DJ Swivel

Overview

Jordan Young, known professionally as DJ Swivel, is a Canadian record producer, mixer, audio engineer, songwriter, and software developer. He won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for mixing "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers. His work with The Chainsmokers yielded three RIAA Diamond certifications.

DJ Swivel
Also known asDJ Swivel, Swivel
Born
Jordan Young

(1984-12-14) 14 December 1984 (age 41)
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
OriginToronto, Ontario, Canada
GenresPop, EDM, hip hop, R&B
OccupationsRecord producer, songwriter, audio engineer, DJ, software developer
Years active2005–present
Websitedjswivel.com

Jordan Young (born 14 December 1984), known professionally as DJ Swivel, is a Canadian record producer, mixer, audio engineer, songwriter, and software developer.[1] He won a Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards for mixing "Don't Let Me Down" by The Chainsmokers.[1] His work with The Chainsmokers yielded three RIAA Diamond certifications ("Closer", "Something Just Like This", "Don't Let Me Down").[2]

In 2011, Young served as vocal engineer on Beyoncé's album 4.[3][4] He was awarded "Secret Genius: Dance" by Spotify in 2018.[5] He is also the founder of Hooky, an AI voice technology platform,[6] and has developed a line of audio software plugins.[7]

Starting his career in New York City in 2005 under Ken "Duro" Ifill, he has worked with artists including Rema, BTS, Beyoncé, Lil Nas X, The Chainsmokers, Dua Lipa, Coldplay, Rihanna, Jay-Z, Cordae, Gryffin, Fabolous, Rick Ross, Jay Sean, Britney Spears, Sean Combs, Wyclef Jean, Rita Ora, Mary J. Blige, Tiësto, and Whitney Houston.[8][9]

Early life and education

Young was born in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His mother is Christine Bentley, former news anchor for the Toronto television station CFTO.[10] He graduated from Full Sail University's Recording Arts program in 2005.[11]

Career

Early career (2005–2010)

After graduating from Full Sail, Young moved to New York City, where he began working under Ken "Duro" Ifill at Desert Storm Records.[12] During this period, he served as a mixing assistant and engineer on projects for Jay-Z, Fabolous, Mary J. Blige, Kanye West, Rick Ross, Britney Spears, Mariah Carey, and others.[13]

Beyoncé and The Chainsmokers (2011–2018)

In 2011, Young served as vocal engineer on all tracks of Beyoncé's 4 and also mixed "I Care" and "Schoolin' Life".[3][4] He continued working with Beyoncé on Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 (2011) and as an engineer on "Flawless" from her self-titled album (2013).[13]

In 2013, Young was credited as an engineer on "Love on Top" by Beyoncé, which won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance.[1]

In 2015, Young co-founded the music technology startup SKIO Music. That same year, he began working with The Chainsmokers, mixing their Bouquet EP and the single "Roses".[13]

He was inducted into the Full Sail University Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2015.[14][11]

His collaboration with The Chainsmokers expanded to include mixing, production, and engineering on "Closer" (2016), "Don't Let Me Down" (2016), "Something Just Like This" (2017, with Coldplay), "Paris" (2017), the Collage EP (2016), and the album Memories...Do Not Open (2017).[13]

Young won the Grammy Award for Best Dance Recording at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards in 2017 for mixing "Don't Let Me Down".[1]

From 2018 to 2020, Young served as mixer, engineer, producer, and co-writer for BTS on tracks including "Euphoria", "Magic Shop", "Love Maze", "So What", "Mikrokosmos", "Moon", and "We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal".[13]

Software development (2020–present)

In January 2020, Young released The Sauce, an effects processor plugin for vocals.[15] Later in 2020, he released Spread, a plugin for converting mono tracks to stereo.[16] He subsequently released additional plugins including Knocktonal, a drum resonance tuning tool,[17] and HitStrip, a channel strip plugin comprising nine processing modules, released in November 2024 after three years of development.[7]

His plugin line, which also includes BDE and Click Boom, was rebranded as Swivel Audio and distributed through Plugin Alliance beginning in August 2025.[18]

Young also owns a music publishing company, Waves With Words, in partnership with Concord.[19]

Hooky and AI voice technology (2023–present)

Young founded Hooky, an AI voice technology platform that provides licensed artist voice models for use in music production.[6][10]

In November 2023, singer Lauv used Hooky's AI voice modelling technology to release a Korean-language version of his single "Love U Like That". The process involved Korean singer Kevin Woo (formerly of U-KISS) performing the Korean vocals, after which Hooky's AI applied Lauv's vocal characteristics to the recording. The release was described by Billboard as the first instance of a major Western artist using AI voice modelling to release a song in a new language.[6][20][10]

In April 2024, Young was quoted by CBC News in coverage of broader music industry concerns about AI, comparing the challenges to the Napster-era disputes over digital file-sharing.[21]

Hooky launched as a subscription platform on 5 June 2024, with initial voice models from artists including Jay Sean, Eric Bellinger, and Bonnie X Clyde.[22][23][24]

Television

In 2023, Young served as a judge on Banded: The Musician Competition, a music competition series on AXS TV that premiered on 13 May 2023. The show, hosted by Brandon Jenner and co-hosted by Didi Benami, placed 25 individual songwriters into five multi-genre bands.[25]

Selected discography (mixing, production, engineer, writer)

Year Artist Title(s) Album Role Certification(s)
2025 Ozuna "Sirenita" Single Mixing
2025 Lil Nas X "Need Dat Boy" Single Mixing
2024 Beyoncé "Ya Ya" Cowboy Carter Vocal Recording
2024 Mazzel "Parade" Single Mixing
2024 Le Sserafim "Smart" Easy Mixing
2024 Bazzi "Eyes" Single Mixing
2022 Rema "Calm Down" (with Selena Gomez) Single Mixing, Mastering US: 7× Platinum [26]
2022 Rema All songs Rave & Roses Mixing, Mastering
2021 Kane Brown (w/ H.E.R) "Blessed and Free" Single Mixing
2021 Lil Nas X "Montero (Call Me By Your Name) - But Lil Nas X Makes All The Sounds With His Mouth" EP Version Mixing
2020 Twice All songs Eyes Wide Open Mixing
2020 WayV All songs Awaken the World Mixing
2020 BTS "Moon", "We Are Bulletproof: The Eternal" Map of the Soul: 7 Mixer, Production, Engineer, Writer. US: Platinum [27]
2020 Dua Lipa "Good In Bed" Future Nostalgia Mixing US: Platinum [28]
2019 Cordae "Wassup" (with Young Thug) Single Mixing
2019 Gryffin All songs Gravity Mixing
2019 TXT All songs The Dream Chapter: Magic Mixing
2019 Lil Nas X "Panini" 7 EP Mixing US: 7× Platinum [29]
2019 Lil Nas X "Rodeo" (with Cardi B) 7 EP Mixing US: 2× Platinum [30]
2019 Lil Nas X "Holiday" Single Mixing US: 2× Platinum [31]
2019 BTS "Mikrokosmos" Map of the Soul: Persona Mixing, Engineer, Writer. US: Gold [32]
2018 BTS "Love Maze", "So What" Love Yourself: Tear Mixing, Engineer, Writer
2018 BTS "Euphoria", "I'm Fine", "Answer: Love Myself", "Magic Shop", "Best of Me" Love Yourself: Answer Mixing, Production, Engineer, Writer US: Platinum [33]
2017 The Chainsmokers Tracks 1–11 Memories ... Do Not Open Mixing, Production, Engineer. US: Platinum [34]
2017 The Chainsmokers "Something Just Like This" (with Coldplay) Single Mixing, Production, Engineer. US: 10× Platinum [35]
2017 The Chainsmokers "Paris" Single Mixing, Production, Engineer. US: 4× Platinum [36]
2017 Coldplay "Miracles" (with Big Sean) Kaleidoscope EP Mixing, Mastering
2017 Dua Lipa "Homesick" (with Chris Martin) Dua Lipa Mixing, Mastering US: Platinum [37]
2016 The Chainsmokers All songs Collage EP Mixing, Production, Engineer. US: 2× Platinum [38]
2016 The Chainsmokers "Closer" Single Mixing, Production, Engineer. US: 15× Platinum [39]
2016 The Chainsmokers "Don't Let Me Down" (with Daya) Single Mixing US: 10× Platinum [40]
2015 The Chainsmokers "Roses" Single Mixing US: 6× Platinum [41]
2015 The Chainsmokers All songs Bouquet EP Mixing US: Gold [42]

Extended discography (mixing, engineer, assistant)

Year Artist Title Album Role Certification
2015 Raury "Superfly", "Armor", "Cigarette Song", "Chariots of Fire" Indigo Child Mixing
2014 Fabolous "We Good" (with Rich Homie Quan), "You Made Me" (with Tish Hyman), "She Wildin" (with Chris Brown), "Ball Drop" (with French Montana), "Rap & Sex", "Cinnamon Apple" (with Kevin Hart) The Young OG Project Engineer
2014 Jay Sean Tracks 1–6, "Jameson" The Mistress II Engineer, Mixing
2013 Beyoncé "Flawless" Beyoncé Engineer US: 5× Platinum [43]
2013 Jay-Z "Oceans" (with Frank Ocean), "BBC", "Nickels and Dimes" Magna Carta...Holy Grail Engineer, Editing US: 2× Platinum [44]
2013 Jay Sean "Universe" Neon Engineer, Mixing
2012 Rita Ora "Roc The Life" Ora Engineer
2012 Monica "Daddy's Girl", "Take a Chance" (with Wale) New Life Engineer
2011 The Dream "Long Gone" 1977 Engineer
2011 Beyoncé All songs. Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 Engineer US: Platinum [45]
2011 Rihanna "Talk That Talk" (with Jay-Z) Talk That Talk Engineer US: 3× Platinum [46]
2011 Mary J. Blige "Love a Woman" (with Beyoncé) My Life II...The Journey Continues (Act 1) Engineer US: Gold [47]
2011 Wale "Sabotage" (with Lloyd), "Slight Work" (with Big Sean) Ambition Engineer US: Platinum[48]
2011 Beyoncé Engineer, all songs. Mix: "I Care", "Schoolin' Life" 4 Mixing, Engineer, Drum Programming, Keyboards US: 4× Platinum[49]
2011 Fabolous "Slow Down" (with Trey Songz) The S.O.U.L Tape Producer, Engineer, Mixing
2010 Beyoncé All songs. I Am... World Tour Engineer, Mixing
2010 Kanye West "All Of The Lights" Single Engineer US: 5× Platinum[50]
2010 Fabolous "You Be Killin' Em", "Lights Out" There Is No Competition 2: The Grieving Music EP Engineer
2010 Big Time Rush "Nothing Even Matters" BTR Engineer
2010 Rick Ross "Free Mason" (with Jay-Z & John Legend) Teflon Don Engineer US: Gold [51]
2009 Mary J. Blige "Each Tear" (with Jay Sean) Stronger With Each Tear Engineer US: Gold [52]
2009 Tiësto "Kaleidoscope" (with Jónsi), "I Will Be Here", "It's Not The Things You Say" (with Kele Okereke), "Who Wants To Be Alone" (with Nelly Furtado), "Knock You Out" (with Emily Haines) Kaleidoscope Engineer, Mixing
2009 Jay Sean "Do You Remember" Single Mixing US: 2× Platinum [53]
2009 Jay Sean "Down" Single Mixing US: 6× Platinum [54]
2009 Ghostface Killah "Not Your Average Girl" (with Shareefa), "Do Over" (with Raheem DeVaughan), "Baby" (with Raheem DeVaughn), "Paragraphs of Love" (with Vaughn Anthony & Estelle), "Guest House" (with Fabolous), "Let's Stop Playin" (with John Legend), "I'll Be That" (with Adrienne Bailon) Ghostdini: The Wizard of Poetry in Emerald City Engineer
2009 Jay-Z "Empire State of Mind" (with Alicia Keys) The Blueprint 3 Mixing Assistant US: 3× Platinum [55]
2009 Fabolous "The Way", "Mixing My Time" (with Jeremih), "Imma Do It" (with Kob), "Feel Like I'm Back", "Everything, Everyday, Everywhere" (with Keri Hilson), "Throw It In The Bag" (with The Dream), "Money Goes Honey Stay" (with Jay-Z), "Salute" (with Lil Wayne), "There He Go", "The Fabolous Life" (with Ryan Leslie), "Makin Love" (with Ne-Yo), "Last Time" (with Trey Songz), "Pachanga", "Lullaby", "Stay", "Miss My Love" Loso's Way Engineer, Mixing US: Gold [56]
2009 Whitney Houston "Worth It" I Look To You Engineer US: Platinum [57]
2009 Ryan Leslie All songs Ryan Leslie Assistant Engineer
2009 Ghostface Killah All songs GhostDeini The Great Assistant Engineer
2008 Jamie Foxx "You Should Talk" (with Ne-Yo & Fabolous) Intuition Mixing, Engineer US: Platinum [58]
2008 T.I "Swing Ya Rag" (with Swizz Beatz) Paper Trail Mixing Assistant US: 2× Platinum [59]
2008 DJ Khaled All songs We Global Mixing Assistant
2008 Nelly All songs Brass Knuckles Mixing Assistant US: Gold [60]
2008 Ne-Yo "She Got Her Own" (with Fabolous & Jamie Foxx) Year of the Gentleman Engineer US: Platinum [61]
2008 Ashanti All songs The Declaration Mixing Assistant
2008 Jay Sean "Tonight", "Good Enough", "Murder", "I'm Gone" My Own Way Mixing
2008 Lil Mama All songs YVP (Voice of the Young People) Mixing Assistant
2008 Mariah Carey "O.O.C" E=MC² Mixing Assistant US: Platinum [62]
2008 Mary J. Blige All songs Growing Pains Mixing Assistant US: Platinum [63]
2007 Beanie Sigel All songs The Solution Mixing Assistant
2007 Jay-Z "I Know", "Blue Magic" American Gangster Engineer US: Platinum [64]
2007 Britney Spears "Why Should I Be Sad" Blackout Engineer, Mixing Assistant US: Platinum [65]
2007 Sugababes "Change" Change Engineer
2007 Yung Joc All songs Hustlenomics Mixing Assistant
2007 Fabolous "From Nothin' To Somethin' Intro", "Yep, I'm Back", "Change Up" (with Akon), "Make Me Better" (with Ne-Yo), "Baby Don't Go" (with T-Pain), "Return Of The Hustle" (with Swizz Beatz), "Gangsta Don't Play" (with Junior Reid), "Real Playa Like" (with Lloyd), "First Time" (with Rihanna), "Diamonds" (with Young Jeezy), "Brooklyn" (with Jay-Z & Uncle Murda), "I'm The Man" (with Red Cafe), "Jokes On You" (with Pusha T), "What Should I Do" (with Lil' Mo), "This Is Family", "Supa" From Nothin' To Somethin' Engineer, Mixing US: Gold [66]
2007 Redman All songs Red Gone Wild Mixing Assistant
2006 Bow Wow "Shake It" (with Swizz Beatz) The Price of Fame Engineer, Mixing Assistant US: Gold [67]
2006 DJ Clue All songs The Professional Part. 3 Engineer, Mixing Assistant
2006 Diddy "The Future", "Hold Up", "Wanna Move" (with Big Boi, Ciara, Scar), "Special Feeling", "After Love" (with Keri Hilson), "Through The Pain" (with Mario Winans) Press Play Mixing Assistant US: Gold [68]
2006 Method Man All songs 4:21...The Day After Mixing Assistant
2006 Ice Cube All songs Laugh Now Cry Later Mixing Assistant US: Gold [69]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Complete list of 2017 Grammy winners". The Recording Academy. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  2. ↑ Ahlgrim, Callie. "Only 20 artists have multiple songs that are certified diamond — here they all are". Insider. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  3. 1 2 Murphy, Keith (17 June 2011). "Beyonce Experimented 'With Everything' On '4,' Says Engineer". Billboard. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  4. 1 2 "DJ Swivel: Recording Beyoncé's 4". www.soundonsound.com. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  5. ↑ Halperin, Shirley (17 November 2018). "Benny Blanco, Murda Beatz, Ali Tamposi Take Top Honors at Spotify Secret Genius Awards". Variety. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  6. 1 2 3 Robinson, Kristin (8 November 2023). "How Lauv Used AI to Translate His Latest Single Into Korean". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  7. 1 2 "HitStrip plug-in from DJ Swivel". Sound On Sound. 16 December 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  8. ↑ "Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young Songs, Albums, Reviews, Bio & More". AllMusic. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  9. ↑ "The Casey Adams Show: DJ Swivel - Grammy Award Winning Producer, Mixer and Songwriter on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 24 February 2023.
  10. 1 2 3 "How this Canadian producer is using AI to allow artists to sing in different languages". CBC News. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  11. 1 2 "Jordan Young – Full Sail University Hall of Fame". Full Sail University. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  12. ↑ "A Career Built on Hustle: The Keys to Early Success with Jordan 'DJ Swivel' Young". SonicScoop. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "All Music: Jordan "DJ Swivel" Young". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 March 2012.
  14. ↑ "Full Sail Hall Of Fame 2015". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 19 February 2016.
  15. ↑ Rogersonpublished, Ben (22 January 2020). "Beyonce's engineer DJ Swivel has cooked up a vocal seasoning plugin called The Sauce". MusicRadar. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  16. ↑ Rogersonpublished, Ben (3 September 2020). "DJ Swivel's Spread plugin makes it easy to add stereo width". MusicRadar. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  17. ↑ "DJ Swivel Knocktonal review: The best tool to tune your drum resonance". MusicTech. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  18. ↑ "Swivel Audio – Plugin Alliance". Plugin Alliance. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  19. ↑ "CONCORD MUSIC PUBLISHING INKS NEW DEAL WITH DJ SWIVEL". Concord. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  20. ↑ "Lauv taps AI and a former K-pop idol to create Korean version of 'Love U Like That'". NME. 8 November 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  21. ↑ "Billie Eilish, Arkells among musicians pleading for protections against AI copycats". CBC News. 2 April 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  22. ↑ "Artist-First Voice AI Platform Hooky Launches With British R&B Hitmaker Jay Sean, Grammy-Winning R&B Artist Eric Bellinger, Electronic Dance Duo Bonnie X Clyde". PR Newswire. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  23. ↑ "Hooky is the latest startup helping singers license AI voice-clones". Music Ally. 6 June 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  24. ↑ "Jay Sean, Eric Bellinger, Bonnie x Clyde Featured in Hooky Launch". Digital Music News. 5 June 2024. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  25. ↑ "AXS TV Presents the All-New Original Music Competition Series 'Banded' Premiering Saturday, May 13 at 9 PM ET". PR Newswire. 27 April 2023. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  26. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Calm Down". RIAA. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  27. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Map of The Soul:7". RIAA.
  28. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Future Nostalgia". RIAA.
  29. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Panini". RIAA. Retrieved 31 March 2025.
  30. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Rodeo". RIAA.
  31. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Holiday". RIAA. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  32. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Map of the Soul:Persona". RIAA. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  33. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Love Yourself: Answer". RIAA.
  34. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Memories...Do Not Open". RIAA.
  35. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Something Just Like This". RIAA.
  36. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Paris". RIAA.
  37. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Dua Lipa (Album)". RIAA.
  38. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Collage EP". RIAA.
  39. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Closer". RIAA.
  40. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Don't Let Me Down". RIAA.
  41. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Roses". RIAA.
  42. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Bouquet EP". RIAA.
  43. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Beyonce (album)". RIAA.
  44. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Magna Carta...Holy Grail". RIAA.
  45. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Live at Roselands: Elements of 4". RIAA.
  46. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Talk That Talk". RIAA.
  47. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, My Life II The Journey". RIAA.
  48. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Wale Ambition". RIAA.
  49. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Beyonce 4". RIAA.
  50. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, All Of The Lights". RIAA. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
  51. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Teflon Don". RIAA.
  52. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Stronger With Each Tear". RIAA.
  53. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Do You Remember". RIAA.
  54. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Down". RIAA.
  55. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, The Blueprint 3". RIAA.
  56. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Loso's Way". RIAA.
  57. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, I Look To You". RIAA.
  58. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Intuition". RIAA.
  59. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Paper Trail". RIAA.
  60. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Brass Knuckles". RIAA.
  61. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Year of the Gentleman". RIAA.
  62. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, E=MC2". RIAA.
  63. ↑ "Gold & Platinum". RIAA.
  64. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, American Gangster". RIAA.
  65. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Blackout". RIAA.
  66. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, From Nothin' To Somethin'". RIAA.
  67. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, The Price of Fame". RIAA.
  68. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Press Play". RIAA.
  69. ↑ "Gold & Platinum, Laugh Now Cry Later". RIAA.

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