Mark Plati

Mark Plati is an American record producer, audio engineer, musician, and songwriter based in New York City, renowned for his collaborations with artists such as David Bowie, Prince, and The Cure.^[1] Born in Aurora, Colorado, he began playing music at age 10, starting with the snare drum in his school band, and later studied drum set and electric bass before attending Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music, where he earned a bachelor's degree in telecommunications, an associate's degree in audio technology, and a minor in music.^[1]^[2] Plati's career gained momentum after moving to New York City in 1987, where he worked as an engineer, mixer, and synthesizer programmer under dance music pioneer Arthur Baker at Shakedown Sound studio.^[1] In 1991, he joined Philip Glass's Looking Glass Studios, contributing to a wide array of projects over the next decade. His breakthrough came through his partnership with David Bowie, co-producing the 1997 album Earthling and serving as Bowie's musical director from 1999 to 2002, while also performing on bass and guitar during tours and recordings for albums like Heathen and Reality.^[1]^[2] Throughout his over three-decade career, Plati has engineered, produced, or performed on works by diverse artists including Quincy Jones, Janet Jackson, Talking Heads, Fleetwood Mac, Lou Reed, New Order, Natalie Imbruglia, and Al Green, earning credits on gold and platinum records.^[1] He has also worked internationally, including a stint in Paris from 2005 producing platinum-selling artists, and continues to balance studio production with live performances and teaching, such as master classes in Greece and co-authoring a musical in Italy.^[1]^[2]

Early life and education

Early life

Mark Plati was born in 1963 in Aurora, Colorado, where he was raised and developed an early interest in music without a prominent family background in the field.^[1] At the age of 10, Plati began his musical journey by playing the snare drum in his elementary school band, marking the start of his lifelong engagement with percussion.^[1] This initial exposure laid the foundation for his instrumental skills, leading him to explore further during his middle and high school years after his family relocated to Hartsdale, New York. There, he studied drum set and bass under the guidance of William, Duke Ellington's nephew, honing techniques that blended classical and jazz influences.^[1] By age 16, Plati had advanced to professional-level involvement, participating in his first recording session with Ellington's jazz ensemble, an experience that introduced him to studio recording dynamics and collaborative performance.^[1] These pre-college years solidified his passion for music production and performance, paving the way for formal training at Indiana University.^[1]

Education

Mark Plati enrolled in the Audio Technology program at Indiana University's Jacobs School of Music in 1980, where he pursued formal training in audio engineering and music production.^[1]^[2] He completed his studies in 1986, earning a bachelor's degree in telecommunications, an associate's degree in audio technology, and a minor in music.^[2] During his time at Indiana University, Plati gained practical experience in audio engineering and music production, including engineering and performing on recording sessions by his sophomore year.^[1] He recorded orchestras and jazz ensembles at the university's MAC studio and provided live sound support for bands performing at Bloomington venues such as the Bluebird nightclub.^[1]^[2] These activities allowed him to apply coursework in audio technology to real-world production scenarios, honing skills in studio recording and live performance engineering.^[2]

Career

Early career

Following his education at Indiana University, where he earned a bachelor's degree in telecommunications, an associate's degree in audio technology, and a minor in music, Mark Plati began his professional career in the music industry.^[2] After graduating, he relocated to Dallas, Texas, in the mid-1980s, immersing himself in freelancing opportunities to build practical experience. There, he interned on a 48-track remote recording truck, engineered sessions at three local studios, produced an album for a Dallas-based band, and performed as a bassist in various local groups, honing his skills in both recording and live sound engineering.^[1] In 1987, Plati moved to New York City to pursue greater opportunities in the competitive music scene. He quickly joined producer Arthur Baker's Shakedown Sound studio, where he served as an engineer, mixer, synthesizer programmer, and session musician. This role exposed him to the fast-paced world of dance and pop production, allowing him to contribute to diverse projects during the late 1980s.^[1] From 1991 to 2001, Plati maintained a decade-long association with Philip Glass's Looking Glass Studios in New York City, taking on responsibilities as a producer, engineer, mixer, and performer on numerous recordings. During this foundational period in his New York career, he worked on projects with artists such as Hooverphonic, Alisha’s Attic, Duncan Sheik, and Dave Navarro, among others, which helped establish his reputation in the industry.^[1]^[3]

Collaboration with David Bowie

Mark Plati's professional relationship with David Bowie began in 1996 when he served as co-producer on the album Earthling, released in 1997, initiating a multi-album and three-tour collaboration that spanned the late 1990s and early 2000s.^[4]^[5] This partnership marked a significant phase in Plati's career, positioning him as a key creative force in Bowie's exploration of contemporary sounds during a prolific period.^[4] From 1999 to 2002, Plati expanded his roles to include producer, recording engineer, performer on guitar and bass, and musical director for Bowie's live performances and recordings.^[6]^[4] He contributed to albums such as 'hours...' (1999) and Reality (2003), while also overseeing sessions for the unreleased Toy project recorded between 'hours...' and Heathen.^[5] As musical director, Plati helped shape Bowie's stage presentations, including notable live shows at the Glastonbury Festival in 2000 and the NetAid concert in 1999, where he performed alongside Bowie and the band.^[6]^[4] On Earthling, Plati's contributions emphasized innovative production techniques, blending Bowie's rock foundations with drum 'n' bass rhythms and electronica elements inspired by 1990s acts like The Prodigy and Nine Inch Nails.^[7]^[5] He handled engineering, mixing, programming, loops, samples, and keyboards, helping to create a futuristic sound that adapted Bowie's style to electronic club culture.^[4] For Heathen (2002), Plati co-produced and engineered the album, guiding its introspective tone through layered instrumentation and atmospheric arrangements that reflected Bowie's post-millennial reflections.^[4]^[5] Plati also supervised the live execution of Bowie's 1976 album Low during the Heathen Tour in 2002, ensuring faithful yet dynamic re-performances of its instrumental suites alongside full playthroughs of Heathen at select dates.^[6]^[4] This oversight extended to other high-profile events, such as VH1 Storytellers and The Concert for New York in 2001, where Plati's direction maintained the integrity of Bowie's evolving catalog.^[6]

Later career and other projects

Following his extensive collaboration with David Bowie, which concluded around 2003, Mark Plati relocated to Paris in 2005, where he immersed himself in the French music scene as a producer and mixer. He has also continued to balance studio work with teaching, including master classes in Greece, and co-authoring a musical in Italy.^[1]^[2] He worked with prominent artists such as Louise Attaque on their 2006 album À plus tard crocodile, contributing production and mixing that blended rock and folk elements.^[1] Similarly, Plati collaborated with Alain Bashung on the 2008 album Bleu pétrole, handling production duties alongside Gaëtan Roussel of Louise Attaque, resulting in a critically acclaimed work that earned Bashung multiple Victoires de la Musique awards for its poetic intensity and experimental sound.^[8] Other key French projects during this period included production on Les Rita Mitsouko's 2008 album Variety, Émilie Simon's atmospheric tracks, KYO's rock outings, and Charlie Winston's 2009 debut Hobo, where Plati mixed sessions at Pigalle Studios to fuse indie pop with brass arrangements.^[1] These efforts expanded Plati's portfolio into chanson and alternative genres, leveraging his New York-honed expertise in live instrumentation and electronic textures.^[9] Beyond his French endeavors, Plati's discography features diverse collaborations across genres and eras, showcasing his versatility as an engineer, producer, and musician. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he engineered sessions for Quincy Jones on various projects, contributed remixes to Janet Jackson's 1991 single "State of the World," and worked with Talking Heads during their transitional phase.^[1] He also engineered tracks for Prince's 1990 album Graffiti Bridge, incorporating dance and rock elements at Paisley Park Studios.^[8] In the 1990s, Plati produced and mixed for New Order, including remixes like the 1995 "Nineteen63" update, and handled engineering for Natalie Imbruglia's debut Left of the Middle (1997), notably on the hit "Torn."^[1] His work with The Cure included a 2004 remix of "A Forest" featuring Earl Slick, released on the 2004 compilation Join the Dots, which added layered guitars to the post-punk classic.^[10] These projects, spanning R&B, new wave, and alternative rock, highlight Plati's role in bridging studio precision with artistic innovation.^[9] Plati has maintained an active presence in New York and Europe as a producer, engineer, and multi-instrumentalist, splitting time between his Alice's Restaurant studio in NYC—equipped with Rupert Neve Designs consoles—and international sessions.^[9] In recent years, he mixed the Belgian band GRANDGEORGE's album, produced tracks for Puggy, and revisited Bashung material, while contributing guitar and production to the 2024 KillerStar debut album, a project blending glam and experimental rock.^[9] In June 2025, Plati produced Czech artist Karin Ann's reinterpretation of "Heroes" for her single release, infusing it with haunting electronics, and performed at Bowie tribute events like the Sound and Vision celebration at The Cutting Room.^[11] He continues to seek new collaborations, emphasizing vocal-driven productions that merge live and electronic elements across indie, rock, and pop genres.^[4]

Musical style and influences

Production techniques

Mark Plati's production techniques emphasize the seamless blending of diverse genres, particularly electronica with rock, drawing from his broad musical influences such as classic rock artists including The Beatles, Pink Floyd, The Police, Stevie Wonder, Tom Petty, and Led Zeppelin.^[9] In collaborations such as those with David Bowie, Plati incorporated jazz-inspired improvisation, exemplified by pianist Mike Garson's avant-garde piano solo on "Battle for Britain (The Letter)," which fused Stravinsky-like complexity with rock structures to create textured, experimental soundscapes.^[12] This approach allowed for organic genre fusion, where electronic beats underpinned live rock performances, reflecting Plati's philosophy of serving the song's vision without imposing a signature style.^[3] A hallmark of Plati's innovative recording methods involves integrating live instrumentation with electronic elements, as seen in the production of Bowie's Earthling, where high-tempo live drums at 160 beats per minute were layered with manipulated electronic loops and samples to achieve a hybrid drum-and-bass texture.^[13] He preserved raw takes, such as the initial guide vocal for "Little Wonder," and used chopping techniques on "junk" sounds to generate unconventional sonic elements, ensuring the final mixes retained the energy of live sessions while benefiting from digital precision.^[12] This method, informed by influences like Tricky and Goldie, prioritized rhythmic drive and improvisational freedom over rigid genre boundaries.^[13] Plati's engineering style evolved significantly during the 1990s in New York City studios, transitioning from analog tape-based workflows to digital hard disk recording, which enabled rapid edits—such as rearranging verse-chorus structures in mere seconds rather than hours.^[12] Starting with analog setups at Shakedown Sound under mentor Arthur Baker, where he mastered MIDI sequencing for remixes, Plati adopted tools like Logic software at Looking Glass Studios for Earthling, dumping tracks to tape as a backup while embracing computer-based manipulation for its recall and flexibility.^[8] This shift, amid the digital revolution, allowed him to balance analog warmth with digital efficiency, adapting to the era's technological advancements in NYC's vibrant studio environment.^[3]

Instrumentalist roles

Mark Plati's instrumental background began in childhood, when he started playing drums at age 10 before transitioning to electric bass and guitar at age 12.^[9] These form the core of his multi-instrumental expertise, with a particular emphasis on rhythm section contributions that ground arrangements in rock, pop, and alternative genres.^[8] In live settings, Plati excelled as a performer and bandleader, notably serving as musical director for David Bowie's tours from 1999 to 2002, where he handled guitar and bass duties alongside arranging and conducting the ensemble.^[4] He frequently swapped instruments with bassist Gail Ann Dorsey during shows, adding flexibility to the band's dynamic sound.^[14] A highlight was his participation in Bowie's iconic 2000 Glastonbury Festival headline performance, delivering energetic guitar and bass lines to a crowd of over 100,000.^[5] Plati's studio musicianship spans numerous recordings, where he provided bass and guitar tracks that enhanced the rhythmic and textural layers of albums. On David Bowie's Hours... (1999), he played bass, acoustic guitar, and 12-string electric guitar across multiple songs, contributing to the album's introspective tone.^[15] Similar roles followed on Heathen (2002) and Reality (2003), where his bass and guitar work supported Bowie's evolving art-rock style.^[16]^[17] He also featured on the posthumously released Toy (2021), handling bass and acoustic guitar to revive Bowie's early catalog with fresh energy.^[18] Beyond Bowie, Plati worked on projects with artists like Prince and New Order, including engineering and production, showcasing his versatility as a session musician.^[8]^[9]