Brian Eno

Brian Eno (born 1948) is a musician, producer, and theorist who invented ambient music and redefined the role of the recording studio as a compositional tool. As a founding member of Roxy Music, he brought tape manipulation, synthesizer treatments, and avant-garde noise into glam rock. After leaving the band in 1973, he released a series of increasingly experimental solo albums — Here Come the Warm Jets (1974), Taking Tiger Mountain (By Strategy) (1974), Another Green World (1975), and Before and After Science (1977) — that moved from art rock toward pure texture. His Ambient series, beginning with Music for Airports (1978), created an entirely new genre. As a producer, he shaped the sound of Talking Heads (Remain in Light), David Bowie (the Berlin trilogy), and U2 (The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby). His concept of oblique strategies and generative music systems have influenced electronic music, visual art, and software design.