Meet the Host: Gavin Blackburn
February 18, 2011
Gavin was born in Newcastle-upon-Tyne and studied Media/Journalism at Cumbria Institute of the Arts in Carlisle before moving to Berlin in summer 2005.
His start in the music business came later that year working in promotions for a number of independent record labels including Pale Music and Alec Empire's new imprint, Eat Your Heart Out. Around the same time he started writing record reviews and interviewing bands for magazines such as Vice, Electronic Beats, Hate and Kinki as well as compiling the nightlife chapter for Time Out Berlin.
He began working for Deutsche Welle in summer 2008 and in addition to hosting Soundscape 100 - something he has done since January 2011 - he also regularly contributes to Pulse, Arts on the Air and Inside Europe. In 2009, Gavin was named European Young Journalist of the Year for a report he produced about a European youth football tournament in Bosnia.
He hates the question "What's your favorite song of all time?" but if forced to answer would have to say "Because the Night" by Patti Smith Group...probably.
Send an email to Gavin at:
gavin.blackburn@dw-world.de