hanging out with audiophiles - hanging out with audiophiles

View Top 200 Chart

Back to Rankings Page

Music
**hanging out with audiophiles – hanging out with audiophiles**

My name is Jamie Lidell and I’m gonna delve into the heady magic of creating music in a modern studio, probe the depths of production, get tech crazy with mixing tricks, studio skills and equipment. I’ll be joined by fellow musicians, engineers and all-round audiophiles who kindly share their tips, stories and ingenious insight from the bizarre world of music production. I shall answer questions and seek knowledge from other music makers on a quest to discover how to make things sound RIGHT. I will also share some studio trickery on each episode as I explore some of my favourite innovations in music tech and my creations… outpourings from the weirdo brain! Welcome to a place for musicians, producers and listeners alike as we “cheers” our love of everything audio.

Latest Episodes:

HOWA EP54 - JUSTIN STANLEY Sep 16, 2019

Show notes

Ello

This is the commonwealth edition.

Like the Ashes of Audio it’s UK vs Australia.

Justin Stanley FINALLY finds his way to the pod.

First and foremost Mr Stanley is my friend. We’ve been on some serious adventures in our times.

We were on the road together in 2006, where we met touring with Beck.

I was opening and J.S. was in the Beck band and KILLING. Also he happens to be a prince of man.

A TRUE legend. A humble badass and a VERY experienced audio king.

He’s worked with everyone from Leonard Cohen to Prince and even a little Lidell along the way.

Husband of the wonderful Nikka Costa and Dad to two incredible young humans, Justin is just a joy.

So happy to have him on.

He surprised me by driving us both over to Barefoot in LA. It’s owned by Eric Valentine. WHAT a place.

We sat and played on the piano Stevie used on Songs in the Key of Life, Talking Book and so on.

I mean COME ON!

It was all too much. Such a sweet surprise that’ll stay with me for ages.

Here’s to you Justin! You’re a class act.

_____________________________________

Music for the show is from Sydney Australia.. so apt. It was clearly meant to be.

The band is called Colourfields. And the tracks that appear in the show are from an album called “Body Objects”

Superb stuff!

Link here:

https://colourfields1.bandcamp.com/album/body-objects

____________________________________

In the 54th Nitty I get into the mysterious world of reversing reversed effects.

Forwarding the backward.

A little time travel. Also apt for this show with Justin.

Here we go!

HOWA EP53 - BRAD COOK Sep 02, 2019

Show notes

HOWA EP 53 - BRAD COOK

I was listening to Larry Klein on a recent mix with the masters explain this idea that a producer is someone that sees the spark of uniqueness in an artist and tries to amplify that.

That is a noble process and so nuanced that it takes years to know when to speak, when to encourage, when to call it a night, when to listen and so on.

Brad knows aaaallll about aaaallll of this !

He’s an excellent energy in the room and so many musicians can benefit from his touch.

I’ve only been privy to his vibe in a session on two occasions but his presence is both large and also magically effortless.

I think it’s the fact that you know he gets it. He knows a real moment and he’s in it for the depth, not the racking up of medals and the shallow status games.

The first time I met him, he was rather high and laughing at a bass. It was a gathering with Justin Vernon (aka Bon Iver) and a large crew of players in Nashville where I ended up shouting into a mic with the other members of the collective they call “Gangs” . That first meeting was a great hang but there was no time to chat and so I was super happy to bump into him again on my mystical trip to the sonic ranch in Texas. Turns out that’s where a lot of the latest Bon Iver record was made and Brad was there the whole time as producer so it only seemed right to jump into that story and to see what that was all about and to feel out the ways Brad has learned to listen and cultivate the fledgling music growing in the room. He’s a formidable musician and a very easy going chap. I loved chatting with him!

Please welcome to the show BRAD COOK!

_______________________________

In the nitty I gently roll the dice on music asking what probability can offer the sequencer?

Take a chance!

_______________________________

Music for Ep 53 comes from Jeremy Hunter aka Doxa

Check his music here:

https://doxadoxa.bandcamp.com

Welcome!

HOWA EP 52 - RJD2 Aug 19, 2019

Show notes

RJD2 lives in Ohio!

That was NEWS to me

I often find myself there for family occasions since my in laws live in Columbus.

I never knew. I mean I would NEVER have guessed but isn’t that always the best somehow?

Plus have you EVER met a man named Ramble?

So many firsts on the 52 :)

Welcome!

let us delve into schmod cast!

______________________________

First off I’d like to invite you to invite to take part in a competition to win a badass Radial EXTC SA.

Yes the kind folks at Radial Engineering are running a giveaway to a random player so jump in and WIN this thing :)

Here’s the info you need!

Click this (before September 15th 2019)

http://bit.ly/2MRRUd1

WINNNNNN!!!!

______________________________

I’d like to thanks Rob Hurd for the music you’ll find on the show.

It’s all from an EP called “Digital”

Here’s the bandcamp link if you dig the mood!

https://speckofdust.bandcamp.com/album/digital

______________________________

In the nitty I try to make a digital nakamichi with plugins

do I win?

Spoiler :

We ALL win!

HOWA EP 51 - JOHN VANDERSLICE Aug 05, 2019

Show notes

Hello!

It’s Jamie and John in Echo Park time :)

Yeah, I sat in my Air B and B and chatted with Mr Vanderslice on Feb 4th 2019. What a treat.

I’d met him years before in Australia but I’d completely forgotten

I was reminded of that by him during the interview which could have potentially been embarrassing …

But John is not that guy. No no no

He has a delightfully animated persona, running on 100 the whole time and there’s lots of honesty and enthusiasm that hits you like a vinagerette. A lot of f bombs too so those with sensitive ears get ready to panic!

Who is J.V.??

Well…for one thing, he’s been at it as long as I have!

Potted history:

Part of the MK Ultra

a waiter at Chez Panisse

owner and provider of studio magic at Tiny Telephone Studios in the Bay Area AND he is incredibly prolific.

John’s worked with Spoon, the Mountain Goats, Okkervil River, Death Cab for Cutie, Tune-Yards and hundreds (maybe thousands more!)

We get into chatting about tour life a little in pod and he tells me of the living room show thing.

I’d not heard of that but was intrigued to say the least. Luckily enough, a few months after this chat I got to see him do his thing in a house just up the road from me.

He was such brilliant entertainer. He’s been through a lot and has come out of it all a generous and energized soul and it was a treat to see him holding court in a little house show.

Just rocking. Welcome to the show Mr Vanderslice!

Nitty Gritty this time sees me delving into some Raymond Scott inspired noodles.

I must say it sounds nothing like his work but the simple point of it was to explore the idea of pitting slow moving melodic motion against a faster trigger source.

It’s such a simple premise and it leads to more questions like “what happens if you cluster sequencers as a big blob and transpose them all?”

That’s a very Raymond move!

TIP:

On my humble dives into modular I have to shout out http://www.mylarmelodies.com and Div Kid

https://www.youtube.com/user/DivKidVideo/videos

So much useful stuff these 2 have shared. There’s a lot to learn.

Hat’s off you guys!

Music for the show comes from Leo Appleyard aka Urchin

Lovely stuff :)

http://www.urchinband.com

https://www.instagram.com/urchinmusic/

https://open.spotify.com/artist/5YPbtEypUwxOJrt9OpbicE

Cheerio

c u in a Bi-week!!!

HOWA EP50 - Adrian Quesada Jul 22, 2019

Show notes

I’m happy to welcome grammy award winning musician/producer Adrian Quesada to the 50th Episode of the show!

Let’s just jump into the big list of collaborators he’s rocked with to get a quick taste of the caliber of this gent!

How about Shawn Lee?! Yeah! as well as Ocote Soul Sounds, Martin Perna of Antibalas… so so many more

He’s performed on the Late Show with David Letterman as well as twice on PBS' historic Austin City Limits TV Show.

He has also worked with Prince, GZA (Wu-Tang Clan), Bernie Worrell, Daniel Johnston, Israel Nash, Alex Maas (The Black Angels), Larry Harlow, Quantic and many more.

As a producer Quesada has worked on albums by Daniel Johnston, The Sword, Natalia Clavier, Karl Denson, Toy Selectah, Wild Child, Graham Reynolds and Ian Moore, among others.

I mean that’s not the HALF of it!

We catch up as he’s deep in the mix at his superb Austin based studio, Electric Deluxe Recorders.

He’s coming out for an air break so we literally hear a rare sonic glimpse of the local wildlife outside the cave where he is working feverishly at all times…

That smell? Yeah he’s likely cooking up amazing musical morsels like the NEW! HOT! release from the Black Pumas which is the focus of our chat!

So yes, we’ve a Super humble badass in the hotchair

Hey Adrian! I’m 50!

Info Splash time:

web: electricdeluxerecorders.com

tw: @adrianmquesada

theblackpumas.com

Nitty sees me trying to “music” with filters.

6 filters and a smile :)

The music for the show comes courtesy of Kim Gaboury

Find all the info about him here:

KIM GABOURY

kimgaboury.com

—

aka AKIDO

akidomusic.com

—

HOWA EP49 - BINK BEATS Jul 08, 2019

Show notes

Hello !

Greetings from the SONIC RANCH in El Paso!

Woe. I’m in another world right now

Massive thanks to Dave Sitek for inviting me out into space.

I’m blown away. The people here are so great and the studios are just absolutely bonkers.

Most importantly it’s a totally secluded zone. The head expands.

Almost as many cats as people and WAY more pecan trees!

Welcome to Episode 49.

I met this Frank (Bink Beats) when we did a show together in Amsterdam recently.

I was sitting in with him on a couple of songs. Side note : one of the numbers we did is a new track that I hope finds the light of day!

We had a pretty hectic day of practice in the venue followed by show but nevertheless we snuck in a quick chat.

Frank is a serious badass. A player of a million objects and a hell of a signer to boot.

Great to have him on :)

In the nitty I explore the sonic ranch’s amps a little and send all sorts of stuff into speakers.

Some shall be spinning and some just spaced and weird. Check it!

Music for EP 49 comes from Evan Geesman.

Good stuff!

https://evangeesman.bandcamp.com/album/mattress-money

HOWA EP48 - AMON TOBIN Jun 24, 2019

Show notes

Hello Amȯn Tȯbin!

He was Born in Brazil, but as you can hear from this interview he’s got a distinctively English twang having spent yonks in the UK.

I don’t want to give away the details of the chap’s timeline just yet as we get into all of that in this FaceTime chin wag.

Might I say at this point though that I feel mightily chuffed to have Amon on the show.

He’s truly one of the outstanding living talents in Electronic music and that’s really not an overstatement.

He’s made a stack of cracking albums for London label 9Bar Records and of course the marvelous Ninja Tune. A relationship that kicked off way back in 1996.

The boy doesn’t stop!

Now he’s busy as ever with his own label Nomark.

He’s got hard drives and aliases up the wazoo and he’s making crazy shit every day and by the sounds of things a lot of new music is coming soon.

The man has a masterful grasp of sound collage, from the wildest found sound and manipulated field recordings to the risky dark lands of additive synthesis and into modular madness.

He’s always managed to present his sound to the world on the stage without falling into the usual cliched confines of the club.

He’s performed at many a prestigious venue, such as the birthplace of musique concrete, the GRM in Paris.

In 2011 he seriously raised the bar on audio visual combos with the dazzling ISAM show.

When that footage started circulating I remember spitting out my coffee.

It’s STILL one of the most incredible things to witness on the interwebs as a realization of potent audio visual immersions. A true SHOW.

He also produced several original scores, ranging from the cult film Taxidermia to the video game blockbuster Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory

Constantly shifting and constantly inspiring. Please welcome the show one of the most visionary electronic artists of his generation

Amȯn Tȯbin

In the nitty I get into the murky world of pitch tracking guitars and seeing if there’s any juicy noise to be had chucking the axe thro the modular.

Yeah… it’s a wobbly affair!

Good to be back :)

Cheers y’all

_______________________

Music for the show comes from Brad Swanson aka “The Transparency”

Here’s the LP from which I removed and edits some pod snips. Good stuff!

It’s called aptly “It might get dark”

check it out:

https://thetransparency.bandcamp.com/album/it-might-get-dark

HOWA EP47 - ARIEL RECHTSHAID Jun 10, 2019

Show notes

47 brings the bonkers talent that is Ariel Rechtshaid!

He’s had an incredible run of success with artists like Adele, Usher and of course Vampire Weekend (to name but three from a list of hundreds!)

This interview was conduced slightly before Vampire Weekend put out “Father of the Bride” to much critical and chart joy. We got to chatting about that process and how

they’ve become very solid friends over the years. The music they make comes from a deep trust and adventurous spirit which is something of a common thread in the stories you’ll hear on this pod.

Ariel’s got a strong point of view but a humble demeanor. He’s a true lover of many genres of music and can wear many hats: Playing, tracking, mixing and producing at a top level.

A seriously hard working chap, he’s the real deal and I’m really chuffed to have him on the show.

He gave up a couple of hours to me to have me ramble with him at his spot in silver lake and it was a trip to hear it all from the horse’s mouth!

Cheers Ariel!

______________________________________

Nitty this time sees me dipping a toe into the poly rhythmic bath thanks to the max4live handiwork of

benniy c bascom and his excellent POLYRHYTHMUS patch!

I explore 3 very simple examples.

2:3:6 with a CR78

3:4:12 with the 707 and

3:5:15 with a marimba

Find the max for live patch here:

http://www.maxforlive.com/library/device/2431/polyrhythmus-a-modular-euclidean-rhythm-builder

How to here: (benniy is AWESOME!)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTgSgTGoBLc

______________________________________

Music for the show comes once again courtesy of good glued barometer aka Lee Beaumont!

Find his music here at his bandcamp page:

https://goodgluedbarometer.bandcamp.com

______________________________________

This episode’s sponsor is winter-modular

http://winter-modular.com

Makers of the very fine sequencing machine called the “Eloquencer”

A powerful and intuitive machine for use with in the eurorack domain and NOW

In the wide word of MIDI thanks to the EME expansion unit.

Seriously badass machine and a great choice for anyone wanting to step away from the computer to make music.

I love mine. It’s really a choice box!

HOWA 46 - EMILY WRIGHT May 29, 2019

Show notes

So I was introduced to Emily at an Ableton event here in Nashville and we were chatting about some pretty specific protools stuff.

Something insane about how she needed to have a flightcase for an old Mac Pro to do her job. It was all very unusual. I had no idea who I was talking to tbh. But I could tell she had a WAY of doing things.

Turns out she’s one of the biggest vocal producers working!

No big deal. She’s recorded and produced for folks like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Miley Cyrus, Jessie J, Flo Rida, Kelly Clarkson and WAY more.

In 2010, Emily began work on Katy Perry's Teenage Dream as an engineer.

She also engineered eight songs and co-wrote one song ("Gasoline") on Britney Spears' Femme Fatale (not to mention her work on Circus, Pretty Girls and Britney Jean)

So it turns out she’s seen and heard a LOT of craziness at a very high level. We are talking about top tier pop recording. I’ve never chatted with someone who’s been in this particular line of work so it was ace just trying to work out how it really happens. How are those Britney and Katy Perry vocals really tracked?

A modern master with the Digi scissors who has literally cut together the stories of a big slice of modern pop.

Please welcome to the pod, Emily Wright!!!

______________________________________

In the nitty I get into the world of altered drones

Taking on a stack of tasty tones from a rare encounter with a CS80 I try to build a little something with them

______________________________________

Sponsors for today are in duality!

Hearty thanks to

https://bastl-instruments.com

Makers of naughty, powerful and sometimes dark machines!

And to

http://www.steadystatefate.com

Who’ve made a large range of modules including the new and rather tasty STEREO DIPOLE filter

I feel very lucky to have such cool companies get on board!

A special shout out also to Jim at

https://modularaddict.com

He’s helped me so much trying to navigate the huge world of bloops!

HOWA EP45 - LEE FIELDS AND LEON MICHELS May 13, 2019

Show notes

Whether or not you know the full, hard history of Lee Fields, I think 50 years into his music career, 10 years since he found the Expressions, and nearly 7 decades of a life that began in Civil Rights-era North Carolina make 2019 a prime time to celebrate "the coolest motherf***er to sing words into a microphone" (Vice). Across dozens of record labels, countless periods of defeat, and stretches of near-retirement, Lee jumpstarted the legacy of Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, laid the groove for songs by Travis Scott and J Cole, and - with April 5th album It Rains Love (Big Crown) - will affirm his position as the new, benevolent standard of soul.

On Episode 45 of HOWA, I feel very lucky to had a (rather scratchy sounding) phone chat with both Lee and producer Leon Michels (Lana Del Rey, Adele, Beyoncé & Jay Z) on how they've spent the past 20 years or so together, crossing analog and digital mediums, multiple generations of tape saturation, and six consecutive hours of vocal takes at a time to get this music to our ears. 20 years?!?!?

Here’s a link to the album!

https://bigcrownrecords.com/store/it-rains-love/

______________________________________

In this show I take a hint from the Episode number hitting 45 and start cutting into some wax.

New life to old 45s in the nitty. Just rerun that runout groove!

Grab a knife, sandpaper and a record or 2:) cut to reveal hidden funk.

_____________________________________

Music for 45 comes from Lee Beaumont :)

I got these tracks ages ago. Sorry it took me so long to feature them. In fact since then he’s been getting busy and there’s plenty of new stuff to be found. Check this here link:

https://goodgluedbarometer.bandcamp.com

_____________________________________

Sponsorship for the show comes courtesy of the wondrous digital minds at Valhalla DSP!

I’m thrilled to be able to have them on board as I’m such a fan of all their stuff and the JUST released the new DELAY plugin and it’s bonkers

Totally brilliant!!

https://valhalladsp.com