When Brian Eno was first introduced to Canadian pedal steel player and budding producer Daniel Lanois in the late 1970s, neither man can have anticipated the lasting impact of their collaborations. Their 1983 album Apollo: Atmospheres And Soundtracks is now regarded as the foundation stone of the entire Ambient Americana genre, while their production work on U2’s The Unforgettable Fire and The Joshua Tree defined the sound of big, questing ’80s and ’90s rock.
Lanois went on to apply his inventive, expansive techniques to albums by Peter Gabriel, Robbie Robertson, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Sinéad O’Connor, Neil Young, Willie Nelson, The Killers and many more, while also creating a number of renowned film soundtracks and intriguing solo albums.
Harris is among the guests on his new one, Belladonna Nocturne – a sequel to his crepuscular 2005 album Belladonna – due for release via Rhino on June 19.
But before that, Lanois has kindly submitted to a gentle grilling from you, the Uncut readers, for our next Audience With feature. So what do you want to ask an ambient rock colossus? Send your questions to [emailprotected] and Daniel will answer the best ones in a future issue of Uncut.