Brian Eno

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Born 15 May 1948.

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The Berlin Trilogy

David Bowie, Brian Eno, Tony Visconti and Iggy Pop reflect on their time in Berlin.

Featured on BBC MUSIC SHOWCASE
 

Biography

Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno, RDI (born 15 May 1948 and originally christened Brian Peter George Eno), professionally known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno, is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer, and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.

Eno was a student of Roy Ascott on his Groundcourse at Ipswich Civic College. Then he studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex, England, taking inspiration from minimalist painting. During his time on the art course at the Institute, he also gained experience in playing and making music through teaching sessions held in the adjacent music school. He joined the band Roxy Music as synthesiser player in the early 1970s. Roxy Music's success in the glam rock scene came quickly, but Eno soon tired of touring and of conflicts with lead singer Bryan Ferry.

Eno's solo music has explored more experimental musical styles and ambient music. It has also been extremely influential, pioneering ambient and generative music, innovating production techniques, and emphasising "theory over practice". He also introduced the concept of chance music to popular audiences, partially through collaborations with other musicians. Eno has also worked as an influential music and album producer. By the end of the 1970s, Eno had worked with David Bowie on the seminal "Berlin Trilogy" and helped popularise the American band Devo and the punk-influenced "No Wave" genre. He produced and performed on three albums by Talking Heads, including Remain in Light (1980), and produced seven albums for U2, including The Joshua Tree (1987). Eno has also worked on records by James, Laurie Anderson, Coldplay, Depeche Mode, Paul Simon, Grace Jones and Slowdive, among others.

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  • Founded Obscure Records

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Personal Relationships

Latest News Stories

News from the BBC

  1. Web shows hottest music on BBC

    Thu 13 May 2010 17:00

    A new trending website shows off the most popular music across the BBC.
  2. Eno launches Brighton Festival

    Thu 25 Feb 2010 16:45

    Brian calls on Underworld, Tony Allen, and Fela Kuti's son to lend a hand

Latest Blog Posts

Blogs from the BBC

  1. Happy Birthday David Bowie - Choose your Ultimate Bowie Playlist

    Tue 3 Jan 2012 15:45 Where to begin with David Bowie? Musician, actor, artist, style icon... There can’t... Producer Will
  2. Help Now Playing build the ultimate My Bloody Valentine playlist

    Thu 10 Nov 2011 11:58 Throbbing, powerful and intense, My Bloody Valentine’s ‘Loveless’ was nothing... Rowan Collinson
  3. Brian Eno and the Arena Bottle

    Mon 22 Feb 2010 12:10 A bottle drifts across dark, smoky water towards you. Inside are neon-lit letters... Nigel Smith

BBC Reviews

  1. Panic of Looking 2011

    Review of Panic of Looking

    Reviewed by David Stubbs

    The duo explores an inverted, shifted relationship between words and music.
  2. Drums Between the Bells 2011

    Review of Drums Between the Bells

    Reviewed by Wyndham Wallace

    Veteran musical pioneer teams up with “thinker and writer”.
  3. Another Day On Earth 2005

    Review of Another Day On Earth

    Reviewed by Mike Barnes

    Latterly best known as an ambient composer, Eno's never been that far from the song...
  4. Music For Films / Apollo / Thursday Afternoon / More Music For Films 2005

    Review of Music For Films / Apollo / Thursday Afternoon / More Music For Films

    Reviewed by Daryl Easlea

    The Eno series has been garlanded with high praise and rightly so...
  5. Here Come The Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), Another Green World, Before And After Science 2004

    Review of Here Come The Warm Jets, Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy), Another Green World, Before And After Science

    Reviewed by Chris Jones

    He succeeded because he knew nothing about how to make pop records. And he failed...
  6. Curiosities Volume 1 2003

    Reviewed by Peter Marsh

    Unreleased, unfinished and unrealistic tracks from the Eno lab, curated by his...

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