Mark 'Spike' Stent

About

From SoundOnSound, February 2010:

Mark ‘Spike’ Stent is the most successful British mixer of the last two decades, and one of very few non‑American engineers to have become a big name in the hip‑hop/R&B genre. In so doing, Stent has clocked up more than 700 credits and worked with the likes of Madonna, Beyoncé, Björk, Lily Allen, Depeche Mode, Massive Attack, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Oasis, U2, Usher, Lady Gaga, and so on — and on.

Stent grew up in Hampshire, close to the then‑famous Jacobs Studios, where he made the regular tea‑boy‑to‑engineer transition. Following a stint at Trident, he went freelance in 1987, and soon afterwards made his name with his pioneering mixes of the KLF. Stent’s nickname was given to him the same year by Wayne Hussey of the Mission, who for some reason couldn’t remember the name of the then 22‑year old spikey‑haired engineer who was recording the band’s album Children. Since then, Stent has worked in an unusually varied array of musical genres, but in all cases he brings a signature approach to his work: ultra‑clear, ultra‑tight and hard‑hitting. […]

Last updated on May 22, 2019