Kris Burton

What did you do before joining dBs?  

I worked with the band Underworld as assistant to Rick Smith recording bands and musicians for the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Jobs included recording a thousand drummers, Frank Turner’s band, percussionist Dame Everlyn Glennie, Emeli Sandé, assisting Rick Smith creating original music and creating  audio stems for the show. Danny Boyle was the director of the ceremony and a few months after it I assisted Rick in the creation of music for the film, 'Trance'. I also produced stems for Underworld’s live setup and assisted Karl Hyde and Brian Eno with the album, 'Someday World'. Previous to this I worked at Abbey Road Studios for eight years in the studios.

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Why did you first get into music production and sound engineering?

From about the age of 12 I began collecting vinyl and recording music from the radio onto tape. From 15, I got my first turntables and started to study DMC scratch videos and the art of turntablism. At 18, I got my first sampler and from there I progressed into music production. I was always interested in how records were made and started collecting funk and soul music to try and build a selection of breaks which I played in my DJ sets and still do.

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Any special areas of interest?  

I love recording and producing. For me there isn’t anything better than working with a band or artist to help them achieve their vision. I am interested in recording all sorts of music from jazz, rock, funk, acoustic classical, soul and electronic. Anything that can be recorded actually. I also love synths, microphones, Neve, SSL and API consoles.

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What do you love most about what you do?

It usually involves music and being involved in music production. It’s really nice to help students, musicians, artists and bands to achieve their potential and start using difficult equipment they previously couldn’t.

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Tell us about your proudest career moment?

The opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games was a career high because I had been working for around eight months with the band Underworld in preparation of all of the music and sound FX. Hearing recordings I had made and music I had been involved with played live on the night in the stadium was incredible. On the night I stood with producer High Contrast who had worked on a lot of the music for the Athletes Parade section, mesmerised by a packed stadium watching one of the biggest live shows the country had ever put together. When the thousand drummers walked into the stadium it was mind blowing.

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What do you get up to outside of your role at dBs?

I do freelance mastering, mixing and sound engineering. I am also in an electronic band called Paper Dragon, usually working on new music. Last year we had three tracks played on BBC Radio One and we have recently got a sync with the BBC for a show called 'Sherwood'.

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Tell us something our students may not know about you?

I have worked with some incredible artists and producers, but my favourite session was working with Kate Bush on her '50 words for Snow' album where I spent a few weeks in her amazing studio near Reading.

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