Brian Eno Demonstrates Innovative Recording Studio For Zane Lowe

Esteemed musician and producer Brian Eno recently spoke with Apple Music’s Zane Lowe. The interview saw Eno welcoming Lowe into his studio for a demonstration of his generative music project as well as discussions on art, creativity and more.

Much of the conversation was sparked by Eno’s new book What Art Does, which was published in January. Brian and Zane got going in earnest with a discussion on play and how similar it is to the creative process, which led to Eno pointing toward the disconnect between capitalism and creativity.

“In terms of capitalism, the more we are obedient consumers and nothing else, the more useful we are to capitalism. We fit nicely into the system, we go and do our jobs, which keeps the whole machine running. We spend the money that we earned in the machine, so the whole thing is kept going by things like that. There’s nothing in it for capitalism to say ‘hey, stop doing all of that, do what you want to do.’

“If what you want to do doesn’t produce more money to run the system, then it isn’t a valid aim. I don’t think that’s conspiratorial, that’s just the way things have evolved. If profit is your essential motive, that’s the kind of system that will evolve… It’s better for the system if you are kept in your place. But that’s what’s great about the book though, it’s not rejecting the idea of us all playing a role in keeping society moving.”

Eno also shared his thoughts on the creative process:

“I think the misconceptions people have about artists is that artists walk around with sort of unrealized things in their head and the process of being an artist is making those become real. But I don’t really know any artists who work that way. You might have some idea of where you want to start. But the process of making something is the process of it, of you starting to understand. You find your way through making it, not that you’ve got it all in your head.”

Eno goes on to give Lowe a look inside his studio, where he uses a computer program to juxtapose random soundscapes from an archive of over 10,000 pieces of music he’s composed to create something entirely new that is constantly evolving. The Zane Lowe interview is a fascinating look into one of the most innovative and influential artists of the 20th and 21st centuries. Watch below: