Producers honoured

Bernard Butler, Brian Eno, Paul Epworth and Calvin triumph at Guild Awards

13 February 2009 - Brian Eno received one of the highest accolades in the music industry last night for Innovation in Production, at the inaugural Music Producers Guild Awards.

The ceremony took place at Café De Paris, in the heart of London, and Eno staved off stiff competition from Bjork and Mark Ronson for the Joe Meek Award.

Speaking exclusively to 6 Music after the ceremony, Eno said he was thrilled to win: “It was very flattering because this is an award given by people I respect.”

The much-admired producer’s CV boasts the likes of U2, Talking Heads, Grace Jones and Coldplay, and Eno told us who he looks up to.

“The classic great producers for me are Phil Spector, Joe Meek, Mickey Most, Shadow Morton,” he said. “They’re all people who understood that the recording studio is something more than just a way of getting songs onto a bit of tape. It’s a place where music is made and imagined.

“You can imagine new music because of the possibilities of recording studios and all of those people really exploited that fact, that suddenly you could do things musically that couldn’t even have been imagined before.”

Self-produced winners

Elbow’s album The Seldom Seen Kid scooped the statue - which is shaped like a gold microphone - for UK Album Of The Year, with its track, One Day Like This, taking home the gong for UK Single Of The Year 08.

The record was self-produced by the band’s keyboardist, Craig Potter.

Brian Eno admitted there are some bands that don’t need to be produced, even by him.

"It was very flattering because this is an award given by people I respect."
Brian Eno

“I was a self-producer before I was a producer for anyone else,” he explained. “I completely encourage people to self-produce. It’s the best way of understanding this new instrument, the recording studio.

“In fact, quite often I get sent demos from people and sometimes they’re really, really good, and they say, ‘We’d like you to produce this’. And I say, ‘But why? You’re obviously doing really good on your own, why do you want me to do it?’ And take several per cent.”

‘Very made up‘

The final award, for Producer Of The Year was awarded by the Grammy Award winning Welsh songstress , Duffy, to her Rockferry producer, Bernard Butler.

This award was special, because for the first time in ten years, the Producer Of The Year Brit Award was revived and given to its victor.

The former Suede guitarist, who has also produced Black Kids and Tricky, was almost lost for words: “I’m very flattered, very thrilled actually, genuinely. I must say that if this had happened 10 years ago, I probably wouldn’t have turned up, but actually now it means a great deal to me. I’m very made up by it.”

“There used to be a big division between the studio and musicians, and I guess where I’ve come from is the point where the whole thing’s come together.”

Jack Penate, who has been working with Paul Epworth on his follow up to Matinee, made an appearance to present his producer with the Best Newcomer prize.

Epworth has produced Bloc Party, Kate Nash, Maximo Park - is currently recording the Critics’ Choice Brit Award winner Florence And The Machine - and is also known for his remixes.

Speaking to us after the ceremony, Epworth said he was flattered to be given the nod from his heroes: “Eno, John Leckie, there’s a room full of people here. There’s people here tonight, that when I was a runner, I was making tea for - and I’m just chuffed, it means an awful lot.”

Singer and producer Calvin Harris, who is currently working on his second album, scooped the golden microphone for Best Remixer.

The Best International Producer Of The Year award went to Dangermouse, aka Brian Burton of Gnarls Barkley and Beck producer.

He was unable to make the ceremony but Steve Mudd from Steve Mudd Management took to the stage to receive it for him.

The awards were hosted by 6 Music's afternoon show presenter, Nemone.

See below for the winners list:

Producer of the Year, sponsored by The BPI
Bernard Butler

Recording Engineer of the Year, sponsored by Prism Sound
James Towler

Best Mix Engineer, sponsored by Digidesign
Cenzo Townsend

Best Mastering Engineer
Ray Staff

Best Live album, sponsored by Shure
Girls Aloud - 'Tangled Up'

UK Album of the Year 08
Elbow - 'The Seldom Seen Kid'

UK Single of the Year 08
Elbow – 'One Day Like This'

Best Remixer
Calvin Harris

The Joe Meek Award for Innovation in Production
Brian Eno

Best Newcomer, sponsored by Deep Recording Studios
Paul Epworth

Best Studio, sponsored by TL Audio
British Grove Studios

Best International Producer of the Year, sponsored by RAK Studios
Danger Mouse (AKA Brian Burton)

Georgie Rogers & Rodrigo Davies