Brian Eno wins the first Joe Meek award

News

Rob Hughes Jan 19 2009, 4:04pm

Bowie producer beats Mark Ronson and Bjork to the honour

The Music Producers Guild (UK) has announced that Brian Eno will be the first recipient of its Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production. The award will be one of 14 presented at the MPG Awrds held at Cafe de Paris, London, on February 12th this year.

The MPG has campaigned that, although generally viewed as a ‘behind the scenes’ role, the contribution made by recording professionals to the success of the UK’s music industry is one that should never be underestimated. The Music Producers Guild Awards are in recognition of the talent and creativity of those producers, engineers, mixers, re-mixers and mastering engineers who are often the driving forces behind the hit records.

Many nominations were received for this very special award and after careful consideration the Music Producers Guild’s voting members narrowed the field down to three – Bjork, Brian Eno and Mark Ronson – all of whom, had a strong claim to the title.

Announcing Brian Eno as the winner, Music Producers Guild chairman Mike Howlett, who also chaired the judging panel, said: “Eno has for a long time been at the forefront of adventurous and innovative music recording. As a band member, his influence on the originality of Roxy Music is obvious, while as a producer, his innovative work on albums such as David Bowie’s Berlin Trilogy is legendary.

We have Eno to thank for ambient music, which he pioneered on his own albums Music for Airports, The Plateaux of Mirrors and On Land. He was also one of the first people to use samples (with David Byrne on the album My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts) and he inspired U2 to re-invent themselves with the album The Joshua Tree.”

“Eno is an inspiration to everyone involved in record production and an even greater inspiration and mentor to those he takes under his wing. I can't think of a more appropriate music recordist to receive the first Music Producers Guild Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production.”

The Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production recognises the originality and experimentation of the producer. The ability of a great producer to push the boundaries is often imitated thereafter, resulting in the contemporary recording techniques that many musicians now take for granted.

By naming its Award for Innovation after Joe Meek, the Music Producers Guild is paying homage to this remarkable producer’s pioneering spirit, which continues to manifest itself in the equally pioneering techniques employed by today’s top producers.