Zane Lowe (born 7.8.1973) Zane Lowe is a TV and radio presenter, best known for his Radio 1 show and MTV hosting duties.
Zane Lowe hosts a regular weeknight radio show on Radio One and is known for championing new and upcoming bands. On a Monday night, Zane hosts his Fresh Meat segment, in which fans of his show rate three new songs on an online chat-room. The one with the highest score gets played throughout the rest of the week. Some of the bands that have gone on to do well after exposure on Lowe's evening show include Kasabian, Arctic Monkeys, Bloc Party, Kaiser Chiefs and The Wombats.
His 'Sunsetter' track is a track that he plays each night as the sun sets and the 'Hottest Record In The World This Week' is the ambitiously-titled section in which Zane promotes his favourite new band or album. He frequently invites bands in to perform live sessions on the show.
Zane Lowe has regularly been noted as the first DJ to have played songs which later go on to achieve chart success, such as 'Crazy' by Gnarls Barkley, which hit number one in the UK charts in April 2006. The track became the first single to reach number one on downloads alone.
Once a year between 2007 and 2011, Zane has dedicated an entire week of his show to a series of 'Masterpieces'; albums that he considers to be a modern classic. Each show is dedicated to interviews and in-depth analysis of the album in question and its impact on modern music and culture. He then plays the album in full, with no breaks between tracks and no lyrical censorship. He had intended to run a Masterpiece session on the Amy Winehouse album Back to Black but had been unable to secure an interview with the troubled singer before she passed away. In November 2011, Zane Lowe ran a Masterpieces session on 'Siamese Dream' by Smashing Pumpkins, which he has stated is his favourite album of all time. His final edition of Masterpieces was a focus on Grace by Jeff Buckley
At the 2006, 2010 and 2011 Sony Radio Academy Awards, Zane Lowe won the Gold Award in the Specialist Music Programme Award and Music Broadcaster of the Year categories.
Zane started presenting Up4 It in 1997 and Brand:New in 1999. Since 2002, he has presented Gonzo, his flagship music show. Gonzo began as a two-hour collection of music clips and has evolved into a primetime show, featuring regular guest slots and interviews. Zane presents the show solo and takes a more relaxed approach to presenting than he does on his radio shows. Most of the news that he reports on the show is sourced from publications such as NME (he can often be seen reading the news straight from a copy of the magazine). During an episode of Gonzo filmed at the 2006 Oxegen Festival, Zane was punched in the groin by Carl Barat and Didz Hammond of Dirty Pretty Things.
At the 2006 NME Awards ceremony, Zane Lowe saved the life of Ryan Jarman, the guitarist and singer from The Cribs. Ryan Jarman was heading to the stage to collect an award on behalf of Franz Ferdinand from the presenter Russell Brand. On the way, he jumped onto Kaiser Chiefs' table, piercing his back with broken glass. He was rushed to hospital but discharged himself so that he could play at the party later that night. After he returned to the venue, Zane Lowe discovered found Ryan unconscious and collapsed in a corridor. He was bleeding profusely and was suffering from severe internal bleeding. Zane raised the alarm and made sure that Ryan received immediate attention.
Biography by Contactmusic.com
