Jeff Ellis (born 16 July 1984) is an American
recording engineer
An audio engineer (also known as a sound engineer or recording engineer) helps to produce a recording or a live performance, balancing and adjusting sound sources using equalization, dynamics processing and audio effects, mixing, reproducti ...
and
mix engineer
A mixing engineer (or simply mix engineer) is responsible for combining ("mixing") different sonic elements of an auditory piece into a complete rendition (also known as "final mix" or "mixdown"), whether in music, film, or any other content of a ...
. His most notable work was featured on both of
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
's critically acclaimed albums: ''
Channel Orange
''Channel Orange'' (stylized as ''channel ORANGE'') is the debut studio album by American R&B singer-songwriter Frank Ocean. It was released on July 10, 2012, by Def Jam Recordings. After releasing his mixtape '' Nostalgia, Ultra'' the previous ...
'', and ''
Blonde
Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...
''.
Career
In 2009, after changing careers from finance to music, Ellis garnered an internship at EastWest Studios, formerly
United/Western Recorders, where artists such as Frank Sinatra and The Beach Boys once recorded. When his internship ended, Ellis was asked to join the staff as an assistant musical engineer.
In 2012, Ellis became the engineer for recording artist Frank Ocean when he arrived at EastWest Studios to record a track for his debut album, ''Channel Orange''. Ellis developed a working relationship with Ocean and was offered the opportunity to freelance full-time on the remainder of the project.
''Channel Orange'' was a critical success, earning Ellis a
2013 Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, as well as a nomination for Album of the Year. The album also includes the Record Of The Year-nominated track "
Thinkin Bout You" a song that Ellis mixed.
Ellis continued to work with
Frank Ocean
Christopher Francis "Frank" Ocean (born Christopher Edwin Breaux; October 28, 1987), is an American singer, songwriter, and rapper. His works are noted by music critics for featuring avant-garde styles and introspective, elliptical lyrics. Ocean ...
from 2012 to 2016 on his follow up album ''
Blonde
Blond (male) or blonde (female), also referred to as fair hair, is a hair color characterized by low levels of the dark pigment eumelanin. The resultant visible hue depends on various factors, but always has some yellowish color. The color can ...
''.
Ellis has also worked with such notable artists such as
Akon
Aliaune Damala Badara Akon Thiam (; born April 16, 1973), known mononymously as Akon, is a Senegalese-American singer, record producer, and entrepreneur. He rose to prominence in 2004 following the release of " Locked Up" (featuring Styles ...
,
Skylar Grey
Holly Brook Hafermann (born February 23, 1986), known professionally as Skylar Grey, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer from Mazomanie, Wisconsin. In 2004, at the age of 17, Grey signed a publishing deal with Universal Mus ...
,
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry Jonas (born September 16, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter and actor. Jonas began acting on Broadway at the age of seven, and released his debut single in 2002; this caught the attention of Columbia Records, where Jonas ...
,
Pernille Rosendahl
Pernille Rosendahl (born 22 March 1972) is a Danish singer, who besides her solo career was lead singer of the Danish band Swan Lee and now is lead vocalist for the Danish rock band The Storm.
Rosendahl was born in Aalborg and started music at ...
and
Kate Nash
Kate Marie Nash (born 6 July 1987) is an English singer-songwriter and actress.
Nash launched her music career in 2005. Her 2007 single " Foundations" became a hit and brought her to public attention in the UK. Her debut album, '' Made of Bricks ...
, whose album
Made of Bricks hit #1 on the UK album chart in 2007.
Awards and nominations
Notable credits
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ellis, Jeff
1984 births
Living people
American audio engineers
Grammy Award winners