Steven Mandel

Mandel grew up in the hamlets of Bardonia and Nanuet in Rockland County, New York. He graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1991, with a Journalism major and English minor.{{cite news |last1=Thomas |first1=Garrett |title="So, What do you do?" - Frater Steven Mandel |url=https://www.tke.org/news/2017/09/29/so-what-do-you-do---frater-steven-mandel |publisher=Tau Kappa Epsilon |date=September 29, 2017}} He later graduated from the Institute of Audio Research in 1996.

In 1996, Mandel became an assistant engineer at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. Mentored by Russell Elevado, he recorded sessions with the Soulquarians and met Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson during D'Angelo's Voodoo album. Mandel would eventually become the first chief engineer of Electric Lady Studios since Eddie Kramer.

Other notable albums Mandel worked on during his time at Electric Lady (1996–2004) include Common’s Like Water for Chocolate and Electric Circus, Erykah Badu’s Mama's Gun, The Roots’ Things Fall Apart, The Roots Come Alive and Phrenology, Prince's Rave Un2 The Joy Fantastic, D’Angelo’s Black Messiah and Roy Hargrove's Hard Groove, on which he received a songwriting credit for the song “Juicy”.

In 2004, Mandel relocated to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he became the in-house engineer for Questlove and worked at "The Studio" on multiple Roots projects including Rising Down, Game Theory, Home Grown, How I Got Over, Undun, and John Legend & The Roots’ Grammy Award-winning Wake Up!.

He accompanied The Roots as an engineer and producer to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon in 2009 and has continued in that position on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon since 2014. He has also appeared in various sketches on The Tonight Show.{{cite news |last1=Atticus |first1=Sam |title=Steven Mandel [Engineer/Producer] |url=https://speakhertz.com/14040/steven-mandel-engineer-producer |access-date=28 March 2025 |publisher=Speak Hertz |date=May 19, 2022}}

Mandel co-produced and engineered the album Wise Up Ghost with Questlove and Elvis Costello in 2013.{{cite news |last1=Schultz |first1=Barbara |title=Elvis Costello and The Roots Record 'Wise Up Ghost' |url=https://www.elviscostellofans.com/wiki/index.php?title=Electronic_Musician,_July_2014 |access-date=28 March 2025 |publisher=Electronic Musician |date=July 2014}} He is credited as a co-songwriter on most tracks.{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Paul |title=Meet The Third Man: The Producer Who Orchestrated A Roots/Elvis Costello Collaboration |url=https://www.fastcompany.com/3019974/meet-the-third-man-the-producer-who-orchestrated-a-roots-elvis-costello-collaboration |access-date=26 March 2025 |publisher=Fast Company |date=October 23, 2013}} Mandel engineered and produced Swindles, a series of 24 recordings dedicated to the music of Squeeze. Six songs have been released since 2018 via Yep Roc Records on Record Store Day.{{cite web |title=RSD Drops 2020: Mike Watt + The Secondmen - In Quintessence |url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230919181245/https://recordstoreday.com/SpecialRelease/12140 |website=Record Store Day |access-date=26 March 2025}}{{cite news |last1=Bowden |first1=Marshall |title=Steve Mandel & The Roots’ Squeeze Tribute Album |url=https://www.newdirectionsinmusic.com/steve-mandel-the-roots-squeeze-tribute-album/ |access-date=28 March 2025 |publisher=New Directions in Music |date=March 9, 2021}} Mandel co-wrote "Godiva Girl" with Todd Rundgren, Questlove and Ray Angry in 2021.

Mandel is a co-host of the Questlove Supreme podcast for its run on Pandora and iHeart Radio 2016-2025, where he was dubbed “Suga Steve” by his co-hosts.{{cite news |last1=Lane |first1=Lexi |title=Questlove Launches New Season Of ‘Supreme’ Podcast |url=https://www.udiscovermusic.com/news/questlove-launches-new-season-of-supreme-podcast/ |access-date=28 March 2025 |publisher=U Discover Music |date=February 3, 2022}}

==Production discography==

• “American Tune” (2006), The Imposter (Elvis Costello), Lupe-O-Tone{{cite news |last1=Adams |first1=Sam |title=Elvis Costello Celebrated an Uncertain Independence Day by Covering Paul Simon’s “American Tune” |url=https://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2017/07/05/elvis_costello_revives_his_imposter_alias_to_cover_paul_simon_s_american.html |access-date=28 March 2025 |publisher=Slate |date=July 5, 2017}}
• “Someone Else’s Heart” (2018), Elvis Costello, Yep Roc
• “Take Me I’m Yours” (2018), Difford & Tilbrook with Questlove & Robert Glasper, Yep Roc
• Bob_James (2019), Antero Sievert featuring Daru Jones, JMI
• “Tempted” (2019), Erykah Badu with James Poyser, Yep Roc
• “Bang Bang” (2020), Todd Rundgren, Yep Roc
• “In Quintessence” (2020), Mike Watt and the Secondmen, Yep Roc
• “Black Coffee In Bed” (2021), Bilal featuring Nikki Jean, Yep Roc
• Happiness Is A Warm Gun (2022), Antero Sievert with Noah Halpern, JMI
• Night Bell (2023), Catriona Sturton, JMI
• When The Music’s Over (2023), Doyle Bramhall II/DJ Harrison/Daru Jones, JMI

• Gold Sounds (2005) - James Carter/Cyrus Chestnut, BBR
• The Co-Op (2007) - Jeremy Pelt/Warren Wolf, BBR
• Wise Up Ghost (2013), Elvis Costello & The Roots, Blue Note Records
• Sit Back, Relax & Unwind (2017), Steve Wilson, JMI
• One (2018), Ray Angry, JMI
• The_Underscore (2019), Antero Sievert, JMI
• everybody’s waltz (2020) Helen Sung with Marquis Hill, JMI
• Onyx (2022), Sasha Berliner, JMI
• Dear Bossa: (2022), Antero Sievert, JMI
• Sun/Moon (2022), David Murray, JMI
• Ashes (2023), Lage Lund, JMI
• Blaque Dynamite (2023), Mike Mitchell, JMI
• Max Gerl (2023), Max Gerl, JMI
• PLUMB (2023), David Murray/Questlove/Ray Angry, JMI
• Life (2023), Warren Wolf, JMI
• Un (2023), James Carter, JMI
• Hard Pan (2023), Max Gerl & Mike Mitchell, JMI
• Max Gerl Trio (2025), Max Gerl, JMI

• Bardonia (2002), Bardonia, CHUH
• Monroe (2003), Monroe, CHUH

==References==

{{Reflist}}

• Questlove Supreme
• Wise Up Ghost

• [https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-questlove-supreme-53194211/ Questlove Supreme podcast], iHeart Radio
• [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4004555/ IMDB - Steven Mandel]
• {{cite web |last1= |first1= |author1-link= |title= JMI Recordings' J Cohn & Steven Mandel Talk New Records, CTI, Questlove, and their Music Message |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tXrp8c49b2o|website=youtube.com |publisher=Ken Micallef Jazz Vinyl Audiophile

|language=en |format=video |date=January 23, 2024}}

• {{cite web |title=Interview with Music Producer Steven Mandel from The Tonight Show |url=https://shows.acast.com/billy-joel-a-to-z/episodes/interview-with-music-producer-steven-mandel-from-the-tonight |website=Billy Joel A to Z |publisher=Season 14, Ep. 7 |access-date=28 March 2025}}
• {{cite web |title=Making Music At Masterdisk - JMI Recordings |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnsPbuvQCao |website=Masterdisk}}
• [https://www.discogs.com/artist/401247-Steve-Mandel?srsltid=AfmBOoqmrfP1px61DqCNN5OLKR8VnR7beN08kofNWtJRg9FiYdJf-1F9 Discogs - Steven Mandel]

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Category:American record producers

Category:Jazz record producers

Category:American music podcasters

Category:Songwriters from New York (state)

Category:American radio DJs

Category:1969 births

Category:Living people