Fred learned his trade in Paris as a recording engineer at the Studio du Palais des Congres, working on movie scores and top French artists. He became the personal assistant to
producer Andy Scott and worked on the last two albums of Daniel Balavoine.
He moved to England to be the personal recording and mixing engineer of the Eurythmics recording and mixing album: Savage | Revenge.
Throughout his career, he has mixed, recorded, and produced albums for the likes of
Danny Wilson | The Prodigy | Depeche Mode | Tom Petty | Paddy Casey | David Gray | Bob Dylan
He was nominated for two Grammy Awards.
https://www.discogs.com/artist/89938-Fred-Defaye
His artistic footprint spans continents from UK houses | Barbican Theatre | Sadler’s Wells | Limbury theatre | Queen Elizabeth Hall | Royal Festival Hall | Royal Court | 02 Arena | Glastonbury Festival | Brixton Academy |
International touring: Lincoln Centre NYC | Skirball Centre NYC | Internationaal Amsterdam |
Amare Den Hagg, The Hague | Guzen X Macao | Shanghai Inter Dance to the Classical Stages of
The Bolshoi | Canadian Opera Toronto | Dante Alighieri Opera | Opera de Rouen | Dongguan Opera China, and the challenges of Desert X AlUla.
His innovative approach to sound design and composing has left an indelible mark
Current Project
Tellus | Sound Designer, Mixing Engineer | Dickson Mbi |
UK Tour, Netherlands Schrit_Tmacher Festival
Previous Projects
Theatre & Contemporary Dance
We Caliban | Sound Designer | Shobana Jeyasingh Dance |
Sadler's Wells, UK Tour
Deaf Republic | Associate Sound Designer | Prod: Dead Centre |
Dir: Bush Moukarzel and Ben Kidd | Composer: Kevin Gleeson |
Royal Court downstairs
Krapp's Last Tape | Associate Sound Designer | Prod: Landmark Productions |
Dir: Vicky Featherstone | Actor: Stephen Rea | Composer: Kevin Gleeson |
Barbican Theatre, Skirball Centre NYC
Marking Time | Mixing Engineer | Composer: Nico Muhly |
Maud Le Pladec | Michael Keegan Dolan’s | Jules Cunningham | Sadler’s Wells
Quiet Songs | Associate Sound Designer | Dir: Finn Beames |
Actress: Ruth Negga | Barbican Theatre, International Tour
The Gates of Kyiv | Sound Designer | Prod: Bill Kenwright |
Dir: Roxana Silbert | UK Tour
Au Bord | Composer, Sound Designer | Dir: Valentino Villa |
Triennale Milano Festival
Enowate | Sound Designer, Mixing Engineer | Dickson Mbi |
Prod: Farooq Chaudhry, Geni lou | Sadler's Wells, International Tour
(Winner of the Olivier Award 2023)
Clorinda Agoniste | Sound Designer | Shobana Jeyasingh Dance |
Sadler's Wells, UK Tour
Nine Songs | Sound Designer, Mixing Engineer | Fengling Production |
Prod: Farooq Chaudhry | Desert X ALULa
Portraits in Otherness | Mixing Engineer | Akram Khan |
Prod: Farooq Chaudhry | Sadler's Wells, International Tour
Isadora Now | Sound Designer, Mixing Engineer | Viviana Durante Dance |
Prod: Farooq Chaudhry | Barbican Theatre, International Tour
Under Siege | Rite of Spring | Mixing Engineer | Yang Liping Dance |
Prod: Farooq Chaudhry | Sadler's Wells, International Tour
Pull Me Closer | Rush Part 1/2 | Alone Together | Composer |
Levy Dance, San Francisco | Dir: Garance Marneur | SF International Arts Festival | US Tour
Edits | Sectchbooks of Egon Sheile | Mixing Engineer | Dir: Lea Anderson and Featherstonehaughs | UK Tour
Time Dropper | Composer | Jose Agudo Dance | UK Tour
MA Costume Design for Performance | Composer | London College of Fashion |
Lilian Baylis Theatre | 2010–15
The Black Diamond | Sound Designer | Punchdrunk | Site-specific
People Show '119: Ghost Sonata | Sound Designer & Member of the People Show |
Dir: Josette Bushell-Mingo | Comp: Oscar-nominated Mike Figgis | Site- specific
Shobana Jeyasingh Dance | Mixing Engineer | Composers: Steve Reich |
Michael Nyman | Gabriel Prokofiev | Kareem Roustom | Thierry Pécou | Sk Shlomo
Live Sound Engineering
David Gray | Mixing Engineer | Glastonbury Mainstage
Patti Smith | Mixing Engineer | Royal Festival Hall
Richard Reed Parry | Mixing Engineer | O2 Festival
Andrew Poppy | Mixing Engineer | International | 2018-present
The KLF | Mixing Engineer | 2017-present
The Barbican Theatre | Mixing Engineer | 2021-present
Sadler’s Wells Theatre | Mixing Engineer | 2018-present
Fashion & Commercial
Philipp Plein | Composer | Women's Fall-Winter show Milan
Burberry | Tod's | Sound Designer | show London, Paris
Google | Microsoft | Samsun | Sound Designer | UK
Valve Corporation | Sound Designer, Mixing Engineer in VR and 5.1 surround |
on acclaimed video game titles: Half-Life 1&2 | Portal 1&2 | Left for Dead 1&2 | Team Fortress1&2
Education & Teaching
Montview University for site-specific theatre | Guest tutor
Scandinavian University of Art | Guest lecturer
SAE College London | Guest lecturer
