Ross Robinson

Ross Robinson, son of Byron Katie, is an American multi-platinum music producer, who has discovered successful acts such as Korn, At the Drive-In, Glassjaw, Repeater, Slipknot and Limp Bizkit. Robinson has also worked with Machine Head, Vanilla Ice, The Cure, Sepultura, and many others.^[2] He is recognized as "the godfather of nu metal", as well as his contributions to the post-hardcore genre with albums by At the Drive-In, Glassjaw, and Repeater.^[3][4]

Biography

Robinson began as a thrash metal guitarist for the bands Detente and Murdercar (featuring future Machine Head drummer Dave McClain) and picked up his knowledge of producing from the studios where his band recorded demos. Robinson received his first production job for the 1991 Fear Factory album Concrete. Robinson would use the album as a showcase of sorts in helping him land producing slots with other notable acts, particularly the up-and-coming band Korn.

Robinson has been referred to as "The Godfather of Nu Metal", despite denouncing the nu metal movement later on, for becoming complacent and the newer bands for not expanding on the style which he helped create with Korn's first album, Korn (1994).^[5] He co-drummed on the song "Ratamahatta" from Sepultura's album Roots.

Robinson has also been successful in the post-hardcore genre, producing At the Drive-In's final album, Relationship of Command in 2000, as well as Glassjaw's albums, Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence (2000) and Worship and Tribute (2002). Robinson has also worked with the likes of The Cure on their eponymous album (2004) and From First to Last on their album Heroine (2006).

In 2003 he produced The Blood Brothers' ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn, which was a departure for both the band and Robinson. In contrast to The Blood Brothers' previously raw, often under-produced songs (which lasted as short as 90 seconds at times), ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn featured much longer and more complex compositions.

Robinson was the owner of the IAM: Wolfpack label. In 2007 it was announced that Ross was starting a new label IAM: Wolfpack which released the debut CD from Black Light Burns titled Cruel Melody. He is a co-owner of semi-private NY nightclub The Plumm, along with David Wells, Jesse Bradford, Noel Ashman, among others.

From 2008, Ross decided to produce new talents he discovered via Myspace. He recorded and mixed a young French trio called My Own Private Alaska which mixes classical piano and scream based vocals. Their Amen album was released on March 1, 2010, through his label: I Am Recordings.

He worked with the Slovenian band Siddharta on their new project Saga, and the band Drop Dead, Gorgeous, in Los Angeles. He also produced Repeater's second album, We Walk from Safety.

Ross has been producing Indie rock bands such British bands Klaxons and Dananananaykroyd. In late 2008 the Luxembourgish dance rock band INBORN! were approached by Ross Robinson. Having heard the band on the net, he very soon manifested interest and proposed himself to record their first official long player. The band entered Ross Robinson's studio on October 1, 2010.

In 2010, Robinson returned to produce Korn's ninth album after 14 years. Korn wanted to recapture the raw energy of the first two albums which Robinson produced.^[6]

Musician

• Detente – Recognize no Authority (1986) (guitar)
• Murdercar – unreleased album (1990) (guitar)
• Ross Robinson at TheGrixer.com

Albums produced

• Concrete – Fear Factory (1991)
• The Crimson Idol – W.A.S.P. (1992) (engineer)
• Creep – Creep (1993)
• Neidermeyer's Mind – Korn (1993)
• Korn – Korn (1994)
• Feed-Us – Cradle of Thorns (1994)
• Adrenaline – Deftones (1995) Production on "Fist"
• Injected – Phunk Junkeez (1995)
• All Is Not Well – Manhole (1996)
• Life Is Peachy – Korn (1996)
• Roots – Sepultura (1996)
• Three Dollar Bill, Yall$ – Limp Bizkit (1997)
• Soulfly – Soulfly (1998)
• e-lux – Human Waste Project (1998)
• Cold – Cold (1998)
• Hard To Swallow – Vanilla Ice (1998)
• The Burning Red – Machine Head (1999)
• Slipknot – Slipknot (1999)
• Amen – Amen (1999)
• Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Silence – Glassjaw (2000)
• Relationship of Command – At the Drive-In (2000)
• We Have Come For Your Parents – Amen (2000)
• Strait Up – Snot w/ various artists (2000) Production on "Absent"
• Iowa – Slipknot (2001)
• Start with a Strong and Persistent Desire – Vex Red (2002)
• Concrete – Fear Factory (re-released 2002)
• Worship and Tribute – Glassjaw (2002)
• ...Burn, Piano Island, Burn – The Blood Brothers (2002)
• Join, Or Die – Amen (2003) (never released)
• The Cure – The Cure (2004)
• Team Sleep – Team Sleep (2005) Production on "Blvrd. Nights" and "Live from the Stage"
• The Unquestionable Truth (Part 1) – Limp Bizkit (2005)
• Heroine – From First to Last (2006)
• Redeemer – Norma Jean (2006)
• Wolves – Idiot Pilot (2007)
• Worse Than a Fairy Tale – Drop Dead, Gorgeous (2007)
• Cruel Melody – Black Light Burns (2007) mixing on "Mesopotamia"
• The Anti Mother – Norma Jean (Aug 2008)
• The Killer and the Star – The Killer and the Star (2009)
• Saga – Siddharta (2009)
• Amen – My Own Private Alaska (2010)
• Korn III: Remember Who You Are – Korn (2010)
• We Walk From Safety – Repeater (2010)
• Surfing the Void – Klaxons (2010)
• PERSONA – INBORN! (2011)^[7]
• There Is A Way – Dananananaykroyd (2011)
• Birth, School, Work, Death – Hyro da Hero (2011)
• VI – Siddharta (2011)
• Haria – Berri Txarrak (2011)

References