FROM listening to his sister’s Duran Duran records to being feted for his outstanding contribution to the electronic music industry, former Cheney school pupil Ben Turner is a local boy done good.

Receiving the Outstanding Contribution award at the Ibiza DJ Awards in September was the latest in a long line of achievements for the son of two headteachers.

Snagging a job at the former Melody Maker music magazine, aged just 17, led to Mr Turner launching dance music magazine Muzik, at the age of 21.

Today he owns music and media company Graphite, which represents acclaimed DJs Richie Hawtin and Rob da Bank. And in 2008 he co-founded the annual Ibiza International Music Summit with DJ Pete Tong.

He puts much of his success down to growing up in Oxford. Mr Turner lived in Divinity Road, East Oxford, son of Hugh Turner, former head of Lawn Upton School, Littlemore, and Kathy, former labour councillor and head of St Christopher’s in Cowley.

He remembers sitting in South Park daydreaming about his future in music. But he admits it wasn’t an easy start.

“Getting into the Jericho Tavern was always a nightmare aged 16. But Oxford Polytechnic (now Oxford Brookes) was critical. I saw the Stone Roses there when the first album came out and it remains one of the best gigs I’ve ever seen,” he said.

“The Co-op Hall (later the Zodiac and now the O2 Academy) was also a huge influence. Seeing the Shamen play there and for the first time ever, and understanding you could enjoy a band by dancing and not even looking at the stage, was a real early influence into the global electronic world.

“I was very lucky to go to gigs at a very young age. Before I was 11 I’d seen Kate Bush at the Oxford Apollo, the Thompson Twins and Howard Jones.

“Interestingly all acts using computers and electronic keyboards to extract emotive sounds. I’m sure there’s something in how this set me on the road to my electronic music obsessions.”

When he’s not jetsetting around the world and accepting awards, Mr Turner, 37, lives in Surrey. But he returns to Oxford at least once a month.

Melody Maker gave Mr Turner a job on the picture desk when he was 17, on the proviso he continued with A-Levels part-time.

Mr Turner wasn’t the only music talent sprouting in Oxford at the time.

“I was at the same school as Ride. They were cool sixth-formers in a band and then when I was at Melody Maker the newspaper really championed them. So we’d often all be coming back on the last Oxford Tube having come from random events in London.

“I did the first ever national interview with the Jennifers (who became Supergrass). I was proud of what came out of Oxford. It has an incredible legacy and long may it continue.”

In 2008 he co-founded the Ibiza International Music Summit and now acts as a director of Rob da Bank’s Bestival and Camp Bestival festivals.

He said: “It’s amazing to be 37 and having already worked for 20 years in the music industry.”