Labels XL Albums Kinshasa One Two Record label XL Recordings | Role Music Producer Name Rodaidh McDonald | |
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Occupation(s) Music producer, mix engineer, record company executive Website www.xlrecordings.com/studio Similar People Richard Russell, Kwes, King Krule, Dan the Automator, Jneiro Jarel Profiles | ||
Music group DRC Music (Since 2011) | ||
Rodaidh McDonald is a Scottish music producer and record company executive. He was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. His production and mixing credits include The xx, King Krule, Adele, Sampha, Daughter, Savages, The Horrors, Bobby Womack, Vampire Weekend, and Gil Scott-Heron.
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XL Recordings
Since 2009, McDonald has worked with XL Recordings, operating as A&R as well as overseeing activities in XL Studios, the label's in-house recording studio. He has worked at XL Studios with a number of acts including The xx, Adele, The Horrors, Bobby Womack, Vampire Weekend, Gil Scott-Heron, and Giggs.
Production
McDonald’s production is found across multiple genres and styles, both on and outside of XL.
In 2009, McDonald recorded and mixed The xx's multi-platinum album xx which won the Mercury Music Prize in 2010.
In 2010, McDonald visited Ethiopia with Richard Russell and Nick Zinner. They subsequently released an EP together under the name Fresh Touch.
In 2011, McDonald participated as a producer in Damon Albarn DRC Music project. Collaborating with producers Dan the Automator, XL Recordings, Richard Russell, Jneiro Jarel, Actress, Marc Antoine, Alwest, Remi Kabaka Jr., Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs and Kwes, McDonald went to Kinshasa in DR Congo for one week to record an album called Kinshasa One Two. All proceeds will benefit Oxfam's work in the DRC. The album was released by Warp Records.
In 2012, McDonald continued his relationship with The xx, mixing the band's 2nd album Coexist with Jamie Smith. On 16 September 2012, Coexist entered the UK album chart at number one.
In 2013, McDonald contributed production to albums by Daughter, King Krule, Savages, and Willis Earl Beal amongst others. Savages album Silence Yourself was shortlisted for the 2013 Mercury Music Prize.
In an interview with Dazed and Confused in June 2014, McDonald confirmed he was working on a 3rd xx album in New York, Texas, and Iceland. He also confirmed he was working on the debut album for Sampha, as well as UK singer Denai Moore.
On 20 January 2017 I See You by The xx, which was co-produced by McDonald and Jamie Smith, entered the UK Official Charts at number one. I See You also entered at number one in Australia, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Portugal, and the Netherlands. In the United States it gained the number 1 position in the sales chart and number 2 in the Billboard Top 200. In July 2017 it was announced that both I See You and Sampha’s debut, Process, also produced by McDonald, had both been nominated for the 2017 Mercury Music Prize, with Process winning the prize in September 2017.