Darren Allison (born May 1968, Ashington, Northumberland, England) is an English record producer, musician, and audio engineer, best known for his production work with artists such as Spiritualized,Kempster, Chris "Studio secrets of the stars – Ladies and Gentlemen-we are floating in Space" The Mix , Issue 54, Future Publishing, October 1998, p. 70

The Divine Comedy The ''Divine Comedy'' (, ) is an Italian narrative poem by Dante Alighieri, begun and completed around 1321, shortly before the author's death. It is widely considered the pre-eminent work in Italian literature and one of the greatest wor ...

, rock band

Bôa Bôa (stylized bôa) are an English alternative rock band formed in London in 1993 by drummer Ed Herten, keyboardist Paul Turrell, and guitarist/vocalist Steve Rodgers. The band have progressed from playing funk to rock over the years, as bass ...

, and, more recently, Efterklang,

Belle & Sebastian Belle and Sebastian are a Scottish indie pop band formed in Glasgow in 1996. Led by Stuart Murdoch, the band has released twelve studio albums. They are often compared with acts such as the Smiths and Nick Drake. The band took their name from ...

and Amatorski.

Career

The Firehouse Studio

At the age of 17, Allison moved to London, and began working at "The Firehouse Studio" in Kentish Town, which was managed by

John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various styles across rock, dr ...

's guitarist, Dave Young (1949-2022). Under Young's guidance, he started to develop his craft, assisting on sessions with such artists as Slim Gaillard, Ali Farka Touré, Carmel and

The Pogues The Pogues are an English Celtic punk band founded in King's Cross, London, in 1982, by Shane MacGowan, Spider Stacy and Jem Finer. Originally named Pogue Mahone—an anglicisation of the Irish language, Irish phrase :wikt:póg mo thóin, ''p� ...

The Church Studios

Following a series of sessions with Dave Stewart at Ezee studios, in 1990 Allison joined

Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British New wave music, new wave duo formed in 1980, consisting of Scottish vocalist Annie Lennox and English musician and producer Dave Stewart (Eurythmics), Dave Stewart. They were both previously in the Tourists, a band t ...

' The Church Studios as an in-house engineer. He remained there for five years, working on albums with indie bands such as My Bloody Valentine and

Curve In mathematics, a curve (also called a curved line in older texts) is an object similar to a line, but that does not have to be straight. Intuitively, a curve may be thought of as the trace left by a moving point. This is the definition that ...

, and on Stewart's own sessions with such rock musicians as

Mick Jagger Sir Michael Philip Jagger (born 26 July 1943) is an English musician. He is known as the lead singer and one of the founder members of The Rolling Stones. Jagger has co-written most of the band's songs with lead guitarist Keith Richards; Jagge ...

Lou Reed Lewis Allan Reed (March 2, 1942October 27, 2013) was an American musician and songwriter. He was the guitarist, singer, and principal songwriter for the rock band the Velvet Underground and had a solo career that spanned five decades. Althoug ...

Bootsy Collins William Earl "Bootsy" Collins (born October 26, 1951) is an American bass guitarist, singer, and songwriter. Rising to prominence with James Brown in the early 1970s before joining the Parliament-Funkadelic collective, Collins established himse ...

, and occasional visitor

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

Freelance

In 1995, Allison left The Church Studios, to concentrate on the production of

Neil Hannon Edward Neil Anthony Hannon (born 7 November 1970) is a singer and songwriter from Northern Ireland. He is the founder and frontman of the chamber pop group the Divine Comedy, and is the band's only constant member since its inception in 1989. H ...

's third album under the moniker of

. The album, entitled '' Casanova'', was released in 1996 and spawned three top 20 hit singles. He was then invited to work with Spiritualized, on their album, '' Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space''.

Selected discography

* 1990: BAT – ''Angel'' Single (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 1990:

Silver Bullet Silver Bullet(s) or The Silver Bullet may refer to: * Silver bullet, in folklore, a weapon against supernatural creatures; metaphorically, a simple, effective solution to a problem Film and television * The Silver Bullet (1935 film), ''The Silve ...

– '' Bring Down The Walls'' LP Tracks (Engineer/Mixing) * 1990: Jesus Jones – ''

Doubt Doubt is a mental state in which the mind remains suspended between two or more contradictory propositions, and is certainty, uncertain about them. Doubt on an emotional level is indecision between belief and wikt:disbelief, disbelief. It may i ...

'' LP tracks (Engineer) :(includes singles " Right Here, Right Now" and " International Bright Young Thing") * 1990: Peter Blegvad – '' King Strut & Other Stories'' LP tracks (Engineer/Mixing) * 1991: Gheorghe Zamfir – '' Dances of Romance'' LP (Engineer) * 1991: My Bloody Valentine – ''

Loveless Loveless may refer to: Comics and literature * Loveless (comics), ''Loveless'' (comics), a comic book series by Brian Azzarello, Marcelo Frusin, Danijel Zezelj, and Werther Dell'Edera * Loveless (manga), ''Loveless'' (manga), a manga series by Y ...

'' LP (Engineer) * 1992: Stex – '' Spiritual Dance'' LP (Engineer/Mixing) :(includes " Still Feel the Rain" Single) * 1992: Vegas – '' Vegas'' LP (Engineer) * 1992: Savageworld – ''Timebomb'' Single (Mixing) Flag of Germany

* 1992: Girlschool – '' Girlschool'' LP track (Percussion) * 1993:

– '' Live 1983-1989'' LP tracks (Engineer) * 1993:

– '' Liberation'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Percussion) * 1993: Ioni – '' Sentence of Love'' Single (Mixing) * 1994: F.O.U.R. – '' Wait Until Tonight'' Single (Mixing) * 1994: Catchers – ''Cotton Dress'' Single (Engineer) * 1994: Catchers – ''Shifting'' EP (Engineer) * 1994: The Almighty – ''

Wrench A wrench or spanner is a tool used to provide grip and mechanical advantage in applying torque to turn objects—usually rotary fasteners, such as nuts and bolts—or keep them from turning. In the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand ...

'' EP tracks (Engineer/Mixing) * 1994: Mike TV – ''Money Shot'' EP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Ireland

* 1994:

– ''

Promenade An esplanade or promenade is a long, open, level area, usually next to a river or large body of water, where people may walk. The historical definition of ''esplanade'' was a large, open, level area outside fortification, fortress or city walls ...

'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Percussion) * 1994: Dave Stewart – '' Greetings From the Gutter'' LP (Engineer) :(includes "Heart of Stone" Single) * 1994: Nick Green – '' Where Love Is Found'' EP Track (Engineer) * 1994: Nick Green – ''Skeletons'' LP (Engineer) * 1995: Luz Casal – '' Como La Flor Prometida'' LP (Engineer) Flag of Spain

:(includes " Entre Mis Recuerdos" Single) * 1995: Eusebe – " Summertime Healing" Single (Mixing) * 1995:

The Orb The Orb are an English electronic music group founded in 1988 by Alex Paterson and Jimmy Cauty. Known for their psychedelic sound, the Orb developed a cult following among clubbers "coming down" from drug-induced highs. Their influential ...

feat. Instrumental – ''

Oxbow Lakes An oxbow lake is a U-shaped lake or stream pool, pool that forms when a wide meander of a river is meander cutoff, cut off, creating a free-standing body of water. The word "oxbow" can also refer to a U-shaped bend in a river or stream, whether ...

'' EP track (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 1995: Job – '' Rosary Beads 'n' Ice Cream'' LP (Engineer/Mixing) * 1995:

Shakespears Sister Shakespears Sister are an alternative rock, alternative Pop rock, pop and rock musical duo that was formed in 1988 by Irish people, Irish singer-songwriter Siobhan Fahey, a former member of Bananarama. Shakespears Sister was initially a solo a ...

– '' Suddenly'' B Side (Engineer) * 1995: Eusebe – '' If Masser Says It's Good'' Single (Mixing) * 1995:

– '' Casanova'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Percussion) :(includes singles " Something for the Weekend", " Becoming More Like Alfie", and " Frog Princess") * 1996: Juan Martín – '' Musica Alhambra'' LP (Engineer/Mixing) * 1996: Right Said Fred – " Big Time" single (Engineer/Mixing) * 1996: Jazzindo – '' The Debut Album'' LP (Engineer/Mixing) * 1996: Spiritualized – '' Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space'' LP tracks (Additional Production/Engineer/Mixing) :(includes ''Electricity'' Single) * 1997:

Babybird Babybird are an English rock band formed by songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Stephen Jones, who has been releasing music since 1995. While Jones' early solo work was released under the "Baby Bird" name, the altered "Babybird" was first use ...

– '' Ugly Beautiful'' (US version) LP tracks (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 1996: Clint Bradley – '' This Hour'' LP (Associate Producer/Engineer) * 1997: Jack – '' The Jazz Age'' LP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) :(includes "Steamin'" Single, and "Lolita" EP) * 1998: Herve Zerrouk – " Anita Emmene-Moi" Single (Mixing) Flag of France

* 1998: Dominique Dalcan – ''Ostinato'' LP tracks (Mixing) Flag of France

* 1998:

Elisa The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) (, ) is a commonly used analytical biochemistry assay, first described by Eva Engvall and Peter Perlmann in 1971. The assay is a solid-phase type of enzyme immunoassay (EIA) to detect the presence of ...

– '' Cure Me'' Single (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Italy

* 1998: Electronic – '' Twisted Tenderness'' LP tracks (Engineer) :(includes " Late at Night" Single) * 1999: Hands on Approach – '' Blown'' LP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Portugal

:(includes singles " My Wonder Moon", " Silent Speech" and " Tao Perto Tao Longe") * 1999: Hands on Approach – '' Blown Special''LP Bonus Disc (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Portugal

* 1999:

BBMak BBMak are a British band consisting of Mark Barry, Christian Burns and Stephen McNally (musician), Stephen McNally. Formed in Liverpool in 1996, they sold over three million albums worldwide between 1999 and 2003. The band first achieved success ...

– '' Sooner Or Later'' LP track (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 1999: Phase – ''52 Minutes of your time'' LP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Portugal

:(includes "Get Down" Single) * 1999:

– '' Tall Snake EP'' EP track (Producer/Engineer) * 1999:

– '' More Than Words'' EP track (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 2000:

– ''

Twilight Twilight is daylight illumination produced by diffuse sky radiation when the Sun is below the horizon as sunlight from the upper atmosphere is scattered in a way that illuminates both the Earth's lower atmosphere and also the Earth's surf ...

'' LP tracks (Producer/Engineer) * 2000: Hands on Approach – '' Moving Spirits'' LP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Portugal

:(includes " The Endless Road" Single) * 2001: Maggiulli – '' A Bras Le Corps'' LP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Guitar/Keyboards) Flag of France

* 2002: Juan Martín – '' Camino Latino'' LP (Additional Production/Engineer/Mixing) * 2002: Ten Speed Racer – '' 10SR'' LP (Mixing) Flag of Ireland

:(includes singles " Your Demon Heart" and "Fifteen") * 2002: Orbital – ''The Bedroom Sessions'' LP track (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Percussion) * 2002:

– '' Love on the March'' EP track (Co-Producer/Engineer) * 2003:

Candidate A candidate, or nominee, is a prospective recipient of an award or honor, or a person seeking or being considered for some kind of position. For example, one can be a candidate for membership in a group (sociology), group or election to an offic ...

– '' Under the Skylon'' LP (Mixing) :(includes singles " Mountain Snow" and " Another One Down") * 2004: Future Kings of Spain – '' Le Debemos ep'' EP tracks (Mixing/Percussion) * 2005:

Luxembourg Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...

– '' LVGB'' Single (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 2005: Dominique Dalcan – ''Music-Hall'' LP tracks (Mixing) Flag of France

* 2006: Juan Martín – '' Rumbas Originales'' LP (Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 2006: Electronic – '' Get the Message – The Best of Electronic'' LP tracks (Engineer) * 2007: Efterklang – '' Parades'' LP (Mixing) Flag of Denmark

* 2007: Luz Casal – '' Vida Toxica'' LP (Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Spain

:(includes singles " Se Feliz", "Soy") * 2008: Efterklang – ''Caravan'' Single (Mixing) Flag of Denmark

* 2011: Amatorski – ''Tbc'' LP (Additional Production/Mixing) Flag of Belgium

:(includes "Soldier" Single) * 2012: The Blue Cats – "Billy Ruffians" Single (Mixing) * 2012: The Blue Cats – ''Best Dawn Yet'' LP track (Mixing) * 2013: Equinox, the Peacekeeper – ''Birdsongs on the Wasteland'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Percussion) Flag of Belgium

* 2013: Amatorski – "How Are You" Single (Additional Production/Mixing) Flag of Belgium

* 2013: The Blue Cats – "The Norton Spirit" Single (Additional Production/Mixing) * 2013:

– ''The Third Eye Centre'' LP track (Producer/Engineer) * 2014: Clint Bradley – '' Riding After Midnight'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Guitar/Percussion) * 2015: Juan Martín – ''La Guitarra - Mi Vida'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) * 2015: Daisy Bell – ''London'' LP (Co-Producer/Mixing/Radiophonics) Flag of the Netherlands

* 2019: Clint Bradley – '' Soul Of The West'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Programming/Guitar/Percussion/Drums/Mandolin) * 2021: The Three Funkateers – ''Busted'' LP track (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Programming/Percussion/Drums/Backing Vocals) * 2022:

– ''Charmed Life'' LP tracks (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Percussion) * 2022: Sophie Dunér – ''Strictly Business'' LP (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing) Flag of Sweden

* 2022: Clint Bradley – '' Everything That I Hold Dear'' Single (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Programming/Electric Guitar/Acoustic Guitar/Percussion) * 2023: Beware Of Trains – ''Forever Home'' Single (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Bass Guitar/Percussion) * 2024: Salvation Fleet – ''Scars'' Single (Co-Producer/Engineer/Mixing/Drums/Bass Guitar/Percussion)

References

External links

Darren Allison at discogs.com

Darren Allison's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Allison, Darren 1968 births Living people People from Ashington English rock drummers English audio engineers English record producers Musicians from Northumberland People from Stakeford