Chris Athens, a mastering engineer whose work quietly shaped some of the biggest records of the past three decades has died. Known for his precision, consistency, and musical sensitivity, Athens built a career that earned the trust of artists and engineers across genres.
He began in the mid-1990s at Sony Music Studios, before going on to spend over a decade at Sterling Sound, one of the most respected mastering houses in the world. He later founded Chris Athens Masters, continuing to work at the highest level with a client list that included Drake, Coldplay, Rick Ross, Rosalía, and Blink-182.
Athens played a key role in shaping award-winning projects, earning Grammy nominations through his work on Drake’s Views and Scorpion, along with Latin Grammy wins for Rosalía’s El Mal Querer and C. Tangana’s El Madrileño. His approach stayed consistent throughout: enhance the record without getting in the way, and make sure it translates everywhere.
Chris Athens passed away on March 20, 2026, with tributes quickly pouring in from across the industry. Bonzai Caruso, who had known him for decades, remembered him as both a top-tier engineer and a genuinely kind person.
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