The Music Producers Guild has revealed the shortlist for its 2021 Awards, which will take place on June 10.
Ben Hillier, Inflo and Marta Salogni are in the running for Producer Of The Year, with women once again strongly represented in categories across the board.
Tony Platt, MD of MPG Awards, said: “In spite of the current situation we were delighted to find an increased engagement with both the submissions process and the voting resulting in a very varied shortlist. Music has been a lifeline for many during the dark days of lockdown and the resilience of our music makers finding innovative ways to keep music alive deserves to be recognised across the board. We are looking forward to a fabulous event in June when we will hopefully be celebrating the start of a return to some kind of normality. Keep safe.”
The MPG has also announced the election of two new directors, Matt Taylor and Katie Tavini, tipping the board to be 60% female. Existing MPG directors Olga Fitzroy and Rhiannon Mair were both re-elected.
Fitzroy said: “Being re-elected to a board that is now 60% female in a part of the industry where women are often under-represented is a significant step for the MPG and I'm proud to be a part of it. I look forward to continuing to support our members through the covid crisis and championing their diverse talents as the industry begins its recovery.
Mair said: “I am really pleased to be re-appointed a director of the MPG. I feel proud to be a part of an organisation that campaigns tirelessly to ensure the role of producers and engineers are valued within our industry. I also acknowledge the important work that still needs to be done to ensure all ethnicities backgrounds, gender and LGBTQ+ creatives are welcomed, seen, heard and celebrated.”
Now in its 13th year, the MPG Awards feature 16 award categories. Previous award winners have included Sir George Martin, Skepta, FKA Twigs, Roni Size, Sylvia Massy, Brian Eno, Trevor Horn and Dave Stewart.
The shortlists for each of the MPG 2021 Awards categories are as follows:
UK PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Ben Hillier
Inflo
Marta Salogni
RECORDING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Dani Bennett Spragg
Daniel Moyler
Richard Woodcraft
MIX ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Cenzo Townshend
Dan Grech-Marguerat
David Wrench
RE-MIXER OF THE YEAR
lau.ra
Matthew Herbert
UNKLE
BREAKTHROUGH PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Burke Reid
Cameron Gower Poole
Georgia
SELF-PRODUCING ARTIST OF THE YEAR
Four Tet (Kieran Hebden)
Glass Animals (Dave Bayley)
Inflo
BREAKTHROUGH ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Grace Banks
Jonathan Gilmore
Shuta Shinoda
UK WRITER-PRODUCER OF THE YEAR
Ben Hillier
Inflo
Steph Marziano
MASTERING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR
Cicely Balston
Katie Tavini
Stuart Hawkes
UK ALBUM OF THE YEAR
Dua Lipa: 'Future Nostalgia'
IDLES: 'Ultra Mono'
Michael Kiwanuka: 'Kiwanuka'
UK SINGLE SONG RELEASE OF THE YEAR
Harry Styles: 'Adore You''Mura Masa: '
Deal Wiv It (with Slowthai)'Stormzy: '
Own It (feat. Ed Sheeran and Burna Boy)'
UK ORIGINAL SCORE RECORDING OF THE YEAR
Alexandre Desplat: 'Little Women (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)'
Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury, The Insects: 'Devs (Original Series Soundtrack)'
Hannah Peel: 'The Deceived (Original Television Soundtrack)'
THE STUDIO OF THE YEAR AWARD
Metropolis Studios
Parr Street Studios
Rockfield
The MPG 2021 Awards categories in the gift of the MPG are:
The MPG Inspiration Award
PPL Present The MPG Award For Outstanding Contribution To UK Music, sponsored by PPL
The Special Recognition Award
