Photograph by Sadia, 2015
Sound Artist · Producer · Mixer
Stephen W Tayler
Stephen W Tayler is a mixer, music producer, composer and sound designer whose work spans hundreds of internationally released albums.
Biography
Stephen W Tayler is a mixer, music producer, composer and sound designer who has brought this combination of skills to hundreds of world-class albums to date.
He grew up studying and performing music professionally. At the age of seven he became a boy chorister, then lead chorister, at New College, Oxford. He gained a music scholarship to Shrewsbury School, followed by three years at the Royal College of Music in London.
Stephen began his recording career at the legendary Trident Studios in London, reaching the position of chief engineer in three years. Originally schooled in traditional recording methods, he became an early adopter of synthesis, sampling and digital audio techniques.
His album credits include work with Tina Turner, Peter Gabriel, Stevie Nicks, Suzanne Vega, Underworld, Rupert Hine, Rush, Duncan Sheik, Howard Jones, Bob Geldof, and Kate Bush.
[01]
One World One Voice
In 1990 Stephen travelled around the world with the BBC production 'One World One Voice', recording and filming hundreds of musicians at dozens of venues. The show, directed by Kevin Godley, was broadcast simultaneously to a massive world audience.
Read the original 1990 Studio Sound article
Watch: One World One Voice — The Making Of Watch: One World One Voice — Programme
[02]
Kate Bush
Since 2009, Stephen has worked with Kate Bush on Director's Cut, 50 Words for Snow, and remixed Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God) — played in its entirety at the closing ceremony for the 2012 London Olympics.
In August 2014 he returned to work with Kate on her twenty-two date residency at the Hammersmith Apollo — 'Before The Dawn'. In 2016 he mixed KT Fellowship presents Before The Dawn, the album of the live concerts.
[03]
Reissues & Surround
Since 2018, Stephen has specialised in creating new stereo and surround mixes for deluxe reissues, including the entire Be-Bop Deluxe back catalogue, Van der Graaf Generator, Marillion, Hawkwind, Camel, Barclay James Harvest, The Moody Blues, Tina Turner and Genesis.
[04]
Solo Work
In 2015, Stephen released his first solo album Ostinato through Esoteric Antenna. “A beautiful and haunting filmic journey in sound.” — Kate Bush
In 2019 he premiered Da Capo as a live audio-visual event at Real World Studios, released as a CD/DVD set in 2021.
WATCH: ‘The Boy Who Said Yes’ from Ostinato — preview
WATCH: ‘Four Ways to Fiveways’ from Da Capo
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Sadia Sadia
Read more ↗Dr Sadia Sadia is an installation artist, filmmaker, sound designer and writer whose work spans installation, moving image and spatial sound. She is also an award-winning record producer