Draft:Steve Lyon (recording engineer)

Stephen Charles Lyon ( Born 22nd July ) in Twickenham West London, is a Recording Engineer, Mix Engineer, Record Producer working mostly across alternative rock, Electronic rock Musical genre's with collaborations including Depeche Mode, Recoil, Nitzer Ebb, The Cure, The Creatures, Amplifier, Mrnorth, Eric Clapton Laura Pausini, 99 Posse,  Subsonica, Mirkoeilcane Eros Ramazzotti.

Early life
Lyon born and was raised in Twickenham South West London in a large close family group and an avid Rugby fan and studied Mechanical / electrical Engineering. Meeting film directors and actors at Twickenham Film Studios and was advised to spend time at The National Film and Television School as a non enrolled student taking on a number roles, especially in sound recording,editing and sound effects creation.

First studio - Glyn Johns
Lyon took the invitation to take an interview with Glyn Johns, his Engineering and production idol at the time, guiding him though the mind set of studio life at his own fully fitted studio at his home. This approach to musicians, the recording world along with the experience gained was invaluable, unique and fundamental to the approach taken by Steve in his further in his development as a sound recording engineer.

Johns returned to Los Angeles after 18 months, but later returned to Johns' studio to assist and oversea the technical set up for some of his mixing and recording projects.

Major studios
Lyon was offered a position at the Townhouse Studios then The Manor Studio as assistant engineer spending two years as in house assistant then engineer on a number of projects including Rush,  Berlin, UFO An offer to tour North America was a next, as live sound engineer with a Charisma Records artist "Keep it Dark" supporting Mike and the Mechanics.

Lyon was asked to interview and then joined the staff at Sir George Martin's Air studios oxford circus as assistant engineer on projects including Sir Paul McCartney recording at his own studio, in particular the single "Once-upon-a-long-ago" partly at Abbey Road Studios. The sessions with Sir Paul McCartney initially started at his studio Hogg Hill Mill, Icklesham that led to songs included on Flowers in the Dirt, Flaming Pie, "the-McCartney-Macmanus-collaboration/ other releases and bootlegs" and subsequently The Paul McCartney Collection.

Working on number projects with Sir George Martin including the spoken word Dylan Thomas play Under milk wood the, singer songwriter Andy Leek, and a re-mixing of The Beatles Rubber soul at Air studios oxford circus.

Other Project at Air studios oxford circus included "Glass" a 2nd solo Album with Dire Straits Bass player John Illsley, the 2nd album for The Outfield titled Bangin' and Prefab Sprout album  From Langley Park to Memphis.

Another notable session were the initial "jamming" recordings for the 3rd Tears for Fears studio album The Seeds of Love. These were extensive experimental sessions lasting over a month with several musicians involved. An eventual change in production led the band away from Air studios oxford circus and it is unclear how much of those initial recordings made the finished album.

In Contrast while at at Air studios Oxford Circus he was mixing Engineer The Wedding Present's first album George Best then subsequently recording and mixing the band's second album Bizarro at Jacobs Recording Studios.

Freelance to Production
As a Freelance engineer Lyon worked at the Church Studios with Dave Stewart  of the Eurythmics and Suzan Vega on two songs for Deadicated  a Tribute to The Greateful Dead. Engineering for Depeche_Mode with Flood producing with the band on the UK sessions for Violator and on the 12" singles collection "depeche-mode-violator-12-singles-collection-box-set for Mute Records. This collaboration included the preparation for the World Violation Tour leading to recording a number of the European dates on the tour.

Lyon then worked with Alan Wilder on Re-mixes of "Come Alive" and "Family Man" for the Nitzer Ebb "As Is EP", leading onto the next full album release Ebbhead. Depeche_Mode were asked to contribute to the Soundtrack "Until the end of the world" and the track "Deaths Door" with the band Producing with Lyon recording and mixing.

Post the Violation Tour Lyon was again in the studio with Alan to work on Bloodline the 3rd release of  Recoil his solo Project. The album had various vocalists including Douglas McCarthy Lead vocalist from Nitzer Ebb, Toni Halliday from Curve and Moby. One further vocal was on the single "Electro Blues" for Bukka White which was an old blues recording given an Electro backing.

Further work with Depeche_Mode and Flood led to the recording of Songs of Faith and Devotion in a private Villa in Madrid and studios in Hamburg and London. An extensive period followed of programming and sequencing period with Alan Wilder in London and his home Studio, including "re-mixes" and "b-side" mixes. The Devotional Tour Video was recorded and the album Songs of Faith and Devotion Live mixed in Dublin.

A notable release in that period was Condemnation (Paris mix) where a remix with extra recording was completed between shows in Paris.

The period has been documented in a special edition of Rolling Stone in July 2023 Or from the website Also in this video interview specifically re-guarding SOFAD.

Lyon and Alan Wilder were again to collaborate on the next Recoil album Unsound Methods mostly recorded at Alan's home Studio.

Robert Smith after meeting members of Depeche Mode in New York called and asked if they could meet and talked though making a very different type of album, maybe even a solo record outside of a conventional studio in a house he had found. Two years later came album Wild Mood Swings for The Cure recorded mostly at St Catherine's Court and Haremere Hall.

Also completed in this period with The Cure was a version of the David Bowie anthem "Young Americans" for an 104.9 (An XFM Compilation Album) and the title track from the Original Motion Picture Soundtrack Judge Dredd both feature on Join the Dots: B-Sides & Rarities 1978–2001 (The Fiction Years).

Discography and collaborations
The breadth and depth of works are not all listed here but here are a few in no particular order.

Discogs -

AllMusic -

Sweet Relief II: Gravity of the Situation "When i Ran Off and Left Her" Sleeping dogs ( EP ) Fear and Desire Everything Everything / This is just lightning Live 2011 NYC Amplifier Insider Mystoria and Residue EP (Recording) Midnight in the Drawn City Identity
 * Sir Paul McCartney - sessions and recordings
 * Depeche Mode - Violator
 * Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion
 * Depeche Mode - Songs of Faith and Devotion Live
 * Depeche Mode - Devotional
 * Recoil -Bloodline
 * Recoil - Unsound Methods
 * Nitzer Ebb -Nitzer Ebb "As Is EP"
 * Nitzer Ebb - Ebbhead
 * The Cure - Wild Mood Swings
 * EMF - Cha Cha Cha
 * Soul Asylum - Promises Broken (single)
 * Siouxsie Sioux / The Creatures -Anima Animus
 * Paradise Lost -Host
 * Maggie Estep - Love is a Dog From Hell
 * Reamonn - Tuesday - Dream No. 7
 * Daisybox - Diagnostic
 * Drugstore - Anatomy
 * Sohodolls ‎– Ribbed Music For The Numb Generation
 * Mrnorth
 * Amplifier
 * Suzerain -


 * David Koller - ČeskosLOVEnsko
 * Chinaski - 11 (mixing 2 Singles)
 * How to Live
 * Cary Okay
 * The Elephant Man - Valerine
 * Host - Devine Emotion ( remix )

Work in Italy
Two Latin Grammy Awards with Laura Pausini — "Invece no" Record of the Year and Best Female Pop Vocal Album Laura Pausini — Primavera in anticipo. ITALIAN ARTIST collaborations, ( production, mixing )


 * Subsonica / ( Subsonica Italian Wiki site ) Amorematico

Corto circuito La vida que vendrá Cattivi Guagliuni
 * 99 Posse - ( 99 posse Italian Wiki site )


 * Sautiva


 * Mario Venuti / Recidivo


 * Laura Pausini / Primavera in anticipo


 * Marco Guazzone / L'Atlante Dei Pensieri


 * Mirkoeilcane / Secondo me


 * Eros Ramazzotti / Battito Infinito

Panic Button Studios
Steve's studio, Panic Button Studios on Platt's Eyot on the River Thames records Artists mostly of the alternative rock genre.

interview with Lyon - at PanicbuttonStudios