news category MPG Awards created 1 March 2019
A host of music industry VIPs and celebrities filled London’s Grosvenor House last night for the 2019 Music Producers Guild Awards – an annual event that recognises the creativity, skill and talents of music recording professionals.
The top accolade of UK Producer Of The Year was won by James Ford for his work on the Arctic Monkeys sixth studio album Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino, Everything Everything’s fourth studio album A Fever Dream and Gorillaz’s sixth studio album The Now Now. Ford is also a founder member of Simian and Simian Mobile Disco.
For the second year running female recording professionals made their presence felt at the MPG Awards by carrying off a quarter of the accolades, including Breakthrough Engineer Of The Year – a category that was totally dominated by women and was ultimately won by Dani Bennett Spragg.
Other notable award winners were Skepta, who was given the MPG Inspiration Award; Hugh Padgham, who received the PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, and Rockfield Studios founder Kingsley Ward and his family who received a Special Recognition Award. Their contribution was marked by a unique live performance featuring a number of artists who have recorded seminal projects at Rockfield over the years, including James Dean Bradfield from The Manic Street Preachers.
The 11th MPG Awards featured a total of 16 award categories, each designed to recognise and celebrate the best and brightest talent in music production, along with the industry’s rising stars. The event was hosted by broadcaster Shaun Keaveny and was attended by over 350 people.
The full list of 2019 MPG Award winners:
UK Producer Of The Year, sponsored by Flare Audio
James Ford
Recording Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by AMS Neve
Matt Wiggins
Mix Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Miloco Studios
David Wrench
Re-mixer Of The Year, sponsored by Synchro Arts
Shura
Breakthrough Producer Of the Year, sponsored by Focusrite
Dilip Harris
Self-Producing Artist Of The Year, sponsored by Spitfire Audio
Jon Hopkins
Breakthrough Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Genelec
Dani Bennett Spragg
International Producer Of The Year, sponsored by RME
Greg Kurstin
Mastering Engineer Of The Year, sponsored by Kii Audio
Mandy Parnell
UK Album Of The Year, sponsored by Universal Audio
Everything Everything: A Fever Dream
UK Single Song Release Of The Year, sponsored by Shure
Anna Calvi: Don’t Beat The Girl Out Of My Boy
The A&R Award, sponsored by DAFT Studios
Gilles Peterson
Studio Of The Year, sponsored by Soundgas
Strongroom
The MPG 2019 Awards categories in the gift of the MPG are:
The MPG Inspiration Award, sponsored by Audio Note, which was awarded to Skepta
PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, sponsored by PPL and awarded to Hugh Padgham
The Special Recognition Award, sponsored by Steinberg, was given to the Ward Family and Rockfield Studios.
