The thing I like about the elites is I can live with them on for a while, I don’t feel like I'm claustrophobic ... it's another really good reference point that's become an invaluable part of my mixing. Meze Elites are realistic and they actually transcend the real world, a thing most headphones I've tried can’t.
Barny has gained a reputation as one of the UK’s leading mixers, collaborating with artists from Kasabian and Editors to Stereophonics and Bombay Bicycle Club. More recently, he has worked with the likes of Jungle, Sam Fender, The 1975, and Franz Ferdinand, and he operates a full Dolby Atmos mixing setup at his Blue Bell Hill Studios in Kent.
Barny began his career in the music industry in 1995 after leaving school and landing an entry-level job at Orinoco Studios in London. Over seven years at Orinoco, he progressed from tea boy to head engineer, working with a wide variety of well-known recording artists such as The Chemical Brothers, Oasis, Coldplay, and Badly Drawn Boy. It was during this time that Barny met producer Jim Abbiss. In 2002, Barny left Orinoco to set up his own business, and he and Jim began a long-standing collaboration. Together they worked on many acclaimed albums, including Arctic Monkeys’ debut Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not, The Temper Trap’s Confessions, and hit records for Placebo, Suede, Stereophonics, and Kasabian.
In 2007, Barny established Blue Bell Hill Studios at Denmark House, where he has continued to mix for a wealth of artists. In 2014, he completed the renovation of the accommodation wing, transforming the studio into one of the UK’s most in-demand residential music recording and production facilities. Blue Bell Hill Studios has hosted top artists such as Stormzy, Nothing But Thieves, Mimi Webb, The Libertines, and Pink Pantheress.
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