David Wrench
Wrench in 2018
Wrench in 2018
Background information
OriginWales
Genres
Occupation(s)
Years active1989–present
Websitedavidwrench.co.uk

David Wrench is a Welsh musician, songwriter, producer and mixer based in London.[1] His work has been nominated for Grammys,[2][3][4][5][6][7] Brit Awards and shortlisted for numerous Mercury Prize nominations including the 2017 winning album Process by Sampha.[8] and Arlo Parks 2021 'Collapsed in Sunbeams’.[9] 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[10] and has received Music Producer Guild Awards (MPGs) including Mix Engineer of the Year 2016 and 2019.[11][12] Credits include, David Byrne, Frank Ocean, Caribou, Goldfrapp, Erasure, The xx, Sampha, Jamie xx, Jungle, FKA Twigs, Glass Animals, 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.

David Wrench mixes in Dolby Atmos.[13]

Career

Solo career

As a musician, Wrench first came to public attention in 1990 with his first group Nid Madagascar who released the first Welsh-language acid house record "Lledrith Lliw" as a 12" single in 1990.[14] This was followed by his first solo album Blow Winds Blow, released via Ankst in 1997. After its release, Wrench began working as an engineer, producer and occasional instrumentalist for artists. His early engineering and production credits from this period include records by British Sea Power, The Good Sons, Jackie Leven and The Blueskins, Zabrinski, MC Mabon, Julian Cope (Brain Donor) and Welsh Music Prize winning album from Georgia Ruth. Mix credits from this time include James Yorkston, Caribou (Albums Andorra and Swim), Week of Pines and Y Niwl.[15]

In 2010 Wrench released the album Spades & Hoes & Plows on Invada records. The album, which was produced by Julian Cope, comprises three re-workings of old revolutionary folk songs and one original instrumental piece based on the Rebecca riots. Writing in the Sunday Times, Stewart Lee described the album thus: "In the face of young people's new enthusiasm for trad-lite, the Welsh weirdo David Wrench threatens to reunpopularise folk music, foregrounding puritanical politics over unpalatable instrumentation at funereal tempos. Fans of Lisbee Stainton are unlikely to enjoy Wrench's punishing, 24-minute rendition of "The Blackleg Miner" despite the invigorating and apocalyptically primitive Mellotron interludes supplied by Julian Cope's Black Sheep band. These weary recitations of traditional protest songs require patience, but by Helyntion Beca, a wordless closing workout inspired by 19th-century black-face transvestites attacking Carmarthenshire toll gates, the LP achieves a tortuous transcendence."[16]

Production, mixing, engineering

2004–2014

When not working on his own music, David Wrench is a studio Record Producer and Engineer. Wrench's production and mix credits from 2004 to 2014 include a number of critically acclaimed albums for Bear in Heaven (I Love You, It's Cool), Alessi's Ark (Time Travel), Race Horses (Goodbye Falkenberg), The Lizzies (St. John), Holy Coves (Peruvian Mistake), Zun Zun Egui (Katang), Y Niwl, Gwyneth Glyn, Skinny Lister (Forge & Flagon) and Caribou (Swim). As an Engineer he worked on albums by Bat For Lashes, Everything Everything, Kathryn Williams, Guillemotts, Beth Orton, James Yorkston, Nancy Elizabeth and Fanfarlo.[1]

2014–present

In 2014 he mixed FKA Twigs’ hugely lauded LP1, and Jungle's self titled debut album, both subsequently nominated for the Mercury Prize.[17]

2015 saw Wrench work again with Dan Snaith aka Caribou on the album Our Love[18] which went on to be nominated in the Best Dance/Electronic album at the 2015 Grammy Awards.[19]

In 2016 Wrench mixed "Self Control" on Frank Ocean's second studio album Blonde.[20]

In 2017, he mixed Sampha’s Mercury Prize and Brit Award winning album Process, and the following year he mixed David Byrne’s American Utopia,[21] which was subsequently nominated for Best Alternative Album at the 61st Grammy Awards.[22] Wrench’s other mix and producing credits from 2017/2018 include Goldfrapp Silver Eye,[23] The xx’s I See You, Gwenno’s Le Kov[24] (Cornish language album), tracks from Richard Russell’s EP Everything Is Recorded,[25]Honne Love Me/Love Me Not, Lo Moon, For Me It’s You, Blossoms album Cool Like You and Let’s Eat Grandma I’m All Ears.[20]

Wrench mixed Erasure's The Neon,[26] the band's eighteenth studio album released in August 2020 by Mute Records. The album debuted at number four on the UK Albums Chart with 8,394 copies sold in its first week, the duo's highest-charting album since I Say I Say I Say (1994).[27] In 2020 David also worked with Arlo Parks on tracks "Black Dog", "Eugene" and "Hurt". The latter two have been BBC Radio 1’s Tune of the Week and Annie’s Mac’s Hottest Record. Parks won the AIM Independent Music Awards 2020 ‘One To Watch', was included in The NME 100,[28] longlisted for BBC Sound of 2020[29] and went on to win a Brit Award for Breakthrough Artist, the Mercury Music Prize and was nominated for a Grammy.

Other releases of 2020 include Ellie Goulding's track "New Heights" from new album Brightest Blue,[30] Jamie xx single "idontknow",[20] Caribou album Suddenly[31] and recent Frank Ocean tracks.[32]

Other mixing and producing projects during this period include "Gosh" from Jamie xx’s In Colour (2015);[33] tracks from Glass Animals’ How To Be A Human Being (2016),[34] their debut Zaba (2014) and also their most recent release Dreamland (2020);[35] Marika Hackman Any Human Friend (2019);[36] Alma Bad News Baby (2019),[20] Manic Street Preachers The Ultra Livid Lament (2021)[37] Villagers Fever Dreams (2021), Courtney Barnett Things Take Time, Take Time (2022).[38] More recent projects include production and mix on Let’s Eat Grandma Two Ribbons, mix on Lil Silva Yesterday Is Heavy,[39] mix on Hercules and Love affair In Amber,[40] mix on Oliver Sim Hideous Bastard[41] and mix on Shygirls’s forthcoming album

Other projects

Audiobooks performing at Cambridge Junction in 2022

In 2015, Wrench provided surround sound mixing of Wayne McGregor’s ballet Tree Of Codes for its debut at the Manchester Opera House for the Manchester International Festival.[42] The ballet features music by Jamie xx, and visual design by Olafur Eliasson. The ballet was highly acclaimed, and continues to tour.

In 2018, he formed the band audiobooks alongside singer, artist and model Evangeline Ling.[43] The band signed to Heavenly Recordings and released their debut album Now! (in a minute) in November 2018.[44] In 2021 audiobooks released their second LP ‘Astro Tough’[45]

Discography

Albums

Singles and EPs

Production credits

Selected production and mixing credits

2000 Jackie Leven Defending Ancient Springs

2001 "Happiness" (The Good Sons)

2001 Julian Cope / Brian Donor Tracks from Love Peace & Fuck'
2002 Zabrinski Koala Ko-ordination
2005 Jackie Leven & Ian Rankin Jackie Leven Said
2007 Jackie Leven Oh What A Blow That Phantom Dealt me!
2007 Caribou Andorra
2009 Holy Coves The Lizzies Ynys Môn
2009 Bat For Lashes Two Suns
2010 Race Horses Goodbye Falkenburg
2010 Y Niwl Y Niwl
2010 Jackie Leven Gothic Road
2010 Everything Everything Man Alive
2010 Caribou Swim
2010 Mizan Dark Blue (EP)
2011 Zun Zun Egui Katang
2012 Skinny Lister Forge and Flagon
2012 Race Horses Furniture
2012 Holy Coves Peruvian Mistake
2012 James Yorkston I Was A Cat From A Book
2013 Georgia Ruth Week of the Pines
2014 Philip Selway Weatherhouse
2014 Jungle Jungle
2014 Caribou Our Love
2014 FKA Twigs LP1
2014 Owen Pallet Tracks from In Conflict
2014 Glass Animals Tracks from Zaba
2015 Erasure Sometimes 2015
2015 Empress Of Me
2015 LA Priest Inji
2015 Bob Moses Tracks from Days Gone By
2015 Hot Chip Tracks from Why Makes Sense
2015 FKA Twigs Tracks from M3LL155X
2015 Jamie xx Gosh
2016 Bombino Azel
2016 Bloc Party Hymns
2016 Factory Floor 25 25
2016 Beth Orton Kidsticks
2016 Blossoms Blossoms
2016 Jagwar Ma So Ordinary
2016 Shura Tracks from Nothing Is Real
2016 Manic Street Preachers A Design For Life (David Wrench Remix)
2016 Rihanna Kiss It Better (Four Tet Remix)
2016 Glass Animals Life Itself
2016 Glass Animals Tracks from How To Be A Human Being
2016 Frank Ocean Self Control
2017 Sampha Process
2017 Goldfrapp Silver Eye
2017 Tei Shi Crawl Space
2017 The xx I see You
2018 Gwenno Le Kov
2018 Blossoms Cool Like You
2018 Honne Love Me/Love Me Not
2018 Let's Eat Grandma I'm All Ears
2018 David Byrne American Utopia
2018 Jungle ForEver
2018 The Charlatans Track Totally Eclipsing
2018 Lo Moon For Me, It's You
2018 Young Fathers Tracks Cocoa Sugar / Boarder Girls
2018 Richard Russell Tracks Everything Is Recorded / Be My Friend
2019 James Yorkston Route To Harmonium
2019 Tourist Wild
2019 Marika Hackman Any Human Friend
2019 Alma Tracks When I Die / Bad News Baby
2019 BENEE FIRE ON MARZZ (EP)
2019 Frank Ocean In My Room
2020 Marika Hackman Covers
2020 Jack Garratt Love, Death & Dancing
2020 Austra HiRUDiN
2020 Elderbrook Why Do We Shake In The Cold?
2020 Honne No Song Without You
2020 Erasure The Neon
2020 Caribou Suddenly
2020 Jamie xx In Colour (2020 reissue)
2020 Georgia Tracks: Mellow, Honey Dripping Sky and Ultimate Sailor
2020 Jealous of the Birds Young Neanderthal & Always Going
2020 Mustafa Tracks Air Forces / Stay Alive
2020 Tourist Siren
2020 Tourist Last
2020 Khushi Hotter Than Your Instincts
2020 Crooked Colours Love Language / Falling
2020 Grand Pax Tracks Wavey & ATV
2020 Ruel Track As Long As You Care
2020 Mai Kino Tracks Dopamine / Lungs
2020 Ellie Goulding Track New Heights
2020 Glass Animals Tracks from Dreamland
2020 Haai Put Your Head Above The Parakeets (EP)
2020 Jamie xx Idontknow
2020 Frank Ocean Dear April (Side A - Acoustic) / Cayendo (Side A - Acoustic)
2021 Arlo Parks Collapsed in Sunbeams
2021 Manic Street Preachers The Ultra Livid Lament
2021 Villagers Fever Dreams
2022 Courtney Barnett Things Take Time, Take Time
2022 Let's Eat Grandma Two Ribbons
2022 Lil Silva Yesterday Is Heavy
2022 Hercules and Love Affair In Amber
2022 Oliver Sim Hideous Bastard
2022 Shygirl Nymph
2022 Florence + The Machine Mermaids
2023 Arlo Parks My Soft Machine
2023 The Pretenders Let The Sun Come In
2023 Bombino Tazidert
2023 Blur The Ballad of Darren

References

  1. ^ a b "David Wrench". Solar Management. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  2. ^ "Best Dance/Electronic Album: 58th GRAMMY Nominees". GRAMMY.com. 16 December 2015. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  3. ^ William Doyle (27 February 2018). "The Strange World Of... David Byrne". The Quietus. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  4. ^ Evan Minsker (7 December 2018). "Grammy Nominations 2019: See The Full List Here". The Quietus. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  5. ^ "Arlo Parks". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  6. ^ "Glass Animals". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  7. ^ "Caribou". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 17 June 2022.
  8. ^ "Mercury Prize 2017: The nominees". BBC Music. 27 July 2017. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  9. ^ "Music world reacts to Arlo Parks' Mercury Prize victory: "A worthy winner"". NME. 9 September 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  10. ^ "Yr Ods scoop Welsh music gong". North Wales Live. 8 May 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  11. ^ "MPG 2016 Award Winners". The Music Producers Guild. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  12. ^ "The Music Producers Guild Announces its 2019 Awards Winners". The Music Producers Guild. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  13. ^ "Dolby Atmos Music Studios". professional.dolby.com. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  14. ^ "David Wrench biography". BBC Wales. Archived from the original on 6 May 2008. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  15. ^ "David Wench". Sound on Sound. January 2015. Retrieved 16 November 2020.
  16. ^ Lee, Stewart (4 July 2010). "Spades & Hoes & Plows review". Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  17. ^ "Mercury Prize 2014: Producer David Wrench's split loyalties". BBC News Online. 30 October 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  18. ^ "Caribou opens up on Our Love". Crack Magazine. 14 August 2014. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  19. ^ "Hamilton's Caribou gets Grammy nomination for 'Our Love'". CBC News. 15 February 2016. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  20. ^ a b c d "Producer / Mixers". Solar Management. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  21. ^ "Mixing David Byrne's American Utopia with David Wrench". Waves Audio. 8 April 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  22. ^ "Artist - David Byrne". www.grammy.com. Retrieved 20 November 2020.
  23. ^ "Goldfrapp announce new album Silver Eye, share lead single "Anymore" -- listen". Consequence of Sound. 23 January 2017. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Gwenno Announces New Album, Le Kov". XLR8R. 19 February 2018. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  25. ^ "Everything Is Recorded: Close but Not Quite EP". Pitchfork. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  26. ^ The Neon - Erasure | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 20 January 2021
  27. ^ "Charts analysis: Brandon Flowers lands eighth chart-topping album | Analysis | Music Week". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  28. ^ "The NME 100: Essential new artists for 2020 | NME". NME | Music, Film, TV, Gaming & Pop Culture News. 3 January 2020. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  29. ^ "Yungblud, Georgia and Celeste make the BBC Sound of 2020 longlist". BBC News. 12 December 2019. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  30. ^ Brightest Blue - Ellie Goulding | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 20 January 2021
  31. ^ Suddenly - Caribou | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 20 January 2021
  32. ^ "David Wrench". Solar Management. Archived from the original on 7 November 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  33. ^ In Colour - Jamie xx | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 20 January 2021
  34. ^ How to Be a Human Being - Glass Animals | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 20 January 2021
  35. ^ Dreamland - Glass Animals | Credits | AllMusic, retrieved 20 January 2021
  36. ^ "Bringing sexy back: Marika Hackman". diymag.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  37. ^ "Manic Street Preachers announce new album The Ultra Vivid Lament, share "Orwellian"". Consequence. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  38. ^ "Courtney Barnett shares online 'interactive stem mixer' for fans to 'play around' with 'Things Take Time, Take Time' songs". Indie88. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 28 February 2022.
  39. ^ "Lil Silva's debut album, Yesterday Is Heavy, released in a special edition version via The Vinyl Factory". Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  40. ^ "Hercules & Love Affair's 'In Amber' Expands To Sonic Extremes". Retrieved 14 September 2022.
  41. ^ "David Wrench". Retrieved 15 September 2022.
  42. ^ "Tree of Codes show program". Issuu. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  43. ^ "David Wrench: 'I was determined that my work was going to be as good as the biggest records out there' | Gigwise". www.gigwise.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  44. ^ "Now! (in a minute)". heavenlyrecordings.com. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  45. ^ "audiobooks - Astro Tough A remarkable second album..." Clash Music. Archived from the original on 28 February 2022. Retrieved 28 February 2022.((cite web)): CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)

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