Scotsman's Under the Radar music column up for award

Published on Monday 23 November 2009 21:58

SCOTSMAN writers Olaf Furniss and Derick Mackinnon have been shortlisted for a prestigious award, in recognition of the "on the button" recommendations in their monthly music column, Under the Radar.

The Record of the Day Awards, presented by the daily music industry digest of the same name, honour the best in music journalism and PR across the UK. Under the Radar, which focuses on unsigned bands, is the only Scottish nominee in the Best Breaking Music Writer category.

"Under the Radar was chosen because of its commitment to new music and the sheer number of recommendations which were 'on the button'," said Record of the Day editor-in-chief Nicola Slade. "It is one of the only columns in Scotland which champions new music."

Nominated in the same category are Dan Cairns' New Band column in the Sunday Times, The Fly's Ones To Watch column, Clash Magazine's New Music section and the Popjustice blog. The winner will be announced on Thursday at a ceremony in London.

Furniss and Mackinnon, who run the Edinburgh-based music industry night Born to be Wide, have been reporting from Scotland's underground music scene for The Scotsman since 2007.

In February 2008, they began selecting a "track of the month" and posting their choices on scotsman.com. Featured musicians have ranged from the folk-tinged Pictish Trail and Broken Records to the Scottish hip-hop of Young Fathers and electronica acts like Binary Zero and Plum.

Building on the column's success, The Scotsman launched a spin-off Under the Radar blog last year.