Grammy award winner opens Southampton Solent University's new recording studios.
21 January 2007
It was the tune that predicted the death knell of the DJ – but after three decades of being at the top of music production, the man behind 'Video Killed the Radio Star' is inspiring music's future movers and shakers.
Grammy award winning producer, song writer and musician Trevor Horn, will be mixing it with Southampton Solent University staff and students when he opens the University's £1 million state-of-the-art recording studios on Thursday 24 January 2008 at 12.30pm.
The studios are a pivotal part of the University's popular music and record production, urban and electronic music and music performance degree programmes – giving youngsters the chance to train up their talents for chart-topping performances.
'Video Killed the Radio Star' was released in 1979 by New Wave band The Buggles. It summed up a new era in the music industry when many thought radio would lose importance and new technology would become increasingly important. The video was the first ever to be shown on the embryonic MTV.
Trevor has since produced commercially successful songs and albums for numerous British and international artistsincluding Sugababes, Paul McCartney, Kelly Rowland, Macy Gray and Frankie Goes to Hollywood. He won a Grammy in 1996 for co-writing Seal's world-wide hit 'Sealed with a Kiss'.
Paul Rutter, Senior Lecturer in Popular Music said:
"It's fitting to get such an iconic producer linked with the idea of the changing era of music production and performance. It's an incredibly exciting industry out there and we're delighted to be helping our talented and enthusiastic students through a combination of academic study, practical musicianship and studio-based recording."
Professor Rod Pilling, Dean of the Faculty of Media, Arts and Society said:
"This new facility forms part of our portfolio of exciting degree courses which taps into the tremendous creativity of our students who will be an asset to their chosen industry."
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