Martin Russell is an English recording engineer, record producer, composer, and musician. He has been a core member of the music group Afro Celt Sound System since the recording of the first album '' Volume 1: Sound Magic'' in mid-1995, and has twice been nominated for a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pr ...

. As of 2010, the recorded output of the group has so far been exclusively released by Peter Gabriel's ''

Real World Records Real World Records is a British record label specializing in world music. It was founded in 1989 by English musician Peter Gabriel and original members of WOMAD. A majority of the works released on Real World Records feature music recorded at ...

''. (The next two albums, '' Volume 2: Release'' and '' Volume 3: Further in Time'' earned the afore-mentioned Grammy Nominations). The group recorded and released three more albums ''

Seed A seed is an embryonic plant enclosed in a protective outer covering, along with a food reserve. The formation of the seed is a part of the process of reproduction in seed plants, the spermatophytes, including the gymnosperm and angiospe ...

'', '' Pod'' (an album of remixes and re-workings), and '' Volume 5: Anatomic''. Russell has written film music for several feature films, including ''

Hotel Rwanda ''Hotel Rwanda'' is a 2004 drama film directed by Terry George. It was adapted from a screenplay co-written by George and Keir Pearson, and stars Don Cheadle and Sophie Okonedo as hotelier Paul Rusesabagina and his wife Tatiana. Based on the ...

'' and the Lebanese film '' Bosta''.

History

Russell commenced his musical career in 1979, joining UK band

The Enid The Enid are a British progressive rock band founded by keyboardist and composer Robert John Godfrey. Godfrey received his main musical education from The Royal College of Music. He is previously known for his work with Barclay James Harvest, ...

on bass guitar and keyboards a few months after completing a BA Hons degree in music. His most notable contribution to the band's catalogue was "Once She Was", an arrangement of the folk song melody " Scarborough Fair". He remained a member until 1981, citing his increasing dissatisfaction with the whimsical vocally-based direction that the band was taking, as his reason for leaving. With fellow ex-Enid keyboard player William Gilmour he formed the instrumental rock band

Craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pro ...

, who recorded an album which was released in 1984. He subsequently focused on studio building and sound engineering for the rest of the 1980s, notably at Utopia and Swanyard Studios before designing and building his own studio in North London, England in 1991. Sonic Innovation opened in 1992 and has been the headquarters for the majority of Russell's music production, recording, CD mastering and film music composition activities ever since.

References

Entry on Afro Celt Sound System fansiteSonic Innovation Website
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people American record producers American audio engineers Afro Celt Sound System members The Enid members {{US-music-bio-stub