Tape Notes

In this episode, John heads to Bristol to chat with Yard Act’s James, Sam and Ryan along with producer Ali Chant about how their debut album ‘The Overload’ was written, recorded and produced.Catching up after a big night on the Bristol stop of their tour, the band reflect on their process of bringing the album together, from solitary lockdown demos and recording over WhatsApp videos, to learning how to play the drums and the last minute additions after the tracks had been mastered.Sharing their experience of transforming what started as a side project into a successful band, we hear stories of giving, receiving and dealing with criticism, the prompts that encouraged several turning points in their writing style and the dangers of overthinking when working on individual parts.Listen to find out how to write vocals that are suitable for the neighbours, why it’s important to know the difference between congas and bongos, and what in songwriting is not too dissimilar to drawing a monster.Tracks discussed: The Overload, Land Of The Blind, 100% Endurance Listen to ‘The Overload’ here.‘The Overload’ - Island Records, Universal Music Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  GEAR MENTIONSKNAS Ekdahl Moisturizer Spring ReverbRoland TR8 Drum MachineVox Continental KeyboardWhurlitzer Philicorda OrganAMS Reverb Traynor Bass AmpG&L ASAT GuitarsFender JazzmasterFender Telecaster OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorHerbie Elton-Rowley - VideographerNathan Hetherington - PRRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing 

In this episode, John is joined by Dave, Donny and Jung from Gang of Youths to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s new album ‘Angel In Realtime’.Taking us on a global tour, the trio guides us through the wealth of sounds, people and places that had such a huge influence on the album, from London street ambience and the goings-on outside their studio window, to Pacific Island chants and the extraordinary samples that opened up a whole new sonic world for them.Alongside a look into their musical melting pot, we hear thoughts on criticism, hate and jealousy within music, as well as their attitudes towards cheesiness and embracing who you are and what you love. Listen to find out how to make a beat from a box of sultanas, why you sometimes might mistake Dave’s voice for a stoned Michael Buble, and how to create the illusion of something being simple - while still throwing 200 layers of tracks at it. Tracks discussed: You In Everything, Spirit Boy, Hand of God, Goal of the Century  Listen to ‘Angel In Realtime’ here.‘Angel In Realtime’ - Warner Music UK, Mosy Music LLP Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  GEAR MENTIONSShure SM7BShure SM57Shure SM58AKG MicsAEA R88 MicRode MicSony C37FET 47 MicRode Pin MicWarm AudioSpitfire Audio Plugins Spitfire Audio David FanshaweNative Instruments Una CordaNative Instruments KontaktUniversal Audio 6176Universal Audio PluginsSoundtoys Devil-LocSoundtoys PluginsIzotope Vocal Synth National Reso-Phonic GuitarsSpliceLogic Pro OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

In this episode, John ventures over to Alt-J’s band studio to chat with Joe, Gus and producer Charlie Andrew about how they wrote, recorded and produced their new album ‘The Dream’.Unearthing early demos and some very special voice notes, the trio look back on forming the sonic world encapsulated within the record, reflecting on the importance of their individual roles within the writing process along with the fundamental stories behind each track.From serendipitous church bells to missions of sneaking in old album references, we hear about the intricacies of the kit key to the band’s sound, as well as the little details within each track you won't discover on a first listen.Listen to find out why Mexican Coke tastes better than American Coke, what a sausage bassoon is, and how to get the best results when recording next to a dance class and a polling station.Tracks discussed: Bane, The Actor, Get Better Listen to ‘The Dream’ here.‘The Dream’ - Infectious Music, BMG Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  GEAR MENTIONSVox AC30Electro Harmonix POG PedalCasio CasiotoneLarrivee PO-5Roland RE-20 Space EchoNeumann U87Neumann TLM 103 OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

In this episode, John heads over to Bastille’s West London HQ to catch up with Dan Smith and producer Mark Crew about how the band wrote, recorded and produced their latest album ‘Give Me The Future’.Having written most of the tracks in remote lockdown sessions, Dan takes us all the way back through his initial ideas and the random voice notes of inspiration that came to him at the most unexpected times.As well as sharing their thoughts on the challenges that come with writing a sci-fi concept album and blending them with the usual Bastille ‘bread and butter’, the pair pull apart the intricate production techniques they used in an attempt to recreate the musical characteristics of the 80s.Listen to find out how the band’s touring crew ended up recording BVs, what is and isn’t considered tasteful when mixing in Dolby Atmos, and what genres are generally pretty dangerous to let a bassist loose on. Tracks discussed: Thelma + Louise, Back To The Future, Future Holds LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Give Me The Future’ here.‘Give Me The Future’ - EMI/Virgin Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONSTeenage Engineering OP1LinnDrum Roland Juno MoogAntares Auto-TuneAntares Harmony EngineSoundtoys Alter BoySugar Bytes Effectrix PluginTAL-Chorus-LXUniversal Audio LA-610Telefunken AK-47Dolby AtmosSpliceLogic Pro OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

Find out more about Tape It and redeem 50% off any Pro plan - tape.it/tapenotes------------------------------Welcome to part two of the Best Of Season 9. We pick up where we left off, looking back and pulling out our selection of highlights and memorable moments from the season. If you haven’t heard every episode from season 9, this is a good way to introduce yourself to more of the guests we’ve had on and hear some of their top studio tips, unique writing processes, along with the thoughts and philosophies that shape their musical worlds. You’ll hear highlights from: CHVRCHESOrla Gartland with Tom StaffordCourtney Barnett & Stella MozgawaJon HopkinsChet FakerHiatus Kaiyote Listen to the albums featured this season with the links below.CHVRCHES - ‘Screen Violence’Orla Gartland - ‘Woman on the Internet’Courtney Barnett - ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’Jon Hopkins - ‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’Chet Faker - ‘Hotel Surrender’Hiatus Kaiyote - ‘Mood Valiant’ INTRO MUSICSunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 - http://www.tapenotes.co.uk  ‘Screen Violence’ - EMI, Virgin Records‘Woman on the Internet’ - New Friends Music‘Things Take Time, Take Time’ - Marathon Artists‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’ - Domino Recordings‘Hotel Surrender’ - Detail Records, BMG (Australia)‘Mood Valiant’ - Brainfeeder TAPE NOTES TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

Season 9 has been so full of amazing albums that we’ve decided to split this Best Of into two parts. Welcome to Part One!In this episode, we look back across the season picking out a selection of highlights from our conversations with the artists and producers we were lucky enough to speak to.If you haven’t heard every episode from the last season, this is a good way to introduce yourself to some of the guests we’ve had on and hear some of their top studio tips, unique writing processes, along with the thoughts and philosophies that shape their musical worlds. You’ll hear highlights from: Maisie Peters & Joe RubelJames Vincent McMorrow with Paul Epworth & Lil SilvaImagine DragonsJungleMr Jukes & Barney ArtistFrank Carter & the Rattlesnakes Listen to the albums featured this season with the links below.Maisie Peters - ‘You Signed Up For This’ James Vincent McMorrow - ‘Grapefruit Season’ Imagine Dragons - ‘Mercury - Act 1’Jungle - ‘Loving In Stereo’Mr Jukes & Barney Artist - ‘The Locket’ Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes - ‘Sticky’ INTRO MUSICSunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 - http://www.tapenotes.co.uk  ‘You Signed Up For This’ - Warner Music, Asylum Records, Gingerbread Man Records 'Grapefruit Season' - Sony Music Entertainment UK‘Mercury - Act One’ - Interscope Records, KIDinaKORNER ‘Loving In Stereo’ - Caiola Records, AWAL Recordings Ltd‘The Locket’ - Locket Records, Virgin Music‘Sticky’ - International Death Cult, AWAL Recordings Ltd TAPE NOTES TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

In this episode, John links up with Simon, Perrin and Bender of Hiatus Kaiyote, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Mood Valiant’.Having written the album across the globe, from Rio De Janeiro to Byron Bay, the trio reflect on the development of their writing process, discussing how the effects of taking road-hardened demos to South America pushed their creativity into unfamiliar territory.Unearthing some unheard recordings dating back to the mid-2010s, we are given a rundown of some of the key moments of the band’s career, along with an in-depth look at some of the joys that come with getting things down on wonky quarter-inch tape and rekindling a friendship with an honorary fifth member, the Korg VC-10.Listen to find out how to tackle shin cramps whilst playing a Steinway piano in a session, what happens when you combine delicate Colombian flutes with challenging rhythmic danceable beats, and how much the band enjoys the compression of audio on an Instagram story. Tracks discussed: Rose Water, All The Words We Don’t Say, Get Sun Listen to ‘Mood Valiant’ here.‘Mood Valiant’ - Brainfeeder Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  GEAR MENTIONSKorg VC10Korg Kronos Korg MonoPolyNeve 1073 Channel StripRoland JX-8P Roland Space Echo 201 Roland Space Echo 301Roland Space Echo 501 Roland Space Echo 555Neumann MicsCarvin PA/Mixer OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

In this episode, John links up with Chet Faker aka Nick Murphy, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Hotel Surrender’.Diving into the tracks initially found within one of his numerous demo playlists, Nick looks back on his variety of music making processes, sharing thoughts on slingshotting around different creative mediums and maximising inspiration.From scrapbooking and self-sampling to a great deal of file management, we’re treated to stories of productivity-inducing gear limitations and tricks to get strange harmonic options, all alongside advice on putting music out, taking criticism and simply being the best you can be. Listen to find out how many cowboy monologues were recorded for the album, why you shouldn’t rollerblade in music videos, and how to appropriately react when you’re given Ableton and not Acid Loop Pro.  Tracks discussed: Oh Me Oh My, Low, Feel Good  Listen to ‘Hotel Surrender’ here.‘Hotel Surrender’ - Detail Records, BMG (Australia) Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes GEAR MENTIONSWaves Doppler PluginSoundtoys Little PlateNovation SL SynthKorg Kaoss PadRoland CR-8000Elka SynthexAkai MPC Live IINeumann U87Electret MicrophoneAPI PreampElektron Analog HeatBricasti M7 ReverbFender TelecasterRhodesMoogNeve DeskAcid Loop ProAbleton OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

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 is joined by Jon Hopkins at Iguana Studios to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his latest album ‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’.Engaging us in the album’s immersive journey, Jon talks us through the spaces and natural processing that shaped the sound of the record, from the depths of an Ecuadorian Cave to the vintage synths recorded in the woods.Unearthing the individual parts and gradual sonic changes, we hear Jon's outlook on following intuition, responding to ‘bolt of lightning’ ideas and insane bursts of creativity, all tied together with thoughts on consciousness and the links between sound and mind.Listen to find out how a cheap plugin fault ended up creating the perfect sound, why it is so important to create interest in different frequency groups, and what moment was inspired by a scene from Crocodile Dundee Two.Tracks discussed: Welcome, Love Flows Over Us In Prismatic Waves, Deep In the Glowing Heart  Listen to ‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’ here.‘Music For Psychedelic Therapy’ - Domino Recordings Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  GEAR MENTIONSMichael Pollan - This Is Your Mind On PlantsBose SoundlinkJBL SpeakersMoog OneKorg Trinity Ensoniq Fizmo Oktava MicrophonesAPI PreampSoundtoys EchoboyAudio Ease AltiverbWaves Renaissance Reverb PluginWaves PuigTec EQYamaha Upright PianoAbleton Ableton Vocoder OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PRAlex Nixon - Assistant

In this episode, John links up with Courtney Barnett and producer Stella Mozgawa to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Courtney’s album ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’.Ready with the keys to Courtney’s archive of sofa voice notes and Garageband demos, the pair talk us through the entire album process, from their most valuable moments within pre-production, to the hours in the studio where they had to check if they were losing their minds.Sharing the secrets of the sonics, we hear stories of creating cavernous brass sounds using only a guitar and making fake shakers out of drums, all of which are set alongside the eternal loops sourced from the depths of Stella’s drum machine collection.Listen to find out how to trick yourself into doing the perfect vocal take, what the best state of mind is to help get ideas flowing, and why producing is far from being a dark art. Tracks discussed: Turning Green, Here’s The Thing, Oh The Night Listen to ‘Things Take Time, Take Time’ here.‘Things Take Time, Take Time’ - Marathon Artists Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes GEAR MENTIONS Roland TR-606 Roland TR-707Elektron Analog Rhythm MXR Drum ComputerRoland TR-8SRoland CR-8000 Ace Tone Drum Machine FunkBox Drum MachineMPC SamplerEventide H3000Eventide H910Soundtoys Alter BoyShure SM7BShure SM57Korg MinilogueMaton Acoustic GuitarOmnichord Nylon String Guitar (From Mannys Music)KRK Studio MonitorsLeslie Speaker Studer 24-inch Tape MachineGaragebandProToolsAbleton OUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear  HELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf 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 DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesTo 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 TEAMWill Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & EditorTim Adam-Smith - Executive ProducerWill Lyons - EditorRebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing Nathan Hetherington - PR