Guest Judges
THE PEOPLES MUSIC AWARDS GUEST JUDGES
Welcome to the guest judges page, below is the first list of all confirmed guest judges. These Music industry professionals are here to give you constructive feedback on your music, should you make it to the 2nd round of the music awards. Please note that this is a contest for professional music artists and be prepared for them to tell you the truth about how they experience your music. If your not prepared to hear their comments please dont enter.
INDIE/ROCK/METAL/PUNK
JOHN KENNEDY - RADIO DJThere is hardly anyone working in the music industry that knows more about new-music than John Kennedy. Xfm's new-music Guru has been promoting and supporting new and unsigned music for a long, long time and was the first to discover the likes of Razorlight and Kate Nash, his Xposure show is one of the definitive first steps for any band. Get played on his show and your well on your way to making it. To find out all about X-posure, click here. John is also a judge in the Pop Category.
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TONY PLATT - PRODUCERTony's career in the music business started at Trident Studios in London but he made his name as an engineer at the now legendary Island Studios. Working on sessions with the likes of The Who, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin and Paul McCartney. He also engineered the “Catch A Fire” and “Burnin” albums for a hitherto little known Jamaican artist, Bob Marley, which arguably would launch reggae music into the mainstream for good, and has worked with many reggae artists including Toots and the Maytals, ZapPow, Lorna Bennet and Aswad, as well as producing everyone form Iron Maiden andMotorhead to The Cult and Marillion. |
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ALEX BAKER - RADIO DJHe's spent years in the back of a van, he lives in a recording studio, knows the industry back to front and loves unsigned music! He was nominated for a Channel 4 Talent Award, he's produced and released a bunch of albums. You can hear him every Sunday on “ The Unsigned Show” on Kerrang! Radio , if you're in a band, get in touch, if you're good he may get in touch back! |
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MICK GLOSSOP - PRODUCERMick has been producing, engineering and mixing for over 25 years and has worked with many bands including The Waterboys, The Wonder Stuff, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker and Lloyd Cole and has a 25 year history with Van Morrison which persists to this day. His work has also featured many left-field and ground-breaking artists includingTangerine Dream, Xmal Deutschland, Manuel Göttsching (Ashra) and Southern Death Cult. |
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HIP HOP/TRIP HOP/RNB
SPIN DOCTOR - DJ/PRODUCER/PROMOTERDJ Spin Doctor is one of London's Findest Hip Hop DJ's and has played alongside some of Hip Hop's biggest pioneers including De La Soul, DJ Cash Money, KRS-One, DJ Babu, Kool DJ Herc, Afrika Bambaataa, Norman Jay, DJ Shadow &Jazzie B among many others.
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ALEX KENNING - RADIO PRODUCER / DJAlex is a well established specialist music radio producer who has worked across many Radio 1 shows including Giles Peterson, the Rock show, Judge Jules, Mary Anne Hobbs, Eddie Halliwell, In New DJs We Trust, Mic Check (hip-hop, grime, dubstep on the BBC Asian Network) & has produced The Selector, the British Council's international flagship radio show representing new, up and coming British music across all genres. He is now producing the prestigious Gilles Peterson show on BBC Radio 1 & Worldwide. Alex's passion is discovering new untapped music and he spends his day listening to countless demo's. He also works as a professional DJ, produces music and runs the London based club night Itchysoul. Alex is also a judge in the Pop Category.
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ORIFICE VULGATRON - RAPPER / PRODUCERFounder of Dented Records and resident rapper on all Foreign Beggars material. Vulgatron started rhyming in 1996, then known as MC Drop. Although his his main passion is Hip Hop he also started the drum n bass movement in Dubai alongside Dag Nabbit, where he was based until 1999. Upon his arrival in London he moved to the drum n bass scene doing pirate radio and hosting raves all over the country alongside the likes of Andy C, Fabio, DJ Craze, Shy FX, DJ Hype, Bad Company and Mampi Swift. |
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FUNK/SOUL/BLUES
JOE CUSHLEY - MUSICIAN / DJJoe Cushley has been making, writing about, promoting, playing and releasing music for over 25 years. His band, The Locomotives were on the legendary Big Beat label (Screaming Blue Messiahs, Damned, Motorhead) during the '80s; since then he has written for the likes of MOJO, Uncut, Q; DJ-ed for the Big Chill and Not The Same Old Blues Crap, as well as having his own radio show on Resonance FM, and running a Bronzerat Records. He works for, and was the man responsible for introducing Seasick Steve to the UK and was Steve's manager from 2004-2007 and continues to works with him today, as well as other aspiring nu-blues artists.
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ALEX MCGOWAN - MUSICIAN / PRODUCERAlex has worked with many big name artists including Martina Topley-Bird (resulting in a 2003 Mercury-Prize- nomination for the album 'Quixotic'.) Tricky, Josh Homme, Stewart Copeland and Son of Dave. Alex also runs his own London-based recording studio Space Eko (myspace.com/spaceekorecstudio) and label 'Future Crew Records' through which he released the album 'Mad DNA Mud" by his own band The Future Shape Of Sound who were winners of the Funk/Soul/Blues award in last years Peoples Music Awards, so he knows what it takes to win! |
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TOMMY DTommy D is a prolific music producer who has produced and worked with many No1 and top selling music artists including; Noel Gallagher, Catatonia, Katy Tuntstall, Jay Z, Kanye West, Kylie Minogue, Enya, Corrine Bailey Rae, Beyonce and many others.
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MICK GLOSSOP - PRODUCERMick has been producing, engineering and mixing for over 25 years and has worked with many bands including The Waterboys, The Wonder Stuff, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker and Lloyd Cole and has a 25 year history with Van Morrison which persists to this day. His work has also featured many left-field and ground-breaking artists includingTangerine Dream, Xmal Deutschland, Manuel Göttsching (Ashra) and Southern Death Cult. |
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BEST MALE SOLO ARTIST
ANDREW HAYMAN - WRITER/PRODUCER/MUSIC CONSULTANTAndrew Hayman is a writer, producer and music consultant from London and Essex, England and works in the UK and Europe. He has worked with a large number of acts, producers and companies including: Appleton (All Saints), Ronan Keating (Boyzone), Sugababes, Wonita, Gareth Gates, Bananarama, Lee Ryan, Jo O'Meara (S-Club 7), Metrophonic...and many others. Andy also has a background and interest in people development and uses his skills to help develop organizations and coach new writers and artists to develop their careers in the music industry. |
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HAYDN BENDALL - PRODUCER/MIXER/ENGINEERStarting his musical career at Orange Studios in Soho, Haydn then went on to work as a piano tuner for Steinway & Sons until an opportunity arose at Abbey Road Studios where he worked for seventeen years, the last ten as chief engineer. As a result of working at Abbey Road for such a length of time Haydn was introduced to quite possibly the widest selection of music and productions that any studio in the world could offer. His discography is extensive and credits endless, having worked with literally everyone from Kate Bush and Katie Melula to Elton John, Paul McCartney and Tori Amos. Haydn is without doubt one of the most experienced and talented people working in music industry today. Haydn is also a guest judge in the best female solo artist category.
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RUSS HEPWORTH-SAWYER - MIXING/MASTERERINGRuss Hepworth-Sawyer is a sound and mastering engineer and published music journalist with over 13 years experience and is a member of the Audio Engineering Society and The Music Producers Guild. Up until recently Russ was also the senior lecturer in Music Production for Leeds College of Music and now provides short production courses at the London College of Music at Thames Valley University. Russ has written widely on music production including two titles for Focal Press and a number of contributions to Sound On Sound. His knowledge of popular music is second to none. |
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BEST FEMALE SOLO ARTIST
EBONY BURKS - SINGER / SONGWRITEREbony was a finalist in last years awards and we were so impressed we asked her to be a guest judge this time round! Having worked with the likes of Whitney Houston, Kanye West, Timbaland, Toni Braxton, the Dixie Chicks and many more she has received rave reviews from the music press and a grammy nomination for her collaboration with Blu Cantrell on her song Unhappy. |
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VALERIE MAXFIELD - SINGER / SONGWRITERValerie is the lead singer of Maxfield. In the past year they have played at the V festival and shared the stage with the likes of The Guillemots, The Magic Numbers, Air Traffic and Iconic Hip Hop Legends Public Enemy and are currently receiving major radio airplay with their song "stranger". Valerie has also worked with Groove Armada, Freestylers, and Roots Manuva to name but a few. |
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HAYDN BENDALL - PRODUCER/MIXER/ENGINEERStarting his musical career at Orange Studios in Soho, Haydn then went on to work as a piano tuner for Steinway & Sons until an opportunity arose at Abbey Road Studios where he worked for seventeen years, the last ten as chief engineer. As a result of working at Abbey Road for such a length of time Haydn was introduced to quite possibly the widest selection of music and productions that any studio in the world could offer. His discography is extensive and credits endless, having worked with literally everyone from Kate Bush and Katie Melula to Elton John, Paul McCartney and Tori Amos. Haydn is without doubt one of the most experienced and talented people working in music industry today. Haydn is also a guest judge in the best male solo artist award. |
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FOLK/JAZZ/CLASSICAL/WORLD MUSIC
MICK GLOSSOP - PRODUCERMick has been producing, engineering and mixing for over 25 years and has worked with many bands including The Waterboys, The Wonder Stuff, Frank Zappa, John Lee Hooker and Lloyd Cole and has a 25 year history with Van Morrison which persists to this day. His work has also featured many left-field and ground-breaking artists includingTangerine Dream, Xmal Deutschland, Manuel Göttsching (Ashra) and Southern Death Cult.Mick is also the director ofThe Music Producers Guild. |
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MARK HUTCHINSON - PRODUCER / MUSICIANMark Hutchinson is both an experienced Producer/ Engineer and a Musician. He has worked extensively with acoustic music as well as pop, rock and Jazz. He has worked with many award winning artists and even legends of the folk scene such as Linda Thompson, Simon Nicol & Ashley Hutchings. When not in the studio he can be found playing the length and breadth of the country, in various acts as a singer/guitarist. Mark is also a full member of the 'Music Producers Guild'. |
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SIMON CARESimon care is a musician, agent and manager. He started his career back in 1986 when he joined The Albion Band, where he worked with the likes of Ashley Hutchings, Simon Nicol, John Tams and Richard Thompson. He then joined the groundbreaking folk/reggae band Edward II, who he toured extensively around the world for seven years. He has also recorded and toured with the likes of Show of Hands, The Larkrise Band, BBC award winners - Whapweasel and The Morris On band. His own band, Tickled Pink, have just finished recording their third album and Simon is just managing the release of Walsh and Pound's first album. |
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POP
JOHN KENNEDY - RADIO DJThere is hardly anyone working in the music industry that knows more about new-music than John Kennedy. Xfm's new-music Guru has been promoting and supporting new and unsigned music for a long, long time and was the first to discover the likes of Razorlight and Kate Nash, his Xposure show is one of the definitive first steps for any band. Get played on his show and your well on your way to making it. To find out all about X-posure, click here. John is also a judge in the Indie/Rock/Metal/Punk Category |
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ANDREW HAYMAN - WRITER/PRODUCER/MUSIC CONSULTANTAndrew Hayman is a writer, producer and music consultant from London and Essex, England and works in the UK and Europe. He has worked with a large number of acts, producers and companies including: Appleton (All Saints), Ronan Keating (Boyzone), Sugababes, Wonita, Gareth Gates, Bananarama, Lee Ryan, Jo O'Meara (S-Club 7), Metrophonic...and many others.
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EMRE RAMAZANOGLU - PRODUCER / SONGWRITERProducer/engineer/songwriter extraordinaire Emre Ramazanoglu is a multi talented artist who is currently doing big things in a wide range of roles across the music industry. His recent credits include producing and engineering LOU RHODES' (Lamb) Mercury Prize nominated debut solo album, producing engineering and co-writing MEKON's hard-hitting electro album (featuring AFRIKA BAMBAATA, ALAN VEGA, BOBBIE GILLESPIE and MARC ALMOND amongst others) and working with DUFFY and BEARDYMAN. Emre is also an experienced session drummer and programmer, playing and recording for many artists including MICHAEL JACKSON (new album), SNEAKER PIMPS (Splinter and Bloodsport),TRICKY (New Album projects), TOM MIDDLETON (debut album and remixes), SHAKIRA (Live DVD ProTools editing) and many others. |
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SARAH KERRMusic Lover and self confessed Radio Geek, Sarah Kerr has spent over eight years working in commercial radio in London and specialist music stations across the UK and in Ibiza. New music is the big love in Sarah’s life, not just talking about it but discovering it too. In recent years she has helped promote and given early radio exposure to artists such as Scouting for Girls, The Big Pink, Does It Offend You, Yeah? and even X Factor queen Leonna Lewis. |
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OFF THE BEATEN TRACK
HOWARD MARKSThey don't get much more off the beaten track than Howard Marks, the international infamous, and now famous ex pot smuggler, author and celebrity. Having spent years literally living off the map in the 80's and 90's this controversial figure has now become a legendary ambassador for avant-garde culture and bohemian lifestyle. |
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TERRY BURROWS - MUSICIAN/JOURNALIST/ACADEMICTerry has been active on the European music underground for the past 20 years, with over 40 commercial music releases to his name. He is one of the world's biggest selling authors of musician tuition titles, and a member of the experimental music band Tonesucker and has taught music at post-graduate level! Terry is a true pioneer of avant-garde music. |
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DANCE/ELECTRONICA
DAVID DUNNE - DJ / PRESENTERDavid Dunne has been a major figure in the dance music scene since 1988. “A true pioneer and champion of house music” (DJ Magazine), His DJ career spans over twenty years, breaking and supporting dance music on Radio all over the UK and at clubs and festivals across the world.
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D. RAMIREZ - DJ / PRODUCERHe’s achieved five top 20 hits and played on every continent. He has been awarded Best Remix and Best Producer in DJ Magazine’s Awards and knighted as Player Of The Year by iDJ. His remix of Bodyrox ‘Yeah Yeah’ scored him an Ivor Novello nomination while past exploits such as ‘Columbian Soul’, ‘Time Fades Away’, ‘Pleasure Me’ and ‘La Discotek’ have all achieved coveted Coolcuts and Buzz chart hotspots, championed by some of the biggest DJs in game. One the most progressive DJs and producers around, D Ramirez's reputation is highly prized in the world of dance music.
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