two?” I Care So Much That I Don't Care At All Interscope Production, Writing
2022 Weyes Blood “A Given Thing” And In The Darkness, Hearts Aglow Sub Pop Production
Omar Apollo “Ivory” Ivory Warner Production
Jamie xx “Let’s Do It Again”single Young Mixing
Lykke Li “Happy Hurts”, “5D”, “Highway To Your Heart” Eyeye PIAS Production, Writing
2021 Mustafa "Ali" When Smoke Rises Regent Park SongsProduction
Parquet Courts - Sympathy For Life Rough Trade Production, Mixing
2020 Alaska Reid "Oblivion", "Pilot"Big Bunny Terrible Records Production, Writing
Duval Timothyall songsHelpCarrying ColourProduction, Mixing
2019 Hot Chip -A Bath Full Of Ecstasy Domino Production
Kelsey Lu -Blood Columbia Production, Writing
Yellow Days"How Can I Love You?"single Sony Records Production
2018 David Byrne all songs American Utopia Nonesuch Production
2017 Nick Mulvey "Mountain To Move"Wake Up Now Fiction Production
The xx all songs I See You Young Turks Production
Sampha all songs Process Young Turks Production
HMLTD"To The Door"singleOuroboros LTDProduction
2016 Sampha "Timmy’s Prayer", "Blood On Me"singles Young Turks Production
Kanye West "Saint Pablo" The Life of Pablo Def Jam Sampha vocal production
Liss "Try", "Sorry"Try EP XL Recordings Production
Låpsley "Love Is Blind", "Leap", "Operator (He Doesn’t Call Me)", "Cliff", "Hurt Me", "Heartless" Long Way Home XL Recordings Production, Writing
The xx "On Hold"single Young Turks Production
JONES "Lonely Cry" New Skin 37 AdventuresProduction
2015 Låpsley all songsUnderstudy EP XL Recordings Production, Writing
Ardyn"Universe" "Help Me On My Way"Universe EPNational AnthemProduction
2014 How To Dress Well all songs "What Is This Heart?" Domino Production
FKA Twigs How's That, Water Me EP2 Young Turks Mixing
2013 King Krule all songs 6 Feet Beneath the Moon XL Recordings, True Panther Sounds Production
Savages all songs Silence Yourself Matador Production
Daughter "Winter", "Smother", "Amsterdam", "Touch" If You Leave 4AD Production
Willis Earl Beal all songs Nobody Knows. XL Recordings Production
2012 How To Dress Well all songs Total Loss Domino Production
The xx all songs Coexist Young Turks Mixing
Daughter "Smother"single 4AD Mixing
2011 King Krule All songs King Krule EP True Panther Sounds Production
The Horrors "Whole New Way"single XL Recordings Mixing
DRC Music"Ah Congo" Kinshasa One Two Warp Records Production
Spector "Never Fade Away"Enjoy It While It Lasts Fiction Production
2010 Adele "If It Hadn’t Been For Love", "Hiding My Heart" 21 XL Recordings Production
Vampire Weekend "Giving Up The Gun (Extended Mix)"single XL Recordings Additional Production
Giggs "Talkin Da Hardest" Let Em Ave It XL Recordings, Takeover Entertainment Mixing
The xx all songs xx Young Turks Recording, Mixing
Gil Scott Heron "I'm New Here", "Me and the Devil" I'm New Here XL Recordings Recording, Mixing

Soundtracks

YearFilmDirectorCredit
2018 Two for Joy Tom BeardComposer

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Albarn</span> British musician (born 1968)

Damon Albarn is an English singer, musician, songwriter and record producer from Whitechapel, London. He is the frontman and main lyricist of the rock band Blur and the co-creator and primary musical contributor of the virtual band Gorillaz.

<i>13</i> (Blur album) 1999 studio album by Blur

13 is the sixth studio album by the English alternative rock band Blur, released on 15 March 1999. Continuing the stylistic shift away from the Britpop sound of the band's early career, 13 explores experimental, psychedelic and electronic music.

<i>Gorillaz</i> (album) 2001 studio album by Gorillaz

Gorillaz is the debut studio album by English virtual band Gorillaz, released on 26 March 2001 in the United Kingdom by Parlophone and in the United States by Virgin Records. The album reached number three in the UK and number fourteen in the US, and the top ten in several other countries. Gorillaz has sold over seven million copies worldwide. The album's success earned the group an entry in the Guinness Book of World Records as the "Most Successful Virtual Band", and spawned the singles "Clint Eastwood", "19-2000", "Rock the House", and "Tomorrow Comes Today".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">XL Recordings</span> British record label

XL Recordings is a British independent record label founded in 1989 by Tim Palmer and Nick Halkes. It has been run and co-owned by Richard Russell since 1996. It forms part of the Beggars Group.

Richard Russell is an English record producer and the owner of British record label XL Recordings.

Omar Jarel Gilyard, known by his stage name Jneiro Jarel, is an American recording artist, music producer, composer and DJ. Recognized for his versatile, abstract, and often experimental style, he is also known for his beat-making alias Dr. Who Dat? and his groups Willie Isz, JJ Doom and Shape of Broad Minds. He has collaborated with artists such as Damon Albarn, Count Bass D, Massive Attack, TV on the Radio and Kimbra among others.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The xx</span> British indie pop band

The xx are an English indie rock band from Wandsworth, London, formed in 2005. The band consists of Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim, Jamie Smith, also known as Jamie xx, and formerly Baria Qureshi. They are known for their distinct and minimalist sound that blends indie rock, indie electronic, indie pop, dream pop and electro-rock and the dual vocalist setup of both Madley Croft and Sim. Their music employs soft, echoed guitar, prominent bass, light electronic beats and ambient soundscape backgrounds.

<i>xx</i> (The xx album) 2009 studio album by the xx

xx is the debut studio album by the English indie pop band the xx. It was released on 14 August 2009 by Young Turks, then an imprint label of XL Recordings, and recorded from December 2008 to February 2009 at the label's in-house studio in London. Producing the album, Jamie Smith of the xx created electronic beats for the songs on his laptop and mixed them in a detailed process with the audio engineer Rodaidh McDonald, who attempted to reproduce the intimate, unembellished quality of the band's original demos.

Young is a British independent record label that sits in the Beggars Group of labels launched by Caius Pawson in 2006. It has grown from an imprint of XL Recordings into a successful and influential label now partnered with XL and operates across a range of genres. The label's current roster includes The xx, FKA twigs, Sampha, Jamie xx, Koreless and Kamasi Washington.

<i>Kinshasa One Two</i> 2011 studio album by DRC Music

Kinshasa One Two is an album recorded by Damon Albarn alongside ten producers of the newly established DRC Music to benefit Oxfam's work in the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damon Albarn discography</span>

The solo discography of British musician Damon Albarn consists of four collaboration albums, four soundtrack albums, three extended plays and twelve singles. Also included are releases by Albarn's various side-projects and groups such as Mali Music, The Good the Bad & the Queen, Monkey, DRC Music and Rocket Juice & the Moon. Most of Albarn's work is either released by Honest Jon's Records, Parlophone or EMI Records.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Actress (musician)</span> British electronic musician

Darren J. Cunningham is a British electronic musician, who uses the pseudonym Actress. His albums include Hazyville (2008), Splazsh (2010), R.I.P. (2012), Ghettoville (2014), AZD (2017), LAGEOS, 88 (2020), Karma & Desire (2020); released on Ninja Tune, Honest Jon's Records, and Werkdiscs, a label he co-founded in 2004, and LXXXVIII (2023); released on Ninja Tune. Splazsh was named best album of the year by The Wire.

<i>The Bravest Man in the Universe</i> 2012 studio album by Bobby Womack

The Bravest Man in the Universe is the twenty-seventh and final studio album by the American soul artist Bobby Womack. Released on June 12, 2012, it was his first studio album since 2000 and his first album of original material since 1994's Resurrection. It was produced by Damon Albarn and Richard Russell and released on the UK-based XL Recordings label. The Bravest Man in the Universe is the final album to be released in Womack's lifetime, as The Best Is Yet to Come will be released posthumously.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sampha</span> English singer and musician

Sampha Lahai Sisay is a British singer, songwriter, musician and record producer from Morden, South London. Sampha has collaborated with Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Frank Ocean, SBTRKT, Jessie Ware, Travis Scott, Kanye West, Solange and others. Sampha has released two solo EPs: Sundanza (2010) and Dual (2013). Sampha's debut album, Process, was released on 3 February 2017 by Young and won the 2017 Mercury Prize. His second album, Lahai, was released on 20 October 2023.

<i>6 Feet Beneath the Moon</i> 2013 studio album by King Krule

6 Feet Beneath the Moon is the debut studio album by English singer-songwriter Archy Marshall under the stage name King Krule. It was released on 24 August 2013, Marshall's nineteenth birthday, via True Panther Sounds and XL Recordings.

<i>Everyday Robots</i> 2014 studio album by Damon Albarn

Everyday Robots is the debut solo studio album by British musician Damon Albarn, best known as the frontman of Blur and Gorillaz. Described by Albarn as his "most personal record", the album was co-produced by Richard Russell and released on 25 April 2014. It features guest contributions from musician and producer Brian Eno, singer Natasha Khan and the Leytonstone City Mission Choir. It was nominated for the 2014 Mercury Prize for best album.

<i>Process</i> (Sampha album) 2017 studio album by Sampha

Process is the debut studio album by English singer Sampha, released on 3 February 2017 by Young Turks. The album was co-produced by Sampha and Scottish music producer Rodaidh McDonald. It won the Mercury Prize for 2017.

<i>The Ooz</i> 2017 studio album by King Krule

The Ooz is the third studio album by English singer-songwriter Archy Marshall, and his second album under the stage name King Krule. It was released on 13 October 2017 via True Panther Sounds and XL Recordings. The album incorporates elements of trip hop, R&B, punk rock, and jazz.

<i>American Utopia</i> 2018 studio album by David Byrne

American Utopia is the eighth studio album by Scottish-American rock musician David Byrne, released on March 9, 2018 through Todo Mundo and Nonesuch Records. The release is his first solo studio album since 2004's Grown Backwards, and serves as a musical component of a larger multimedia project titled Reasons to Be Cheerful, which attempts to spread positivity. Byrne announced the album and released its lead single, "Everybody's Coming to My House", on January 8, 2018. A second single, "This Is That", was released on January 31.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Wrench (music producer)</span> Welsh musician, songwriter and producer

David Wrench is a Welsh musician, songwriter, producer and mixer based in London. His work has been nominated for Grammys, Brit Awards and shortlisted for numerous Mercury Prize nominations including the 2017 winning album Process by Sampha. and Arlo Parks 2021 'Collapsed in Sunbeams’. Wrench has been the recipient of the BBC Radio Cymru C2 Producer of the Year award five times in six years between 2007 and 2012 and has received Music Producer Guild Awards (MPGs) including Mix Engineer of the Year 2016 and 2019. Credits include, David Byrne, Frank Ocean, The Pretenders, Blur, Caribou, Goldfrapp, Erasure, The xx, Sampha, Jamie xx, Jungle, FKA Twigs, Glass Animals, Florence and the Machine, Arlo Parks, Alma, Hot Chip, Marika Hackman, Honne, Jack Garratt, Manic Street Preachers, Villagers, Courtney Barnett, Austra, Tourist, Richard Russell, Let's Eat Grandma, Young Fathers, Georgia, Bat For Lashes and Race Horses.

References

  1. ↑ "ACE Repertory". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers . Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  2. ↑ "Rodaidh McDonald Discogs Page". Discogs.com. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  3. ↑ McDonnell, John (1 September 2008). "Scene and heard: Italo-disco". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 8 April 2020.
  4. ↑ "A Quick Chat With Rodaidh McDonald" « Creators Project". Creatorsproject.com. 17 July 2011. Archived from the original on 4 February 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "EP:59 Rodaidh McDonald". Jamielidellmusic.com. 17 October 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2019.
  6. ↑ "Recording The xx" « Sound On Sound". Soundonsound.com. 21 June 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  7. ↑ "Fresh Touch Video Exclusive" « Another Magazine". Anothermag.com. 17 February 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "Kinshasa One Two". DRC Music. 19 December 2011. Archived from the original on 20 November 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  9. ↑ "Damon Albarn previews DRC Music project with "Hallo" « Consequence of Sound". Consequence.net. 25 July 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  10. ↑ "Damon Albarn-led DRC Music details Congo album « Consequence of Sound". Consequence.net. 30 August 2011. Retrieved 22 March 2012.
  11. ↑ "The xx update - Second Album Being Mixed Down Rodaidh McDonald Again Behind The Boards" « Fact Magazine". Factmag.com. 21 March 2012. Retrieved 15 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "The xx beat Bob Dylan and The Script to Number One" « NME.com". Nme.com. 17 September 2012. Retrieved 17 September 2012.
  13. ↑ "Mercury Prize Shortlist Revealed". Pitchfork.com. 11 September 2013. Retrieved 11 September 2013.
  14. ↑ "Rodaidh McDonald talks new albums from the xx and Jai Paul". Dazeddigital.com. 11 June 2014. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
  15. ↑ "The xx land their second Number 1 on the Official Albums Chart". Officialcharts.com. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  16. ↑ Leight, Elias (27 July 2017). "Ed Sheeran, the xx, Sampha Lead Mercury Prize Nominations". Rollingstone.com. Retrieved 15 August 2020.
  17. ↑ Brown, Mark (14 September 2017). "Mercury prize 2017 is won by Sampha's Process". The Guardian . Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  18. ↑ "Revealed: The finalists of The A&R Awards 2017 in association with Abbey Road Studios". Musicbusinessworldwide.com. 20 September 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2017.
  19. ↑ "David Byrne's "American Utopia" Debuts at No. 1 on Top Current Album Chart, No. 3 on Billboard 200". Nonesuch.com. 18 March 2018. Retrieved 18 March 2018.
  20. ↑ "2019 Grammy Awards Complete Nominations List". Grammy.com. 7 December 2018. Retrieved 7 December 2018.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.