Tape Notes

In this episode, John heads over to Jungle’s West London HQ to catch up with Josh Lloyd-Watson about how the band wrote, recorded and produced their latest record ‘Loving in Stereo’.Having written a lot of the album in their shed over the last two years, Josh takes us all the way back to the almost 30-minute demos, talking through the process of cherry-picking the best parts and forming the tracks as we know them.As well as sharing his thoughts on originality, natural creative flow and knowing when to stop, we hear stories of building samples, constantly layering vocals, and blending synths, guitars and orchestral elements into a singular unified sound.Listen to find out how to get as close to the cheesy line as possible, what happens when you combine a Ron Burgundy flute solo with Baker Street sax, and how to do a great siren impression. Tracks discussed: Keep Moving, All of the Time, Bonnie Hill LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Loving In Stereo’ here.‘Loving In Stereo’ - Caiola Records, AWAL Recordings LtdIntro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSMPC SamplerSequential Prophet 8Neumann U67Neumann U87Moog One MellotronSequential ProphetHow Music Works - David ByrneRoland RE-501 - Chorus EchoSoundtoys DecapitatorHammond OrganKemper Profiler RackProToolsLogic 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

In this episode, John links up with Dan and Wayne of Imagine Dragons to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their latest album 'Mercury - Act 1.Having spent almost three years writing almost 300 demos, Dan and Wayne look back on the process of whittling down the tracklist and forming the album, from capturing their ideas as quickly as possible, through to working with legendary producer Rick Rubin and deconstructing everything to its purest essence.As well as sharing their thoughts on creativity, songwriting and their life experiences in the world of music, the pair speak openly about the inspiration and meaning behind some of their most honest tracks to date, while also demonstrating how they let the subject of each song help define its production.Listen to find out why samples can sometimes work better than a live performance, how raw magic often is captured on a first take, and the wealth of instruments that Dan can create using only his mouth.Tracks discussed: Dull Knives, It’s Ok, Wrecked LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Mercury - Act 1’ here.‘Mercury - Act One’ - Interscope Records, KIDinaKORNER  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSAnalogue Design Black Box PluginApTriggaSoundtoys Devil-Loc TrackSpacer PluginFab Filter Pro-Q3MelodyneAntares Auto-TuneGoodhertz Wow Control UAD E SSL Channel StripValhalla ReverbsNative Instruments Guitar RigNative Instruments Drum Lab Native Instruments RickenbackerGibson Les PaulEbowVox AC30Marshall ShredMaster PedalShure SM57Royer MicrophoneNeumann U47Neumann U67Neve 1073Kemper Profiler RackFender TelecasterFender Princeton AmpRoland TR-808Ableton Tube AmpAbleton CompressorAbletonCakewalkLogic ProCubase 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 

Back in summer 2020, John headed over to The Church Studios to catch up with James Vincent McMorrow, Paul Epworth and Lil Silva to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced James’s album ‘Grapefruit Season’.Taking tracks from Dublin to London to LA and back, James talks us through the myriad of iterations the songs went through, exploring the different writing situations and how all of his collaborators had such varied musical impacts.Paul and TJ lend their producer expertise pulling out individual stems and breaking songs apart, as well as discussing their approaches towards bringing energy to the studio, and sharing thoughts on how production, sounds and songwriting are one and the same. Listen to find out about the lyric James spent all of his life waiting for, why Paul was such a terrible studio assistant and how a serendipitous ‘adapter’ hunt led to the trio’s partnership.Tracks discussed: Headlights, Gone, Paradise LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to 'Grapefruit Season' here.'Grapefruit Season' - Sony Music Entertainment UKIntro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSSequential OB6Moog OneMoog GrandmotherPaul's Big Modular MoogTeisco SynthXfer Serum SynthRoland TR-808Spectrasonics OmnisphereUniversal Audio Apollo TwinMellotron iZotope IrisFaith Saturn GuitarLinnDrumProToolsProTools Air Kill EQApple Mac 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  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 

In this episode, John returns to Pixel studios to chat with Maisie Peters and producer Joe Rubel about how they wrote, recorded and produced Maisie’s debut album ‘You Signed Up For This’.Going through their WhatsApp log of voice notes and ideas, Maisie and Joe look back on the chaotic methods of bringing an album together over lockdown, pulling apart how they carefully married Maisie’s original acoustic sound with more produced elements.Alongside the wealth of Joe’s production goodness, Maisie sheds some light on her lyric writing process, from the internal rhyming patterns and carefully considered syllables in her writing, to the subtle nods hidden throughout each track.Listen to find out why Maisie wouldn’t play instruments on her own songs, how to proceed after deciding it’s time to write a banger, and which part of a song you will now have to try and clap along to.Tracks discussed: You Signed Up For This, I’m Trying (Not Friends), Love Him I Don’t LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes   Listen to ‘You Signed Up For This’ here.‘You Signed Up For This’ - Warner Music, Asylum Records, Gingerbread Man Records Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSArturia Prophet V3 PluginRoland Juno 60  Binson Tape Machine LinnDrumSequential Prophet SpliceSpectrasonics KeyscapeShure SM7BAustrian Audio OC818Chandler Preamp Tube-Tech CL 1B CompressorNashville Guitar TuningMartin Guitars  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

In this episode we look back over Season 8 picking out a selection of highlights and some of the most memorable moments from 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, writing processes and all-round philosophies towards creating a record.    You’ll hear highlights from:  Royal Blood Girl In Red and Matias Tellez Rostam Dodie and Joe Rubel Johnny Flynn and Charlie Andrew Fred Again.. Easy Life and Rob Milton   LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES  https://linktr.ee/tapenotes    Listen to the albums featured this season with the links below. Royal Blood - ‘Typhoons’ Girl In Red and Matias Tellez - ‘if i could make it go quiet’ Rostam - ‘Changephobia’ Dodie and Joe Rubel - ‘Build a Problem’ Johnny Flynn and Charlie Andrew - ‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’ Fred Again.. - ‘Actual Life (April 14th – December 17th 2020)‘ Easy Life and Rob Milton - ‘Life's A Beach’   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 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  - http://www.tapenotes.co.uk    ‘Typhoons’ - Warner Records UK, Imperial Galactic Limited, Black Mammoth  ‘if i could make it go quiet’ - World In Red, AWAL Recordings ‘Changephobia’ - Matsor Projects ‘Build a Problem’ - doddleoddle, The Orchard ‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’ - Transgressive, Johnny Flynn ‘Actual Life (April 14th – December 17th 2020)’ - Warner Music UK Limited. An Atlantic Records UK, 2021 Fred Gibson ‘Life's A Beach’ - Universal Music, Island Records

In this episode, John is reunited with Murray Matravers from Easy Life and producer Rob Milton, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s debut album ‘Life’s A Beach'.From recording in and around lockdowns, in basements, bedrooms and studios, Murray and Rob reflect on the writing process, singling out the sounds, ideas and samples that encapsulate the meaning within the songs.As well as thoughts on retaining fun in the music and creating joke ideas, we hear stories of intentionally not wanting things to sound good, along with the not very Easy Life elements that are crucial to an Easy Life track.Listen to find out what to do when you’re stuck in garage MC mode, how many times Rob recorded the word ‘Skeletons’, and which synth line made Murray cry (and still does).Tracks discussed: skeletons, ocean view, homesickness LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Life’s A Beach’ here.‘Life’s A Beach’ - Universal Music, Island RecordsIntro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSShure SM7BNeumann M149Roland Juno 106Sequential Prophet Rev2Sequential Prophet 5Sequential Prophet 6Arturia Synth EmulatorsWaves J37 Tape Plugin 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  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

In this episode, John catches up with Fred Gibson, better known as Fred Again.., to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’.Having written and produced almost all of the album outside of the studio, Fred talks us through his recording and sampling process, digging into the ways in which each new environment helped shape the individual sound of each track.Fred enlightens us on the best bits about recording on an iPhone and why it’s so key to his writing process. We’re treated to stories of recreating the voice notes compressor in Logic, jamming along with tracks in the club and playback sessions in the pub.Listen to find out how a small change in harmony can completely reframe emotion, why mixing will never solve any song problems, and the best ways to fill time when you're not feeling inspired.Tracks discussed: Sabrina (I Am A Party), Me (Heavy), Angie (I’ve Been Lost) LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes   Listen to ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’ here. ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’ - Warner Music UK Limited. An Atlantic Records UK, 2021 Fred Gibson Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSSamplrMorph Plugin Logic - Silver Compressor Logic - Retro Synth Logic - Step FXAlbino SynthNative Instruments BatteryTeenage Engineering OP1 Shure SM7B Roland TR-808 Neumann U47 Yamaha NS10Zoom iPhone Mic 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  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

In this episode, John ventures up to The Old Workshop Studio to catch up with Johnny Flynn and producer Charlie Andrew about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’.From the summer walks with co-writer Robert Macfarlane to tracking the bones of the album in a solar-powered woodland cottage, Johnny recalls shaping the world of the record, combining both timeless sonics and the ancient stories that are relatable even today. Getting into the technical elements, Charlie pulls apart some of the detailed sounds and techniques used to enhance each song's energy. We hear stories of stairwell recording, unpredictable gear and creating rhythmic textures from everything except drums.Listen to find out why impatience in the studio is often a good thing, why Johnny had to make a last-minute Charango order, and the best way to shut your kids up when recording.Tracks discussed: Ferryman, Bonedigger, Ten Degrees of Strange LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’ here.‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’ - Transgressive, Johnny Flynn Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONS National Trojan Resonator GuitarFender P BassSpace EchoChorus EchoTape DelayVox AC30 AmpegRoland Juno 60MicroKorgRhodesProToolsLogic 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  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

In this episode John heads over to Pixel Studios to chat with Dodie and producer Joe Rubel about how the album ‘Build A Problem’ was written, recorded and produced.Unearthing Dodie’s first phone recordings made in her bedroom, the pair dig into the ways in which they preserved and developed her DIY/scrapbook sound in the studio. As well as lots of sumptuous album easter eggs, Joe indulges us in a multitude of audio tricks. We find out how they managed to flawlessly capture Dodie’s incredibly quiet, intimate vocals, as well as the sounds of windows, Tupperware, screaming and people's thighs.Listen to hear tales of mood-matching songs and lyrics (then the doing the opposite), how Dodie’s Instagram followers influenced a guitar tuning, and the effects of revisiting songs in different head spaces.Tracks discussed: Special Girl, Sorry, Before the Line LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Build a Problem’ here. ‘Build a Problem’ - doddleoddle, The Orchard Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSShure SM7BKemper Amps Thermionic Culture VultureTube-Tech CL 1B CompressorSibeliusAny Sponge 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  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

In this episode, John catches up with Rostam to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his new album ‘Changephobia’.Giving us a full tour, Rostam talks us through his incredibly varied songwriting processes, from demoing beats on a Japanese bullet train and jamming with the TV, to improvising parts in the studio and simply writing without his brain. Going in deep, we’re treated to beat constructions, reverb breakdowns and sax playing that is just all feel, all alongside the subtle sounds that completely transform the emotion in a track.Listen to find out which plugin changed the way he thinks about recording vocals, why clarity can sometimes completely destroy a vibe, and how to treat an addiction to groove.Tracks discussed: From The Back of a Cab, 4Runner, Starlight LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes  Listen to ‘Changephobia’ here. 'Changephobia’ - Matsor ProjectsIntro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective  GEAR MENTIONSMoog VoyagerKorg TridentSolaris SynthRoland Juno 60Line 6 PedalsELA M 251 MicAKG C414Eventide H3000Eventide Swell ReverbUAD Eventide H910 HarmoniserNeve BCM 10 Vari-Mu CompressorTube-Tech CL 1B CompressorNeve Preamp 500 Series 1073LBWaves CLA Vocal PluginUniversal Audio 1176 Compressor Valhalla ShimmerMcDSP M404 AbletonSibeliusProTools 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  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