Chris Tsangarides

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Chris Tsangarides
Birth nameChristopher Andrew Tsangarides
Born(1956-08-17)17 August 1956
Died6 January 2018(2018-01-06) (aged 61)
GenresHard rock, heavy metal, alternative rock, pop
Occupation(s)Record producer, sound engineer, company owner, musician, songwriter
Instrument(s)Guitar
Years active1975–2018
LabelsDark Lord Records

Christopher Andrew Tsangarides (17 August 1956 – 6 January 2018)

Greek Cypriot origin.[2] He was best known for his work with many heavy metal artists, including Gary Moore, Thin Lizzy, Judas Priest, Helloween, Anvil, Angra, Anthem, Yngwie Malmsteen, and Tygers of Pan Tang
.

Tsangarides worked with many pop and alternative artists as well, including Depeche Mode, Tom Jones, Concrete Blonde, and The Tragically Hip.

Career

Chris Tsangarides learned to play piano as a child and studied trumpet at the

Parisienne Walkways", sung on the album by Thin Lizzy's Phil Lynott, was a hit in the UK.[7] Tsangarides continued working with Moore on live albums and produced Back to the Blues in 2001.[4][8]

When Morgan Studios 3 and 4 were acquired by

Zomba Management in 1980 and rechristened Battery Studios,[9] Tsangarides was hired by the new owners as part of a team of "in-house producers" which included Robert John "Mutt" Lange, Martin Birch, Tony Platt and Nigel Green.[6]

During the 1980s and up to the 1990s, Tsangarides became notable on the hard rock and heavy metal scene for the quality of his job and for having produced signature albums, such as Anvil's Metal on Metal in 1982,[3][10] Thin Lizzy's acclaimed final studio release Thunder and Lightning in 1983[3][11] and the Grammy nominated Painkiller by Judas Priest in 1990.[3][8][12] He worked in those years with Black Sabbath,[8] Ozzy Osbourne, Helloween,[8] Y&T, Tygers of Pan Tang, Anthem, Sinner, King Diamond, Ian Gillan, and produced also Bruce Dickinson's first solo album Tattooed Millionaire (1990).[5][10]

Beside his work with metal bands, Tsangarides recorded songs for artists of other musical genres,[5] like singer/songwriter Joan Armatrading, pop star Tom Jones, goth rockers the Lords of the New Church, Killing Joke and keyboardist Jan Hammer. In 1987, he remixed the song "Never Let Me Down Again" by new wave band Depeche Mode for release as a single.[10]

The 1990s saw Tsangarides still at work with metal bands like

Exodus, Overkill, Judas Priest again with the album Painkiller, Japanese band Loudness and guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen,[10] but he also produced for British gothic rock act the Sisters of Mercy and the alternative rock groups the Tragically Hip and Concrete Blonde.[5][8] For the latter band, he also produced and engineered the hit single "Joey" in 1990.[13] In 1999, Tsangarides collaborated as a performer and songwriter with Shin Hae-chul in the techno/metal act Monocrom. They made one album and did an arena tour in Shin's native Korea.[4]

At the beginning of the 2000s, Tsangarides had his own music company called Rainmaker Music, which included a recording studio with the same name in South London.

Winters Bane and Glyder recorded there.[14]

In 2006, Tsangarides opened a new recording facility, Ecology Room Studios in Kent, England, where he went on producing new and established acts on lower budgets than in corporate studios.[6] The Strawbs, Mountain, Steeleye Span, the Quireboys, Biomechanical, Spit Like This, Savage Messiah and many other bands recorded at his new facility. LunarMile, whose members include Toni-Marie Iommi (daughter of Black Sabbath's Tony Iommi) and Alex Hill (son of Judas Priest's Ian Hill), recorded there in June 2007.[15]

Tsangarides is featured in Sacha Gervasi's documentary film Anvil! The Story of Anvil, released in 2009, while at work on the album This Is Thirteen, which Anvil recorded at Ecology Room Studios.[6]

Between 2010 and 2013, Tsangarides collaborated with the Band Complete team at SAE Athens. Tsangarides acted as the recording-sessions mentor, supervisor, recording engineer, and producer. Band Complete engaged students in several areas of creative media production/publishing and the professional life of a music band. Overall, Tsangarides mentored three intakes and engineered/produced EPs for Puta Volcano, Stonebringer, and Skinny Whales.

In February 2012, Tsangarides announced details of a new record label Dark Lord Records formed with the Strawbs frontman Dave Cousins.[16] The first release on the new label was Normalityville Horror by Spit Like This on 21 May.[16]

Tsangarides occasionally played guitar and performed live with the metal band

Exmore / More 2012.[10]

He died of pneumonia and heart failure on 7 January 2018, aged 61.[17]

Technical accomplishments

Tsangarides is known for a guitar recording technique called "the vortex", which he first used when recording the guitar of John Goodsall for the Brand X album Moroccan Roll in 1977.[4] He later refined the technique, which gives to the recordings a random panning effect similar to a reverb, but obtained through a particular placement of microphones.[6][10]

Bands worked with

Source:[18]

See also

  • List of record producers

References

  1. ^ "Legendary Rock Producer CHRIS TSANGARIDES Dead At 61". Blabbermouth.net. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  2. ^ "Chris Tsangarides Celebrates 40th Anniversary Of Making Records". Metalshockfinland.com. 11 February 2015. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d "Interviews: Chris Tsangarides". Rockpages.gr. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j "Heavy Rain". Sound on Sound. July 2001. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 21 January 2015.
  5. ^
    All Media Network
    . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  6. ^ a b c d e f Saxon, Jonathan (March 2009). "Ecology Now!" (PDF). Tape Op (70): 30–36. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 25 January 2015.
  7. ^ "Search for Parisienne Walkaways". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  8. ^ a b c d e Krannila, Ville; Asell, Jari; Tattari, Kimmo (August 2009). "Chris Tsangarides". K. K. Downing Steel Mill. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  9. ^ Harris, Tony (2011). "Morgan Studios". Philsbook.com. Archived from the original on 1 June 2013. Retrieved 19 June 2013.
  10. ^
    Ultimate Guitar Archive. Archived from the original
    on 3 February 2015. Retrieved 2 February 2015.
  11. .
  12. ^ "33rd Grammy Awards - 1991". Rock on the Net.com. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  13. Rovi Corporation
    . Retrieved 27 January 2015.
  14. ^ a b "Chris Tsangarides record producer video interview". Record Production.com. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  15. ^ "Tony Iommi's Daughter's Band Lunarmile 'On A Break'". Blabbermouth.net. 8 April 2008. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
  16. ^ a b "Spit Like This Signs with Dark Lord Records". Blabbermouth.net. 2 March 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  17. ^ "Chris Tsangarides, Famed Metal Producer, Dies". Ultimate Classic Rock. 7 January 2018. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  18. All Media Network
    . Retrieved 1 February 2015.
  19. ^ "Ocean of the Brave | Band Complete". 14 May 2014.

External links