The Kevin Killen Interview
Kevin Killen is a Grammy-winning engineer and producer best-known for his work on classic albums by U2, Peter Gabriel, Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, and Tori Amos – not to mention a long list of well-known contemporary singers, songwriters and bands.
Kevin Killen at Frisbie Studios, NYC
On this episode of Input\Output, hosts Geoff Sanoff and Eli Janney sit down with Kevin to talk about the two albums he worked on that most influenced them as engineers: U2’s Unforgettable Fire and Peter Gabriel’s So.
The stories behind both of these records are fascinating. For Unforgettable Fire (1984), Killen worked in an 18th-century castle his native Ireland with producers Daniel Lanois and Brian Eno. On So (1985), Killen unexpectedly found himself in the middle of a ten-month “mixing” session in a converted farmhouse on the English countryside.
Since relocating to the United States in the late 80s, Killen has been living and, largely, working in NYC. A longtime proponent of in-the-box mixing, he’s been outspoken about his all-digital workflow – a topic which Geoff and Eli dig into here as well.
Listen to individual segments below, or (better yet) download this episode in its entirety to listen wherever you go!
Input\Output is produced by Justin Colletti for SonicScoop.com. This episode was recorded at Frisbie Studios in NYC.