Book: On some faraway beach: Life and times of Brian Eno

In What to read section, I recommend books about electronic music and people involved in it. Today, it’s the creative biography of Brian Eno, a man who proclaimed, explained and staked out ambient, even though it’s always existed as a genre. But Eno’s role as the godfather of ambient music isn’t his main one. Brian was the founder and keyboardist of the extravagant band Roxy Music, looked for new sounds with guitarist Robert Fripp (King Crimson), recorded the opening sample for Windows 95 (some might cry nostalgically), participated in the recording of David Bowie’s albums, and helped with the sound on albums by Laurie Anderson, Grace Jones, U2, Coldplay and a lot of other people.

The book paints a monumental image of Eno as a jack of all trades. Brian has long been considered a legend and a sage. Today he is praised for exactly what he was only criticised for thirty or forty years ago. The moral: you need to live for a long time and not be distracted by current trends.