In The Woods presents TAPE NOTES, a new podcast about the art and craft of music production. Hosted by John Kennedy, each episode reunites an artist and producer to talk about the highlights of their collaboration in the studio. Their conversations lift the lid on every stage of the creative proce…
The Tape Notes podcast is an absolute gem for music lovers and producers alike. Hosted by John Kennedy, each episode delves deep into the creative process behind some of the most acclaimed albums and songs. What sets this podcast apart is its ability to explore intricate details while still maintaining accessibility for listeners with little understanding of audio production. It opens up a whole new way of listening to music and offers valuable insights into the art of songwriting.
One of the best aspects of The Tape Notes podcast is John Kennedy's thoughtful and engaging interviewing style. He allows the artists to speak freely, never imposing his own ego or self-importance on the conversations. Instead, he asks insightful questions that often surprise the artists themselves, leading to unexpected discoveries about their intentions behind certain songs or albums. The long-form discussions in each episode set it apart from other music podcasts like Song Exploder, allowing for a more in-depth exploration of the creative process.
Another great aspect of this podcast is its diverse range of guests. From established producers and musicians to emerging talent, each episode offers a unique perspective on the music-making process. The conversations focus not only on gear or technical settings but also on songwriting, arrangement, and production techniques. This makes it accessible to both seasoned professionals and beginners looking to learn and improve their craft.
However, there are no noticeable drawbacks to The Tape Notes podcast. It consistently delivers interesting and insightful content that caters to a wide audience. Its ability to provide valuable takeaways for both experienced musicians/producers and casual music lovers sets it apart from other podcasts in its genre.
In conclusion, The Tape Notes podcast is a true gem for anyone interested in the creative process behind great albums and songs. With its thoughtful interviews, diverse roster of guests, and in-depth discussions, it offers a unique listening experience that can both educate and inspire listeners. Whether you're a seasoned professional or just starting out on your musical journey, this podcast is a must-listen for anyone curious about music production and songwriting.
In this milestone 100th episode of Tape Notes, John is joined by the Finneas at Lightship95 Studio, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his album ‘Optimist' and his new single ‘Mona Lisa Mona Lisa'. Reflecting on the fluidity of his writing process, Finneas talks us through the varied methods and circumstances in which his tracks took shape, from the very first synth sounds that kick-started ideas, to the detailed sonic decisions that helped each element work towards a cohesive goal. Alongside the production masterclass, Finneas looks back on his career so far, discussing his family's involvement with his music and the impact they've had on his creativity. We hear stories from the early days of making music videos with his mum, vocal mic shootouts with Billie, and the essential advice that he still lives by. Listen to find out why mediocrity isn't a bad thing, how finishing a song isn't too dissimilar to finishing a meal, and why the correct way to do something isn't always the correct way. Tracks discussed: How It Ends, Medieval, Mona Lisa Mona Lisa Listen to ‘Optimist' here. Listen to ‘Mona Lisa Mona Lisa' here. OYOY Inc, Interscope Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective. GEAR MENTIONS Arturia Farfisa Output Analogue Strings FabFilter Twin 2 Spectrasonics Trilian Spectrasonics Omnisphere Soundtoys Decapitator Soundtoys Little AlterBoy Soundtoys Tremolator Antares Autotune Native Instruments Bundle Native Instruments Massive Valhalla Room Neumann TLM103 Chandler REDD Telefunken ELA M 251 Audio Technica AT2020 Shure SM7B Shure SM57 M-Audio Venom Sequential Prophet X Novation UltraNova Synth Elektron Synth Fender Acoustasonic Tube-Tech CL1B Compressor Cloud Microphones Cloudlifter Sweetwater Best Seller List Ableton Logic Pro Logic - Compressor Plugin OUR GEAR Sennheiser HD 280 Pro Neumann Studio Headphone NDH20 Neumann TLM 103 Rode NT2 RME Babyface Pro RME Fireface UFX+ Focusrite Clarett 8Pre ART Headamp 6 Merging Technologies Pyramix FabFilter Pro-Q 3 FabFilter Pro-DS iZotope RX Waves RVox Waves L2 Waves Maxx Volume iZotope RX KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Rob Leedell - Camera Assistant and Photographer George Durston - Production Assistant Nathan Hetherington - PR Rebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing
John is joined by Hollywood royalty and Jazz sensation Jeff Goldblum along with producers Alex Frank and Scott Gilman to talk about how they recorded and produced ‘Still Blooming'. A lifelong pianist, Jeff formed The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra in the 1990s, performing in and around LA for over 20 years. The band's fourth album released in May 2025, ‘Still Blooming', blends Broadway classics and tracks from the great American Songbook with guest vocals from Scarlett Johansson, Maiya Sykes, and Jeff's Wicked co-stars Ariana Grande, and Cynthia Erivo. The record was arranged, recorded and produced by band members Alex Frank and Scott Gillman. In this episode, Jeff, Alex, and Scott walk us through each track's creation, from spontaneous singing on set, to detailed musical arrangements and figuring out keys over the phone. They share the production tricks used to balance pop vocals with jazz recordings, the moments they all jammed together in the studio, and how they plan to bring it all to the stage. Tracks discussed: I Don't Know Why (I Just Do), We'll Meet Again, The Best Is Yet To Come TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban's Songwriting MA here. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Still Blooming' here. ‘Decca' LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS FabFilter Pro-Q 4 Steinway Pianos Coles 4038 Neumann U67 Neumann U87 Logic Pro Tools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis Evan Lawday Francis Hartgrove
John sits down with electronic producer and DJ Porter Robinson, to discuss how he wrote and recorded his third album ‘SMILE! :D' Having begun self-producing at just twelve years old, Porter Robinson has since risen to become one of the most acclaimed artists within the EDM world, collaborating with artists such as Skrillex and Tiësto. His work has seen him tour extensively around the world and has even earned him a Grammy nomination for Best Dance Recording, back in 2019. In this episode, Porter dials in from North Carolina to chat about how he came up with his signature synth sounds, some of his favourite gear, including giving a guitar demo, and drawing inspiration from Coldplay tracks. Tracks discussed: Cheerleader, Is There Really No Happiness?, Russian Roulette TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban's Songwriting MA here. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount here LISTEN to ‘SMILE! :D' here. 'Mom+Pop' LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS U-He Diva Polyverse Manipulator D16 Tourverb Soundtoys EchoBoy Line 6 Helix Native Kilohearts Trance Gate FL Studio FL Studio Sequencer 3X OSC FL Studio Harmor CLA Plugins Warm Audio Mics Spectrasonics Omnisphere OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis Evan Lawday
We've been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. This selection is our conversation from Summer 2020, with Josh Davis, better know as DJ Shadow. EPISODE NOTES In this episode, John ventures over to Wendy House Studios to catch up with hip-hip royalty Josh Davis AKA DJ Shadow, to talk through how he recorded and produced his latest album ‘Our Pathetic Age' and his chart-topping album ‘The Mountain Will Fall'. Josh gives us a full insight in to his largest most diverse project yet, breaking down his writing process from the moment he randomly dips in to his vast record collection for inspiration, to discovering unlikely source material such as an abandoned record collection rescued from a friend of his father's. We get to hear the original samples that form the basis of some of his biggest hits as well as the raw vocal stems of Nas and Pharoahe Monch rapping at each other from different studios. Listen to find out about Josh's meticulous sample editing process, what mixing mistake meant he had to sneakily rerelease a track, and why he had to gate-crash a Run the Jewels gig. Tracks discussed: Nobody Speak, Rocket Fuel, Drone Warfare LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to 'Our Pathetic Age' here. Listen to 'The Mountain Will Fall' here. 'Our Pathetic Age' and 'The Mountain Will Fall' - Mass Appeal/Reconstruction Productions, Inc. Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Akai MPC Sampler Pioneer PLX 1000 Sonos Speaker Technics SL-1200 Technics SL-1210 ProTools Ableton OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John is joined by Olly Alexander and producer Danny L Harle, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced ‘Polari' Olly Alexander is an English singer, actor, and LGBTQ+ activist, best known as the frontman of Years & Years. The band found global success in the mid 2010's with the hit ‘King' and released two UK #1 albums before Olly transitioned to a solo career. As well as representing the UK at Eurovision in 2024 with ‘Dizzy', Olly has collaborated with numerous pop icons including Elton John and Kylie Minogue. His 2025 album Polari was co-written and produced by Danny L Harle, a sought-after British producer known for his work on P.C. Music, and with artists including Charli XCX, and Caroline Polachek and many more. Catching up at Strongroom Studios, where Olly recorded most of the album's vocals, the conversation explores the stories and sounds behind each track. Along the way, they share early demos featuring Olly's first vocal musings, while Danny discusses songwriting habits, optimising a producer's workflow, and techniques for achieving a creative flow state. Tracks discussed: Whisper In The Waves, Cupid's Bow, Beautiful, Polari TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Polari' here. LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Korg Triton Rhizomatic Synthesis Plasmonic Waves Tune Valhalla Room Tenor Viol Korg MS-10 Yamaha RX5 Drum Machine Roland GAIA Audacity Logic Varispeed Logic OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
This week, John is joined by electronic music duo Maribou State to discuss the making of their third studio album, ‘Hallucinating Love'. Maribou State first gained traction after releasing a string of EPs back in 2011, but truly broke through with their debut album, ‘Portraits', propelling the duo to international recognition. Since then, they've become a staple of the global dance music scene, selling out tours across the UK, Europe, and North America. Sitting down at Strongroom Studios, the pair discuss their immersive writing retreats, the challenge of creating over 25 demos for a single track, and their ‘sound harvest' sessions - entire studio days focused on building custom sample libraries from everyday objects and experimenting with an array of gear. Tracks discussed: Blackoak, Otherside, Rolling Stone TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Hallucinating Love' here - https://lynkify.in/album/hallucinating-love/9fqbKqy9 LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS SOMA Laboratory ETHER Teenage Engineering TP-7 Marantz Cassette Tape Portable Field Recorder Korg MS-200 Korg MS-20 Sequential Prophet 8 Grampian 636 Spring Reverb Moog Matriarch Moog Sub 37 Moog MF-104M Analog Delay Moog Synths Roland SP-404 Roland TB-303 Roland SPD Roland SRE-555 Chorus Echo Neural DSP Digital Effects Modeler 1176 Compressor Native Instruments Kontakt Nord Stage Neumann U87 Coles Mic EMT Plate Reverb SVT Ampeg Bass Amp Ludwig Drums Ableton Cubase Logic OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John sits down with indie-dance trio RÜFÜS DU SOL to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced their most recent album ‘Inhale / Exhale'. Hailing from Sydney, Rüfüs Du Sol—comprised of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt—joined together in 2010 through a shared passion for electronic music. Since their formation, they have evolved from local talents to global dance music icons, through their immersive blend of melodic and atmospheric sounds. With five chart-topping albums to their name, they have embarked on global tours, performed at renowned festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza, and won a GRAMMY Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording in 2022. Today, they join us from each side of the US to dig into their latest project, ‘Inhale / Exhale'. As well as reflecting on their ever-changing writing processes, they explore the production techniques at the heart of their sound, sharing insights on distorting Tyrone's vocals, gating, and having ‘bass wars' to work out the best parts. Tracks discussed: Pressure, Fire / Desire, Exhale TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Inhale/Exhale' here - https://lynkify.in/album/inhale-exhale/EQNVipUP LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Cableguys ShaperBox Slate & Ash Choreographs Slate & Ash Plugins Soundtoys EchoBoy Soundtoys Decapitator Xfer Serum Culture Vulture Emulator Audio Imperia Cinematic Tension Strings Teletone Audio Scarbo Moog Synths Sequential OB6 Sequential Prophet 6 UDO Super 6 Korg MS-20 Ableton Splice OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
Welcome to this bonus episode! Back in Summer 2023 John sat down with podcasting legend Adam Buxton, live at the Podcast Festival for a two part chat into their respective careers, and Adam's new music. In this, part one, Adam takes the reins as host, turning the spotlight on John's incredible career in radio. The conversation digs into John's journey from the early days of Xfm to Radio X, the creation of the legendary X-Posure show, which introduced artists like Adele, The XX, and Scroobious Pip to the airwaves, and the evolving landscape of radio and podcasting, including insights into Tape Notes. Adam also gives us an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at his musical process, sharing the inspiration and demos behind his much-loved theme, “Ramble Chat.” TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John links up with Snarky Puppy founder and band leader Michael League to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the band's latest record ‘Empire Central', as well as works from Varijashree Venugopal and a new project, Ellipsis. Michael League is an American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of jazz fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy. Now with a reputation as one of the most innovative bands of the 21st century, constantly pushing the boundaries of improvisation and the styles they draw from, Snarky Puppy's 20 year back catalogue includes 16 albums, and five Grammy wins. Outside of the band, Michael has shared his production and writing talents on records from David Crosby, Becca Stevens, Varijashree Venugopal and many more. Speaking from his home studio in Spain, Michael digs into his production process, from crafting rough Logic demos and editing lengthy improvisations to blending global influences with Western jazz. He also shares the technical details of Snarky Puppy's vast recording setup and treats us to a live demo of his current go-to, the Danelectro Sitar. Tracks discussed: Bet, Ranjani, Obbakoso TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Empire Central' here. GroundUP Music LISTEN to ‘Vari' here. GroundUP Music LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Lauten Audio LS-208 Lauten Audio Snare Mic Lauten Audio Atlantis FC-387 Audio-Technica Mics Danelectro Sitar F-Bass Hammertone 12-String Fender Rhodes Roland Space-Echo Ebow Moog Bass Logic Pro Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John is joined by Oli Sykes and Lee Malia of Bring Me The Horizon, as well as producer Dan Lancaster, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band's latest album ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn'. Bring Me the Horizon, formed in 2004 in Sheffield, evolved from deathcore to genre-blending innovators, incorporating electronics, classical, and pop influences. With seven studio albums, over 5 million records sold, and electrifying live shows, they've built a global fanbase and earned multiple Grammy nominations. Their latest release, ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn', continues their evolution, produced by long-time collaborator Dan Lancaster. Catching up at Stongroom Studios, Oli, Lee and Dan talk us through the incredibly fast-paced process of bringing the album together, sharing the countless demos, crazy sound design, and secret details meticulously hidden within each track. Tracks discussed: Kool-Aid, Top 10 staTues tHat CriEd bloOd, DIg It, TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn' here. Sony Music Entertainment LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS ElastiquePitch 2 Soundtoys Little AlterBoy Native Instruments Kontakt GetGood Drums Antares Autotune AudioMovers Output Arcade DJI LAV Mic Moises Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John is joined by Lizzy McAlpine, and co-producer Mason Stoops and co-writer Taylor Mackall, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Older (and Wiser)'. Lizzy McAlpine is a singer-songwriter and producer who first gained popularity by sharing covers on SoundCloud and YouTube. Her debut album, ‘Give Me a Minute', arrived in 2020, however, it was her second album, ‘Five Seconds Flat', that solidified her as a rising force, with the platinum-selling single ‘ceilings' becoming a global hit. Her latest record, ‘Older', blurs the lines between studio and stage, exploring themes of heartbreak and self-acceptance; recorded in LA, it was produced by Lizzy and Mason Stoops. Catching up at Miloco's The Pool studio ahead of the London leg of their tour, Lizzy, Mason, and Taylor discuss their approach to writing the album—from Lizzy's intimate, bedroom demos to their collaborative recording process that transformed it into a full band album. Tracks discussed: The Elevator, Pushing It Down and Praying, Force of Nature TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Older (and Wiser)' here. RCA Records, Indigo Blue LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Baldwin Fun Machine Baldwin Fun Machine (VST) Danelectro Bass VI Austin Hooks Projector Amp Benson Nathan Junior Amp Univox U45B Amp Echoplex EP2 Pedal Chase Bliss Audio Pedals Mellotron Shure SM57 Neumann U67 Neumann U87 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John is joined by Pixies, Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis), and producer Tom Dalgety, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band's latest album ‘The Night The Zombies Came'. The Pixies are an American alternative rock band widely acclaimed as one of the pioneers of the late 1980s rock movement. Their first three albums - Surfer Rosa (1988), Dolittle (1989) and Bossanova (1990) - defined an era as well as earning the band much critical success. The Pixies have influenced numerous prominent artists including Nirvana, Pearl Jam, Radiohead, The Strokes and Weezer. Since re-forming in 2004, they have maintained a steady creative output, working closely with producer Tom Dalgety. Catching up at Strongroom Studios, Charles and Tom share stories from their album writing process, including the last minute track that Tom snuck onto the record, the inspiration that came from trips around the English countryside, and the creative results of Charles's temper tantrums (which included his songwriting notebook ending up on the studio roof!). Tracks discussed: The Vegas Suite, I Hear You Mary, Jane (The Night the Zombies Came) TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘The Night The Zombies Came' here. Pixies Recordings, BMG Rights Management Limited LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Eventide H9 Max Shure SM7B MXC Carbon Copy TC Electronic Bucket Brigade Fender Reverb Tank Vox Practice Amp AC30 Amp Takamine Guitars Martin Guitars Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
John is back with Jack Patterson and Grace Chatto of Clean Bandit, for part two of their conversation, this time, talking about how they wrote, recorded, and produced some of their more recent hits. Clean Bandit are an English electronic group formed in 2008, known for blending classical music with electronics and pop. While they gained early attention with the track ‘Mozart's House,' their 2014 hit ‘Rather Be,' featuring Jess Glynne, won a Grammy and earned the band global recognition. Now pop mainstays, they have released numerous chart-topping collaborations, including ‘Rockabye' and ‘Symphony.' With two studio albums to their name and new music on the horizon, their most recent work sees them teaming up with Anne-Marie and David Guetta. In this, part two of our conversation, Jack and Grace take us through the early versions and of their track ‘Symphony' (following its resurgence on TikTok), and discuss how their creative process has changed over the years, taking apart ‘Cry Baby', and digging into the multiple remixes of the track. Tracks discussed: Symphony, Cry Baby TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Symphony' here. LISTEN to ‘Cry Baby' here. Sony Music Publishing, Universal Music Publishing LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Korg Polysix Korg MS-20 Alicia's Keys Ilya Efimov Plugins Spectrasonics Keyscape Ample Sounds Guitar 808 Warfare Antares Autotune Xfer Serum Nexus XLN Audio RC-20 Valhalla Vintage Verb Universal Audio Teletronix LA-3A Audio Leveler Pultec EQP‑1A CL1b Compressor Neumann U87 1176 Limiter Neve PreAmp 1073 Ableton Operator Synth Ableton Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Ali Lewis Jessica Clucas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John sits down with English musician, producer, and DJ Simon Green, better known as Bonobo, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced works from across his back catalogue. Bonobo first caught attention with his 1999 debut on the independent label Tru Thoughts, showcasing his signature smooth Trip Hop tracks. Over the years, his evolving sound, often including elements of world music, nu-jazz and electronica, have earned him a devoted following. This popularity surged with the release of critically acclaimed albums including 'Black Sands' and 'The North Borders', which earned him multiple Grammy nominations and solidified his status as one of the biggest names in dance music. His latest work, the single, ‘Expander' released in August 2024, is a slice of fresh yet unmistakable Bonobo, weaving organic vocals and instrumentation with vibrant dance floor energy. Catching up at Baltic Studios, not too far from where Simon recorded his early work, the conversation digs into Bonobo's creative process, discussing how he builds his unique drum patterns as well as exploring the essential plugins and sounds that shape his distinctive style. Tracks discussed: Expander, Sapien, Cirrus, Black Sands TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Expander' here. LISTEN to ‘Fragments' here. LISTEN to ‘Black Sands' here. Ninja Tune LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Knock Drum Buss Plugin Soundtoys Decapitator Soundtoys Little Alterboy Valhalla Room Valhalla Vintage Verb Miroslav Philharmonik Strings Slate & Ash Landforms Slate & Ash Cycles Slate & Ash Choreographs TB Reelbus Intellijel Plonk Module Make Noise Optomix Noise Engineering Basimilus Oberheim Xpander Oberheim OB8 Roland TR-808 Ableton Operator Ableton Logic X OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John sits down with Rex Orange County and producers Jim Reed and Teo Halm, to talk about how he wrote and recorded his latest album ‘The Alexander Technique'. Alex O'Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Teaching himself music production at 16 years old, within a year he released his debut album ‘Bcos U Will Never B Free'. Since then, Alex has been consistently releasing successful music, including his fourth album, ‘Who Cares?', which became his first to top the UK album charts, alongside platinum-certified hits like ‘Sunflower', ‘Best Friend', and ‘Loving Is Easy'. In conversation with Rex and his producers, Jim Reed and Teo Halm, they dig into the creative process behind his new album, sharing original demos, discussing the plugins that shaped the album, and demonstrating how some synthesizer parts were created using Teo's iPhone. Tracks discussed: Guitar Song, 2008, Much Too Much TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘The Alexander Technique' here. Atlantic Records UK LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Keezy App Koala App Soundtoys Crystallizer Soundtoys Effects Rack Celemony Melodyne Goodhertz Vulf Compressor Neumann TLM 103 Neumann KM54 Coles Ribbon Mic Sony C800 Moog Model D Chase Bliss Mood Chase Bliss Blooper Spitfire Strings Blank Forms Tape Loops Logic Sampler Logic Pro X Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John is joined by Jack Patterson and Grace Chatto of Clean Bandit to talk about how they wrote, recorded, and produced some of their early hits. Clean Bandit are an English electronic group formed in 2008, known for blending classical music with electronics and pop. While they gained early attention with the track ‘Mozart's House,' their 2014 hit ‘Rather Be,' featuring Jess Glynne, won a Grammy and earned the band global recognition. Now pop mainstays, they have released numerous chart-topping collaborations, including ‘Rockabye' and ‘Symphony.' With two studio albums to their name and new music on the horizon, their most recent work sees them teaming up with Anne-Marie and David Guetta. In this, part one of our conversation, Jack and Grace look back at their process of creating ‘Rather Be' and ‘I Miss You.' In addition to discussing how they programmed the synth at the very centre of their early music, the pair recount stories of writing on the Tube and possibly one of the most intense vocal sessions of their career. Tracks discussed: Rather Be, I Miss You TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Rather Be' here. LISTEN to ‘I Miss You' here. Atlantic Records UK LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Antares Harmony Engine Soundtoys Little Alterboy XLN AUDIO RC-20 reFX Nexus Synth That Sound Drumline Ilya Efimov Plugins Spectrasonics Keyscape Mellotron AKAI EWI Midi Controller Native Instruments Kontakt Conny Plank's SSL Desk Ableton Operator Synth Ableton Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John is joined by Alex Cook, better known as A. G. Cook, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Britpop'. A. G. Cook, is a London-based artist and producer. After studying at Goldsmiths University, he founded PC Music, a label shaping hyper pop with artists including Hannah Diamond and Danny L Harle. His debut solo albums, ‘7G' and ‘Apple', arrived in 2020. In addition to his own music, Alex has shared his production talents with numerous pop icons, including Jonsi, Madonna, and Caroline Polachek, and Charli XCX. In May 2024, he released his third studio album, ‘Britpop', a 24-song exploration blending pop, experimental electronics, and acoustic sounds. Catching up at Strongroom Studios, Alex guides us through the three distinct chapters of the album, digging into the production and song writing approaches he took to make them stand out. As well as sharing some intricate plugin demos, we hear stories of developing a harmonic style, meticulous automation and what it means to be an aggressive listener. Tracks discussed: Heartache, Serenade, Lucifer TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Britpop' here. New Alias LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Filter Freak Waves MetaFlanger Deamtonics Synthesizer V Reveal Sound Spire Xfer Serum Xfer OTT Sonic Charge Synplant 2 Logic Compressor Native Instruments Reaktor Native instrument Razor IK Multimedia Mixbox Udo Super 6 Synth Sonic Academy Kick 2 Arturia Vocoder V Melda Productions M Bit Fun Electro Harmonix Pitch Fork Roland TR-606 Roland Juno Synth Rode Microphones Sony C800G Shure SM58 Arturia DX-7 Soma Synths Lyra 8 Logic Pro OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We've been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. This selection is our conversation from November 2019, with Sam Shepard, Floating Points. EPISODE NOTES In this episode John heads to EMS4 studios in Shoreditch to chat with Floating Points a.k.a Sam Shepherd, about how he recorded and produced his latest release, Crush. Talking from deep within Sam's musical laboratory, we peer behind the curtain and find out how Floating Points music is created and crafted, pulling apart some of the tracks from his second album along the way. We get to hear how live performance and classical music are a serious influence in his writing process in addition to experimenting with the impressive number of synths he's collected over the years. Geekery is in abundance in this episode. Listen to find out why space was scant in Sam's student bedroom, who sick Anna actually is and why sometimes all you need is a Yamaha Reface CS in your backpack. Tracks discussed: Last Bloom, Annasickmodualr, Bias. TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to 'Crush' here. 'Crush' - Pluto Records, Ninja Tune. Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Logic Pro Ableton Sibelius Akai S950 Sampler API Desk ARP 2600 ARP Rhodes Chroma Buchla Synth Korg Volca Beats Marshall Time Modulator MAM ADX1 Dunlop MXR Flanger Neve Preamps Publison Infernal Machine Multi-Effects Processor Roland EV-5 Expression Pedal Yamaha CS-70 Yamaha Reface CS OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John is joined by Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Three', along with a selection of his other work. Following his start in music writing and recording as part of post-rock band ‘Fridge', Kieran released his debut solo album as Four Tet ‘Dialogue' in 1999. Since then, his constant experimentation and blend of hip-hop, jazz, krautrock, electronica, dance, and folk have seen him become one of the most innovative producers of today. He has released twelve albums as Four Tet, remixed artists like Radiohead and Bjork, and collaborated with Burial, Fred Again and Skrillex, among many others. Sitting down together, Kieran breaks down his production journey and writing process, sharing the samples at the core of each track and reflecting on his approach to the most important element, the arrangement. Digging into the production details, he shares tips on keeping loops alive, making kicks pop, and the subtle textures that help place a track in its own world. Tracks discussed: Daydream Repeat, Skater, Looking At Your Pager TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Three' here. Text Records LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Little Alterboy Soundtoys Microshift FabFilter Pro-L2 Izotope Ozone Maximiser Native Instruments Kontakt Spectrasonics Omnisphere Roland TR8 Arturia DrumBrute ATH-M50X Professional Monitor Headphones Sennheiser HD25 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John joins Kasabian producer, songwriter, and frontman Serge Pizzorno to discuss the band's latest record, ‘Happenings'. Kasabian, an English rock band formed in the late 1990s, burst onto the scene in the early 2000s with iconic anthems like ‘LSF' and ‘Club Foot'. Since then, they have released eight albums, earning multiple NME Awards and a Brit Award for Best British Group in 2010. Sitting down with guitarist and co-founder Serge Pizzorno, the conversation dives into his production journey—from experimenting with a loop pedal at eleven years old to collaborating with renowned producer Mark Ralph. Serge shares insights into his hours-long loop jams, reveals how he transformed an Asda voice note into a fully-fledged track, and discusses the secrets behind crafting iconic riffs. Tracks discussed: Call, Coming Back To Me Good, G.O.A.T. TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Happenings' here. Sony Music LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS XLN Audio RC20 Soundtoys Decapitator Soundtoys Little AlterBoy Valhalla Reverbs Atari ST Sampler OctaMED ARP 2600 Hofner Bass Moogerfooger Delay Behringer PRO-1 Roland TR-808 Fairchild Compressor Cubase Distortion Fruity Loops OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John is joined by singer, songwriter, and producer Charli XCX, as well as producers A.G. Cook and George Daniel, to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Brat'. Charli XCX first saw success collaborating on Icona Pop's 2012 smash hit ‘I Love It' and Iggy Azalea's chart-topping single ‘Fancy'. Since releasing her debut album in 2013, she has continued to innovate and energise the music scene, earning a Global Impact Award in recognition of her contributions to pop. More recently, Charli released her sixth album ‘Brat' working alongside George Daniel and PC Music pioneer A.G. Cook. Sitting down with Charli, A.G., and George, the three cover a range of topics including the inspiration behind each track. As well as treating us to plane demos and stories of testing tracks in Charli's club at home, the trio discuss how they approach collaboration, and break down what truly makes something Brat. Tracks discussed: Club Classics, Apple, 365 TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘BRAT' here. Atlantic Recording Corporation LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Native Instruments Reaktor Native Instruments Razor Celemony Melodyne Antares Autotune Xfer Serum Xfer Serum Presets Soma Pulsar Malekko Manther Synth Logic Echo Logic Pro Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John is joined by IDLES' Bowen, along with producer Kenny Beats, and producer and engineer Mikko Gordon, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘TANGK'. Idles are a British post-punk band who gained recognition with their 2017 debut album ‘Brutalism'. Known for their gritty, powerful sound and explosive live shows, their five albums to date have earned them nominations for the Mercury Prize, BRIT & Grammy Awards. Their latest record, ‘TANGK', sees the band team up with producers Nigel Godrich and Kenny Beats, and digs into topics of love and gratitude, all while maintaining their signature Idles energy. Linking up between Kenny's LA studio and Mikko's London studio, the trio discuss how they utilised the different strands of experience and expertise from all involved. As well as dubious covers and Christmas day demos, they share stories of writing team breakouts and the unexpected moments that came when they drew inspiration beyond their usual domains. Tracks discussed: Roy, A Gospel, POP POP POP TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LISTEN to ‘TANGK' here. Partisan Records GEAR MENTIONS Venn Audio V-Clip Electro Harmonix Loop Station Electro Harmonix POG Pedal Moogerfooger Pedals Vongon Pedal Beyerdynamic M500 Mic Electro-Voice RE10 U47 Microphones 1176 Compressor API EQ 560 Shure SM57 Empirical Labs Distressor Altec Solid State Mixers Altec Tube Mixers Augspurger Speakers Yamaha Disklavier Piano Ableton Saturator Ableton OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We've been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. This selection is our conversation with Matty and George of The 1975, recorded back in March 2019. EPISODE NOTES John ventures up to Spitfire Audio to meet with Matty and George from The 1975 to talk about how the album 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' was recorded and produced. Somewhat bleary eyed after a massive night at the Brits (scooping two awards), the boys reveal the inner workings of The 1975's production methods and writing techniques. We're treated to demo versions and extensive track breakdowns from their award winning album, showing what it takes to create a 1975 hit. We get to hear why Matty scats to write lyrics, how George uses a Barry White bass trick for creating lush vocals, and hear THE definitive explanation of side-chain compression. Tracks discussed: I Like America & America Likes Me, How To Draw / Petrichor, It's Not Living (If It's Not With You) TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your 25% discount HERE LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' here Dirty Hit, Polydor Records, Interscope Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Arturia Synth Emulators Izotope Vocal Synth Korg Legacy Collection Moog Shure SM58 Teenage Engineering OP1 Waves CLA Vocal Plugin Yamaha DX7 Yamaha Reface DX Logic Pro Cubase OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John sits down with American singer and guitarist Anna Clark, aka St Vincent, to talk about her latest album ‘All Born Screaming'. Immersed in music since childhood, after studying at Berklee College of Music, Annie toured with acts including The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. Adopting the name 'St. Vincent', in 2006 she released her debut EP 'Paris Is Burning', and released her debut album 'Marry Me' the following year. As well as having collaborated with artists including David Byrne, Jack Antonoff and Taylor Swift, St Vincent has released seven acclaimed studio albums, and has won four Grammy Awards. John and Annie dig into the inspiration behind the record's creation, touching on her development as an artist and producer, as well as her collaborations with esteemed artists such as Dave Grohl, Mark Guiliana, Josh Freese, and numerous others. Tracks discussed: Broken Man, Hell Is Near, Sweetest Fruit TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘All Born Screaming' here. Total Pleasure Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Neumann U87 Neumann U67 Coles Ribbon Mics Neve Console Buchla Synth Arturia Lab 5 Sequential Synths Roland TR-808 Publison Synth Korg MS20 Lomo 19A19 EMT 140 Plate Federal Compressor Erica Synths Perkons Drum Machine Eventide H3000 1176 Compressor Nashville Telecaster St Vincent Signature Series Guitar Tascam Cassette Tracks Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Alex Patterson Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Katie-Louise Buxton Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky Jonathon Coughlin Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John catches up with Bob Vylan and producer Jonny Breakwell to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the ‘Humble As The Sun'. Bob Vylan, a grime and punk rock duo who emerged in 2017. Despite facing resistance for their provocative themes on racism and inequality, they gained a loyal following. Their albums, 2020's ‘We Live Here' and 2022's ‘Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life' earned critical acclaim, and saw the duo win Best Alternative Act at the MOBO Awards. Their latest, ‘Humble as the Sun,' sees the duo flex their musical muscles, drawing on soul, drill, and punk, brought together with their trademark intensity. Chatting in Miloco's The Pool Studio, where some of the album was recorded, the conversation includes insights into navigating the independent artist landscape and the pivotal moments balancing personal and musical life. The pair also reflect on the process of refining Bobby's initial demos into polished tracks, exploring the production techniques that enhance the depth and character of the band's sound. Tracks discussed: Humble As The Sun, Reign, Makes Me Violent TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Humble As The Sun' here. Ghost Theatre Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS FabFilter Saturn 2 FabFilter Pro Q3 Soundtoys Radiator Boz Labs Big Clipper Native Instruments Battery Native Instrument Kontakt Native Instruments Massive Native Instruments Guitar Rig Valhalla Delay Seventh Heaven Reverb Plugin Alliance Black Box Waves CLA Compressor Ableton Overdrive Plugin UAD Apollo Leslie Rotating Speaker SE Electronics SE2200 Condenser Microphone AKG414 Microphone BeesNeez Arabella Microphone Lomo 19A19 Microphone Shure KSM353 Ribbon Mic Shadow Hills Mono GAMA Mic Pre Culture Vulture Distortion Neve one of a kind Distortion Unit (Marshall Studios) Neve 80's series desk (Marshall Studios) Marshall Jaguar Amp OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer, Videographer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky - Production Assistant Jonathon Coughlin - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John catches up with English rock band The Libertines to discuss how they wrote and recorded their latest album ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade'. The Libertines formed in 1997 and shot to fame with their debut album, 'Up the Bracket,' becoming pillars of the British indie/alternative resurgence of the early 2000s. Thirty years after their careers started, they have unveiled their fourth studio album, 'All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade,' primarily recorded at their studio, The Albion Rooms, in Margate, with producer Dimitri Tikovoï. Sitting down with frontmen Carl Barat and Peter Doherty, the pair discuss their song writing process from idea to finished album. As well as sharing exclusive insights into the evolution of the Libertines' recording process, we hear demos and ideas from their early days writing together up to recent studio time in Jamaica. Tracks discussed: Run Run Run, Merry Old England, & Shiver LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade' here Libertines Recording Limited, Universal Music Operations, EMI Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS 1957 NY Epiphone Casino Guitar Gibson J45 Guitar Marshall Amps Whurli The Albion Rooms Gear OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer, Videographer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky - Production Assistant Jonathon Coughlin - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John catches up with producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff of Bleachers to discuss how he wrote, recorded, and produced the band's latest album ‘Bleachers'. Having grown up performing, song writing, and producing bands throughout his teenage years, Jack first saw mainstream success as part of the band Fun, and their global hit track ‘We Are Young'. Since then, he has gone on to co-write and produce records for some of the biggest artists of the past decade, including Lorde, Lana Del Rey, The 1975, and Taylor Swift. Among his numerous awards and accolades, he was named Producer of the Year at the Grammys for three consecutive years. Throughout the conversation Jack discusses his song writing process, from stories of the studio magic that occurs when picking up random instruments, to the unusual mixing and panning techniques he uses to help make parts feel big (rather than actually being big). Tracks discussed: Call Me After Midnight, Jesus Is Dead, We're Going To Know Each Other Forever TAPE IT Thanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast. Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 50% off. LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Bleachers' here . Dirty Hit Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Waves Morphoder - https://geni.us/XTO8Bx Soundtoys Tremolator - https://geni.us/bAB3sa Soundtoys FilterFreak - https://geni.us/X6uk Soundtoys Little AlterBoy - https://geni.us/o8nbO Izotope VocalSynth - https://geni.us/ZIbW Roland Juno - https://geni.us/tEKxqpC Moog Synths - https://geni.us/EzWqBu Korg M1 - https://geni.us/GnnNmU8 Ebow - https://geni.us/FnQRXYG Teenage Engineering OP1 - https://geni.us/dg6C9 Chandler TH2 Preamp/DI - https://geni.us/kwoYxl OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer, Videographer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We've been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. This selection is our conversation with Alt-J's Joe and Gus, along with producer Charlie Andrew, recorded back in February 2019. EPISODE NOTES In this episode John is joined by Gus Unger-Hamilton and Joe Newman from Alt-J, and producer Charlie Andrew to talk about how they recorded and produced the album 'RELAXER'. The trio give a fascinating account of the thought processes and production techniques used in the recording of RELAXER. Hear how a friend's pavlovian response to the smell of burning wood, the Gus whistle test, and swearing at an old school master all left their mark on the band's third album. Tracks discussed: 3WW, House of the Rising Sun, Pleader LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES Listen to 'RELAXER' here. 'RELAXER' - alt-J, Infectious Music Ltd., a BMG Company Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Akai MPC Sampler Melodyne Moog Roland Juno 60 Soundtoys Echoboy Soundtoys Decapitator Teenage Engineering OP1 UAD Plugins Waves Plugins Ableton OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John sits down with singer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, delving into the creative process behind his album ‘Djesse Vol. 4,' the concluding instalment in his four-part ‘Djesse' album series. Jacob first shot to fame in 2013 when videos of his complex vocal arrangements went viral on YouTube. Three years later, he released his debut album ‘In My Room', written and recorded entirely from his family home. In 2018, Jacob set to work on Djesse, a four-volume, 50-song, album series featuring collaborations with artists around the world, which to date has earned him 6 Grammy nominations. Throughout the conversation, Jacob shares his original demos and discusses his approach to fusing such a plethora of musical genres, from rap and gospel, to dance and Kpop. He also discusses the collaborations that shaped the album, with artists including Chris Martin, Lindsay Loomis, and Willow Smith, as well as his audiences from live shows around the world. Tracks discussed: Over You, 100,000 Voices, Cinnamon Crush LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Djesse Vol. 4' here . Hajanga Records, Interscope Records/Decca, Universal Music Operations Limited Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Little Alterboy Oek Sound Soothe Xfer LFO Tool Gladiator Synth AKG C414 Neumann U87 Neumann U87 Customised by Klaus Heyne Sony MX4000 Headphones Native Instruments Taylor 5 String Guitar (custom) Strandberg Guitars Electric 5 String Mandocello OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer, Videographer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Seb Brunner-Stolovitzky - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John catches up with Declan McKenna to talk about his latest album ‘What Happened To The Beach?' Declan McKenna first saw mainstream success in 2015 following the release of his debut single ‘Brazil' and winning Glastonbury Festival's Emerging Talent prize. While blending topics of politics and social issues with his indie-pop sound through his first two albums, ‘What Happened To The Beach?' introduces us to a new world, this time looking inward and drawing on Declan's personal growth as a musician. As well as opening up his hugely varied bag of demos, musical sketches, and jam sessions, Declan shares stories of his time working in the studio with producer Luca Buccellati, talking through the unusual sounds and fantasy locations that inspired his writing. Tracks discussed: Mulholland's Dinner & Wine, Breath of Light, Mezzanine LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘What Happened To The Beach?' here. Sony Music Entertainment Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Little Alterboy MWFX The Judder Pedal Roland Juno 60 Shure SM7B Mellotron Electro Harmonix MEL9 Pedal Acoustasonic Guitars Logic auto-wah Logic Pro X Ableton OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer, Videographer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
We've been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. The first selection is our chat with Dave Bayley (Glass Animals) from summer 2018. EPISODE NOTES John ventures up to Dave Bayley's new home studio in London Fields to talk about how Glass Animals' debut album ZABA was recorded and produced. We hear how Dave conjured up the band's unique style through many late night sessions in his bedroom when he should've been studying for medical school. He reveals his producer hero's and an insatiable appetite for data collection, creating his own sound world through sampling every sound imaginable. Dave guides us through a fascinating breakdown of Gooey – from an early voice demo recorded on his phone to the finished article and we learn some of his trade secrets along the way. Tracks featured: Gooey, Hazey, Toes LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to 'ZABA' here. 'ZABA' - Wolf Tone Limited Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Audio-Technica AT4040 Fender Deluxe 57 Laney VC20 Marshall Stack Rob Papen Albino Synth Roland Jupiter 6 Shure SM57 Soundtoys Decapitator Soundtoys Microshift Soundtoys Alter Boy UAD Amp Emulators Vox AC30 Waves Kramer Ableton Ableton Spectrum Plugin ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John links up with hyper-pop royalty, Laura Les and Dylan Brady, aka 100 gecs, to talk about their latest album ‘10,000 Gecs'. 100 gecs first broke onto the scene with their debut album ‘1000 Gecs' in 2019. Capturing attention online and amongst music fans, the innovative record was described as ‘one of the year's most fascinating, exhilarating experimental pop albums'. Their second studio album ‘10,000 Gecs', released in 2023, sees them maintain their status as hyper-pop trailblazers, this time blending pop-punk and ska in with their signature maximalist sound. Reflecting on their writing process and how it has changed over the years, the conversation covers a range of topics, from the vast number of alternatives each track goes through, to the crazy sound design and effects that make up such an enormous part of their style. Tracks discussed: Hollywood Baby, 757, The Most Wanted Person In The United States ---------------- Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). ---------------- Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ---------------- LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘10,000 Gecs' here . Dog Show Recordings, Atlantic Recordings Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Native Instruments Guitar Rig Waves Tune Real Time Soundtoys Decapitator Toontrack Superior Drummer Xfer Serum Synth Mace Guitar Amp Shure SM7B Orange Amp V-Drums Mesa Dual Rectifier Amp Head Splice Logic Pro X OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer, Videographer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor David Yu - Engineer (LA) Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Raphi Elton-Rowley - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John ventures into the depths of Kent to catch up with Matthew Herbert and discuss his latest work ‘The Horse'. Renowned for his innovative sound exploration, Matthew gained recognition under various names, including Doctor Rockit, Wishmountain, and Herbert. He's produced for artists such as Bjork and Róisín Murphy, composed for stage and screen, and earned international acclaim for his records. His latest collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra resulted in 'The Horse.' Alongside a full album playback, the conversation covers the thought process behind the sounds, collaborators and story of each track, Matthew also shares his thoughts on ways in which to engage with music and creativity, and how to do it in a way that keeps you continuously inspired. Tracks discussed: Full Album LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘The Horse' here. Matthew Herbert, Modern Recordings, BMG Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John links up pop-rock band Fall Out Boy, and producer Neal Avron, to talk about their latest studio album ‘So Much (For) Stardust'. Emerging from Chicago's hardcore punk scene in the early 2000's, Fall Out Boy rose to fame with hits including ‘Sugar, We're Goin Down' and 'Thnks fr th Mmrs'. Constantly innovating, their eight studio albums have seen them embrace all sides of music, including R&B, and electro-pop. For their latest record ‘So Much (For) Stardust', they return to their roots, working with producer Neal Avron. Chatting with Patrick and Neal, the conversation covers the band's approach to the early stages of demoing, their collaboration with a full orchestra and some of the best players in the business, and how they divide different writing responsibilities amongst each other. Tracks discussed: Love From The Other Side, Heaven, Iowa, So Much (For) Stardust LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘So Much (For) Stardust) here. Fueled By Ramen, Elektra Music Group Inc. Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Native Instruments Kontakt Native Instruments Guitar Rig Audiomovers Listento Fender Strat Orange Amps Dave Smith Poly Evolver Synth Ensoniq Fizmo Synth Roland TR-66 Rhythm Arranger Neumann U 47 1176 LA-2A Slingerland Drums Guild S-100 Guitar Gibson Les Paul Neve Console Splice OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
John sits down with indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club to talk about their sixth studio album ‘My Big Day'. Bombay Bicycle Club are a four-piece band from London, that broke onto the indie music scene with their genre defining debut album ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose' in 2009. Since then they have been releasing a steady stream of music which has been met with high critical acclaim, earning them an Ivor Novello and a Mercury Prize nominations. Chatting with band members Jack Steadman and Ed Nash, the three cover a range of topics including the inspiration behind the album, their use of sampling in their music, how over-thinking can negatively influence the production process, and their collaboration with music legends Damon Albarn, Paul Epworth & Chaka Khan. Tracks discussed: My Big Day, Heaven, Just A Little More Time ---------------- Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ---------------- To support the show and become a Patron, head to Patreon.co.uk/tapenotes. Any and all support is hugely appreciated, we don't take it for granted so thank you. ---------------- LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘My Big Day' here - https://songwhip.com/bombay-bicycle-club/my-big-day Mmm…Records, AWAL Recordings Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://songwhip.com/laurelcollective/sunshinebuddy GEAR MENTIONS Magix Samplitude - https://geni.us/iBEqbXn Casio Keyboard - https://geni.us/hKfe Korg Monotron - https://geni.us/T5K1H Native Instruments Kontakt - https://geni.us/AFPeU Paul Epworth's Neve Desks - https://geni.us/TFoT0 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ---------------- To support the show and become a Patron, head to Patreon.co.uk/tapenotes. Any and all support is hugely appreciated, we don't take it for granted so thank you. --------------- In this episode, John is reunited with Mike Kerr of Royal Blood, to talk about how the band wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Back To The Water Below'. Following the success of their fourth number one album, Mike reflects on how their purpose as musicians has changed over the years, sharing their process of working out what they love, but haven't done with Royal Blood yet. Giving us an in depth look behind each track, we hear stories of musical experiments, including making a new ‘wall of sound' guitar and playing specially modified pianos, while simultaneously inviting new genres into the Royal Blood sound. Listen to find out the best way to beat the sounds on your demos, tips on how to keep a two-hour live set engaging, and thoughts on why you shouldn't wait for inspiration to come. Tracks discussed: Triggers, There Goes My Cool, Waves LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Back To The Water Below' here. Imperial Galactic, Black Mammoth, Warner Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Devil-Loc Spectrasonics Keyscape Mrs Mills Piano Avid ProTools OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Jessica Clucas - Production Assistant Katie-Louise Buxton - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ------- In this episode, John is joined by Dodie and Martin Luke Brown of Fizz, along with producer Pete Miles, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘The Secret To Life'. Discussing how Fizz came into being, Martin and Dodie explain the reasons and implications of setting their solo work to the side (temporarily), to have a holiday from music, but still doing music... As well as lots of sharing stories, stems and general shenanigans from their time down at Middle Farm Studios, we hear how each band member brought something different to the table, approaching creativity in so many different ways - from jamming over loops, to singing around their house and recording voice notes in the bath. Listen to find out why sometimes it's better just to yell your guitar solos, which piece of kit is the secret 7th member of Fizz, and which chorus pedal has the wobbliest chorus of all chorus pedals. Tracks discussed: Secret To Life, Strawberry Jam, The Grand Finale LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘The Secret To Life' here. Decca Records, FKA Chairs, Universal Music Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Full Middle Farm Studios Gear Roland RE-301 Chorus Echo Soundtoys Devil Loc Shure M267 Mic Preamp/Limiter ProCo Rat Pedal Electro Harmonix Polychorus Studer A80 Tape Machine 1965 Hammond C3 Leslie Speaker Logic Pro X OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ------- Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). ------- In this episode, John is joined by Olivia Dean and producer Matt Hales to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Olivia's Mercury-nominated debut album ‘Messy'. Taking us back to the very start of their story, the pair discuss the inspiration for the album, sharing their approach to marrying different musical cultures and the importance of the chats they had before writing. As well as playing their writing session voice notes showing the exact moments each song took shape, we hear stories of mouth trumpet demos, creating artefacts to make instruments sound sampled, and the thought process behind choosing mix engineers. Listen to find out why so much of what makes a good record can come from turning things off, why it's so valuable to just have things around the studio, and why tea can be such an integral part of the creative process. Tracks discussed: UFO, Messy, Carmen LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Messy' here - https://songwhip.com/oliviadean/messy2023 EMI, Universal Music Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://songwhip.com/laurelcollective/sunshinebuddy GEAR MENTIONS AudioThing Reels Shure SM7B Boss CE1 Pedal Moog Synths Steinberg Cubase OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Videographer, Editor Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John is back at Strongroom Studios to catch up with Bakar and producer Zach Nahome about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Halo'. Looking back at the varied starting points of the songs, Bakar and Zach chart the journey of the album writing process, from writing in hotel rooms and AirBnbs to some of the most legendary studios in the world. As well as sharing the conversations that helped fuel their creativity, we are given a glimpse into how the pair forged Bakar's distinctive sound, sharing tips on bringing modern elements into music that feels old, and building distinctive worlds of reverb. Listen to find out why you shouldn't delete old beats, how a thief managed to unknowingly shape the sound of a track, and how working with an ‘anti-setup' outside of the studio can benefit the song. Tracks discussed: Alive!, Facts_Situations, Right Here, for Now LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Halo' here. Black Butter Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Abbey Road Vinyl Soundtoys Effect Rack Arturia Farfisa Synth Arturia Jupiter 8 Spectrasonics Omnisphere Nicky Romero Kickstart Waves API 2500 Compressor Valhalla Vintage Verb Neumann TLM 103 Shure SM7B Neumann U67 Gibson Les Paul Fender Strat Martin Guitars Philips Philicorda Squire PBass KRK Monitors Rokit 8 Monitors Neve Preamps Focusrite Logic Pedals - Vintage Drive Logic Pedals - Flanger Logic Space Designer Logic Pitch Correction Logic EQ Logic Slap Echo Garageband OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Nico Varanese - Editor/Videographer Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John is joined by James Blake to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven'. With the idea of simplifying his solo work primarily with synths and drums, James shares his process of crafting an album with the purpose of getting away from the computer, reflecting on the impact it had on his creativity and mental health. A true master of modular synths, he talks us through the long journey learning to create ‘listenable' music with them, discussing the ways in which they are able to create sounds that he couldn't have imagined. Listen to discover the enlightening advice James received from Universal's Head A&R, how to best record your voice if you plan to pitch it, and how to adopt the mindset of making music for fun. Tracks discussed: Loading, Big Hammer, Playing Robots Into Heaven LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven' here. Republic Records, Polydor Records, UMG Recordings Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Thermionic Culture Fat Bustard Sequential Prophet 8 Native Instruments Massive Intellijel Metropolis Make Noise MATHS Make Noise Black and Gold Soma Pulsar-23 Roland SH-101 Roland TR-8S Roland TR-909 Erica Synths LX-02 OEK Sound Soothe FXpansion Geist Valhalla Reverbs Valhalla Vintage Verb API Desk Logic Pro OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Andy Tindall - Videographer Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John heads to Miloco's The Yard Studios, to catch up with Guy and Howard of Disclosure, and talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Alchemy'. Having taken a break from their relentless touring schedule, the pair guide us through their reassessed approach to creativity. From stories of managing burnout and heartbreak, to balancing meaning and feelings with the key production choices of each track. As well as sharing Howard's very first AirBnb demos, Guy digs deep with a vast production breakdown, including sharing his go-to method of creating kicks and the small additions to a track that can make it sparkle. Listen to find out the quickest way to come up with a new track idea, why it's so good to be musically naive, and the best ways to check if things still sound cool. Tracks discussed: Looking For Love, Simply Won't Do, High Than Ever Before LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Alchemy' here. Apollo Records, AWAL Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Little AlterBoy FabFilter Saturn Izotope VocalSynth 2 BigKick - https://geni.us/vOoH Spectrasonics Omnisphere Spectrasonics Keyscape Spectrasonics Trilian Tube Tech Compressor Pultec EQ Neumann Mics SSL SIX Channel Strip Fairchild Compressor Plugin Fairchild Compressor (Real thing) Ampeg Bass Amp GEM Dopamine Kick 2 OEK Sound Soothe Valhalla Reverbs Xfer LFO Tool The God Particle Roland Jupiter 8 DX7 Synth Waldorf Wave Yamaha CS60 Novation Peak Logic EFM Synth Logic Ultrabeat Logic Pro X OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Andy Tindall/Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John catches up with Amber Bain aka The Japanese House, along with producers Chloe Kraemer and George Daniel to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘In The End It Always Does'. Looking back on their time together, Amber, Chloe, and George guide us through the process of bringing each song to life. Alongside stories of misunderstood lyrics and dog walk writing sessions, they treat us to some of the most stunning first demos ever heard, as well as the spontaneous studio moments that left everyone in tears. As well as digging into the processes that shape the sound of the record, the trio discuss the importance of people when making music. They give us insights on the effects that come with having different personalities in the room, and how their studio mindsets have allowed them to efficiently work together in all iterations of themselves. Listen to find out why there should be more songs about pets, how insecurity can destroy productivity, and what the difference is between a lyric song and a music song. Tracks discussed: Boyhood, Sunshine Baby, One for sorrow, two for Joni Jones LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘In The End It Always Does' here. Dirty Hit Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Output Portal Soundtoys PrimalTap Spectrasonics Omnisphere Xfer Serum Moog One OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Andy Tindall/Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer/Editors Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John is joined by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and producer James Ford, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘The Ballad of Darren'. With Damon's initial demos to hand, the pair give us a guided tour of the record, right through the early versions and studio sessions, from the moments that reignited the feelings they had when writing in the 90s, to piecing together the musical jigsaw that forms the Blur sound. Along with stories of Damon's inspirational chickens and the dangers of making pesto while writing an album, we're treated to an in depth production and songwriting masterclass, with details on manufacturing the sound of a room, and the importance of energy and intention behind a song. Listen to find out what makes the first performance of something so special, why a 4-track recorder can sometimes be a great replacement pillow, and what benefits come with giving yourself distance from a record. Tracks discussed: St. Charles Square, The Everglades (For Leonard), The Narcissist LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘The Ballad of Darren' here Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Eventide H3000 U47 Mic Neve 1073 Preamp Neve Desk TON-1501 Analog Strings Synthesizer Powertran Transcendent 2000 Coles 4038 Mics Mellotron Whurli Clavinet Fender Amps Semler Amps Garageband OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Videographer - Andy Tindall/Herbie Elton-Rowley Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John is joined by Ben Howard and producer Nathan Jenkins aka Bullion, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Ben's latest album ‘Is It?'. Looking back on their time together, Ben and Nathan talk us through their collaborative journey, from their initial coffee shop discussions, to the 10 day stint recording in the South of France. Sharing their initial sketches, voice note demos and the unexpected moments that changed the direction of each of the tracks. In addition to stories of delay tuning and the potentially negative effects of singing with too much reverb, the pair share their thoughts on the importance of considering different musical approaches and giving time to ideas to allow them to flourish. Listen to find out why you'll never need four mics on an amp, why one wrong note with a delay can ruin a whole take, and why laziness is fundamental to Ben's creativity. Tracks discussed: Walking Backwards, Days Of Lantana, Spirit LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Thanks to Strongroom Studios for having us! Instagram Twitter Listen to ‘Is It?' here. Island, Universal Music Operations Limited Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Korg Volca Beat CR78 Drum Machine Shure SM57 Shure SM58 EchoPlex Roland Space Echo RE-201 Teenage Engineering OP1 Eventide H3000 Ultra Harmoniser OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Videographer - Andy Tindall Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John joins Dom Harrison, a.k.a. YUNGBLUD and producer Mati Schwartz to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Dom's debut album, ‘21st Century Liability'. Digging into the very first tracks that the pair worked on together, Dom and Mati share the story of how their relationship began, looking back at the early rejection and tough love moment that kicked Dom into action, and forming the Yungblud sound as we know it today. As well as talking through the evolution of his tracks, including playing unheard sections and old vocal takes, we're treated to thoughts on the importance of individuality in music, and the huge impact that comes with really knowing what you want to say. Listen to find out one of the best excuses for buying more guitars, how simple hi-hats can make a song bounce, and what happens when you bump into Chris Martin naked in a steam room. Tracks discussed: I Love You Will You Marry Me, Anarchist, Polygraph Eyes, LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘21st Century Liability' here. Locomotion Recordings, Geffen Records, Interscope Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Waves CLA Vocals UAD Compressors Logic Compressor Addictive Drums Gibson B25 1964 Fender Strat 1963 Martin Guitars OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Videographer - Herbie Elton-Rowley Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John joins Nick Douwma, a.k.a. Sub Focus, to talk about how he wrote, recorded, and produced his latest album 'Evolve'. Unable to stop John from dancing out of his chair, Nick ploughs on and talks us through the evolution of his most recent tracks. Sharing some of the first demos and samples that kick-started his process, we hear stories of late-night hotel room sessions and road-testing tracks live before settling into them. As well as delving into some of the history and theory behind Drum & Bass, we're treated to a production masterclass, diving deep with tips on oscillators and tuning, harmonics, and things to bear in mind when you're having phase issues. Listen to find out why you almost never double the speed of an a cappella, why the key of a track is so important, and how to constructively use your time outside of the studio. Tracks discussed: Fine Day, Ready To Fly, Secrets LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Evolve' here EMI, Universal Music Operations Limited Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Sonorous PaulXStretch Oszillos Mega Scope Xfer LFO Tool Thermionic Culture Vulture Emulation Clariphonic DSP MkII Korg M1 Piano VST Valhalla Shimmer Celemony Melodyne Akaizer Spitfire Strings Xfer Serum ROMpler Instrument Reese Bass Roland Juno 60 Shure SM58 Neumann U87 Apple AirPods Max Cubase Ableton OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Videographer - Andy Tindall Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John catches up with the mastermind behind Temps, James Acaster, at Strongroom Studios, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘PARTY GATOR PURGATORY'. Reflecting on the genesis of Temps, James talks us through the initial moments of creation, from recording and chopping up his drums from an unaired mockumentary, through to his selection of almost 40 collaborators and how they each steered the music in such unexpected directions. As well as stories of field recording and Pokemon catching on Brighton beach, we hear thoughts on the differences and crossover points between creating as a standup comedian and as a musician, discussing failure, taste, and the importance of considering your audience. Listen to find out, why embracing deliberate imperfection can yield surprising results, how metal drums can transform into an emotional waltz, and why, on whatever project, the most important thing is that you love it. Tracks discussed: lookaliveandplaydead, at(moves), slowreturn LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Thanks to Strongroom Studios for having us! Instagram Twitter Listen to ‘PARTY GATOR PURGATORY' here. Bella Union Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Logic Pro X Garageband Yeti Microphone OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Videographer - Andy Tindall Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to Highnote for supporting this episode of Tape Notes. Highnote is the best way to share, store, and discuss your recording projects, a kind of bespoke Dropbox for audio specifically built for communication. Think time-stamped voice comments directly over your audio, nesting versions to toggle and compare in real time, and instant notifications when people comment or listen to a track you've shared. Highnote accounts are completely free and include 4 gigabytes of storage to get your started, plus there's a special offer for Tape Notes listeners of 3 months of their 200GB plan for free. Head to highnote.fm/tapenotes to find out more. ------- In this episode, John ventures over to Clapton to join James Ellis Ford and talk about how he wrote, recorded, and produced the album ‘The Hum'. His debut solo release after almost two decades working with some of the world's biggest artists, James looks back on how his approach to music has changed over the course of the album, reflecting on the different mindsets and decisions that come with producing his own work compared to that of others. As well as a deep dive into his vast studio setup and hybrid system of new and old creative techniques, we're treated to thoughts on the fine line of ironing out the humanness of mistakes, and how more often than not, pieces of gear can give you back ideas that you'd never have expected. Listen to find out which undiscovered mics are used across almost all of the records he works on, how to implement a Frippertronics-style tape setup, and what you can create when you push a bass clarinet to its limits. Tracks discussed: I Never Wanted Anything, Squeaky Wheel, The Yips LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘The Hum' here. Warp Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS FabFilter Pro Q Soundtoys PrimalTap Soundtoys DevilLoc UAD Fairchild Plugins UAD 1176 UAD LA2A K-Devices Plugins ARP 2600 Cirklon Sequencer Roland TR-808 Korg Maxi-Korg Synth Hohner Clavinet Philicorda Beezneez Microphones Melodium Ribbon Mic Shure SM7B Gibson ES-125 Guitar Burns Bass Ebow Mutron Auto Wah Mutron Phasor Eventide H3000 Chorus Space Station Reverb Grampian Spring Reverb MicMix Master Room Reverb MR-II Selmer 60s Fuzz Altec Preamp Tascam 4TRK J37 Tape Machine Nagra Tape Machine Studer Desk OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Videographer - Andy Tindall Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John links up with Thomas Wesley Pentz, aka Wes aka Diplo, to talk about his work under various guises with Major Lazer, Sia and as Thomas Wesley. With on-going exploration of far reaching and cross-cultural mashups at the centre of his approach, Wes reflects on how working with so many specialists from across the globe has helped him forge a diverse sound and career. Breaking apart three songs, Wes shares his thoughts on the considerations and care that have to be taken when sampling a ‘classic' South African song, the gatekeeping in Country music and why new sounds are emerging around the genre, and the weird and wild things that Sia often gravitates towards in a song. Listen to find out the specific rules of Amapiano, some of the elements that are essential to any pop song, and why it's important to fail a lot. Tracks discussed: Mamgobhozi (Major Lazer), Wasted (Thomas Wesley), Elastic Heart (Sia) LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Piano Republik' here. Because Music Listen to ‘Wasted' here. Mad Decent, Columbia, Sony Listen to ‘Elastic Heart' here. RCA Records, Sony Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Fab Filter Plugins Serum Synth Synplant Celemony Melodyne Serato Sampler Native Instruments Massive Algoriddim Neural Mix Output Arcade Shure Mics Teenage Engineering OP1 Operator Synth Roland TB-303 Akai MPC3000 Whurlitzer Ableton Mellotron Preset Ableton Sampler Ableton Magix Sound Forge Cool Edit Pro Logic Pro Splice OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode John catches up with Benny Sings and producer Kenny Beats to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Young Hearts'. Linking in from their studios in Amsterdam and LA, Benny and Kenny look back on their time spent writing and how each environment had an impact on the music. From experiencing the ‘Kenny Beats Thing' in LA along with his wealth of collaborators, to spending a solitary week writing in Amsterdam locked in the studio with Covid. As well as sharing the voice notes that initially inspired Kenny to become involved in the project, the duo dig deep into the lessons they've picked up over the years. We're treated to some tips and tricks behind effortless lyric writing, stock plugin gold, along with a deep dive into mixing and balancing drums and bass. Listen to find out how to create definition between yourself and a character within a song, how to efficiently keep track of all your sessions, and what the definitive definition of ‘slap' is. Tracks discussed: Young Hearts, Pyjamas, Distance LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Young Hearts' here. Stones Throw Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Fab Filter Pro Q3 Oek Sound Soothe Valhalla Chorus Goodhertz Midside Goodhertz Vulf Compressor Eventide Instant Phaser Plugin Eventide Instant Phaser Outboard Oliver Samples Packs Beyerdynamic M500 Mic Altec Outboard Mixer Roland TR-55 Rhythm King Drum Machine Yamaha CP-70 Hofner Club 50 Stylophone Whurlitzer Ableton Ableton Drum Buss - Stock Plugin Splice OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate Or you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns. KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
In this episode, John catches up with Orlando Higginbottom, better known as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs or T.E.E.D, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘When The Lights Go'. Digging into the record almost 10 years in the making, Orlando talks us through his process of sorting through the piles of musical material he has created over the last decade, and how he developed each idea into a cohesive album. As well as sharing production tips on vocal layering and utilising field recordings (notably coyote barks), Orlando reflects on his musical upbringing, discussing how the somewhat unattainable standards in classical music have impacted his work as an electronic producer. Listen to find out why you should commit sounds when they are 75% right, how lyrics can be such a different commitment to a song, and why Orlando tried to create a U2 album without ever hearing U2. Tracks discussed: Crosswalk, The Sleeper, Thugs LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘When The Lights Go' here. Nice Age Music Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Microshift TAL-U-NO-LX Synth Arturia Farfisa Plugin ToneBoosters Reelbus XFER OTT (Free) Celemony Melodyne Korg Minilogue Korg PolySix Plugin Boss Delay Pedal Shure SM7B Warm Audio Microphones Sequential OB-6 Sequential Prophet 8 Yamaha CP-80 Fairlight CMI Buchla Synth Fender Rhodes Spitfire Audio Labs Strings OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes Patreon To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Thanks to SoundBetter for supporting this episode of Tape Notes. SoundBetter is the world's leading music production talent marketplace, giving you access to the best mixing & mastering engineers, singers, songwriters, producers, and studio musicians in the industry. You can work with Billie Eilish's drummer, U2's mix engineer, or hire the topliners that wrote on the latest BTS record, these pros are keen to work with Indy artists. Head to SoundBetter.com to find out more. In this episode, John ventures over to Hackney to catch up with Tom Odell and producer Laurie Blundell about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Best Day Of My Life'. As well as studio stories about the relationship between the voice and piano and the mindset needed when separating them, the duo share their thoughts on keeping the soul within songs, and the importance of musical authenticity in today's world. Listen to find out which DJing plugin became integral to their process, how Rick Rubin pretty much co-produced the album with inspirational quotes, and why a kick drum became the cause of the pair's biggest fall out. Tracks discussed: Best Day Of My Life, Just Another Thing We Don't Talk About, Flying :)) LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to ‘Best Day of My Life' here. UROK, mtheory Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Little Alterboy Soundtoys Crystallizer Soundtoys Effect Rack Serato Sampler Antares Autotune Valhalla Vintage Verb Sony C800 Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor Neve Preamp 1073 Coles 4038 Microphones How To Do Nothing - Jenny Odell UAD Pultec Passive EQ Steinway Pianos OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you'd like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We'd love to hear! Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :) Donate TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer Matt Purbrick - Production Assistant Guy Nicholls - Production Assistant Nathan Hetherington - PR Rebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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