The Staff
Stephen Butler
For decades, Stephen Butler has been working in the field of Indigenous music/Indigenous music. For 30 years Stephen, shaped and expanded Canyon Records’ mission statement to respectfully present the established musical traditions of Native American tribal cultures, while providing an artistic atmosphere where Native artists can express their traditions in new ways. With the formation of his own company Buffalo Jump Records, Stephen continues this work some of today’s most crucial Indigenous musical acts. As a committed and trusted ally, Stephen is passionate about working with Indigenous artists to increase recognition and deeper understanding of Indigenous cultures through music. Stephen has produced and/or recorded more than 230 studio and live recordings of Native American traditional and contemporary music. Stephen is also the architect of the “neo-traditional” genre of music created in collaboration with Indigenous artists to express traditional modalities through cutting edge production techniques and informed by artists interactions with mainstream music genres. He has recorded and researched 100+ productions live in the field at traditional gatherings in Indigenous tribal communities across North America. Throughout his career Stephen has combined high-quality production, creative design, marketing, forging of strategic partnerships and community building to create sharply focused productions for mainstream and specialty markets. He focuses and sustains Buffalo Jump Records as an artist and consumer driven production organization by serving the needs of artists while listening to consumer and community trends and needs. He has produced 21 Grammy-nominated recordings and was awarded the Best Producer Award by the Native American Music Association in 2011.
Russell Marsden
Russell Marsden is engineer, sound designer and co-creative strategist at Buffalo Jump Records. With decades of experience in the world of audio and music, Russell has engineered several Grammy-nominated productions of Indigenous, World and New Age music. He is an expert engineer for music productions large and small with special expertise in global music featuring traditional instrumentation, podcasts, audiobooks, film scores, sound design, radio & TV broadcast, voice over, and all other audio applications. Russell was mentored by and worked alongside legendary engineer Jack Miller (Duane Eddy, Rolling Stones). Prior to his work with Buffalo Jump Records he worked extensively with legacy label Canyon Records including work with platinum-selling artist and multi-Grammy nominee R. Carlos Nakai. Russell has a proven track record of authentically and respectfully channeling our artists’ work into beautiful sonic renderings. Russell sums up his philosophy in this way: “If the sound grabs your attention and emotions, then a big part of the job is done. It is truly a gift to be associated with such wonderful creators and their creations.”