Tape Notes

Listen to 'Djesse Vol. 1' here.

Listen to 'Djesse Vol. 2' here.

Listen to 'Djesse Vol. 3' here.

'Djesse Vol. 1, 2 & 3' - Hajanga Records, Geffen Records/Decca, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited

GEAR MENTIONS

Kiii 3 Speakers

Shure SM7B

Shure SM58

XLN Audio RC-20 Plugin

XFER Records LFO Tool

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Native Instruments Battery

Logic Pro

Kontakt

OUR GEAR

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

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KEEP UP TO DATE

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TN:55 Biffy Clyro & Rich Costey Nov 04, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil and producer Rich Costey to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘A Celebration of Endings’.

Armed with the very first demos and ‘work-in-progress’ recordings, Simon and Rich talk us through each song's evolution, from rehearsals on a farm to getting down intricate drum sounds and a 30-piece orchestra at Abbey Road.

We’re given an insight into Simon’s vocal recording process as well as his approach to the biology of a guitar. Rich shares some of his producer wizardry, talking through single mic recording tricks, common rock mixing problems as well as the amps and gear used to help craft the band’s sound.

Listen to find out how the pair blew up a pre-war Gibson Amp, what tuning their instruments did to the music and why you should go and follow @tempojunkee on Twitter.

Tracks discussed: North of No South, Instant History, Cop Syrup

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'A Celebration of Endings' here.

'A Celebration of Endings' - 14th Floor Records Limited, a Warner Music Group company.

Michael Landau Signature Stratocaster

GEAR MENTIONS

Gibson Les Paul

Boss Metal Zone Pedals

JHS Kilt Pedal

Sunn Drone Pedals

Sequential Prophet 6

1969 100w Marshall Amp

OUR GEAR

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 :)

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

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

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TN:54 Disclosure Oct 28, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with brothers Guy and Howard of Disclosure, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘ENERGY’.

Chosen from over 200 songs, the pair break apart the individual parts and distinct sounds from the handful of tracks that made the cut. The boys take a deep dive into what it takes to make a Disclosure hit, revealing the tricks and tools they use along the way.

Listen to find out why the best hooks are written in 20 minutes, how conversations with Pharrell led to new chord progressions, and why the brothers nearly went the same way as Oasis.

Tracks discussed: Douha (Mali Mali), Who Knew? & Birthday

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor

GEAR MENTIONS:

Neve Desk

Moog Little Phatty

Roland Juno 106

Roland Boutique Synths

Roland D50

Roland SH-101

Universal Audio Apollos

OUR GEAR

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 :)

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

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

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TN:53 Paul Epworth Oct 21, 2020

Show notes

Launching into a brand new season, John rockets over to The Church Studios to catch up with super-producer Paul Epworth, Harry Edwards and Riley MacIntyre to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Paul’s debut album ‘Voyager’.

Paul shines a light on the five year on-off process of bringing the record to life, pulling apart the cosmic sounds and samples that form the basis of the album. From turning his studio desk into an instrument to serendipitous happenings, we hear Paul’s techniques of creating the perfect environment suitable for writing an expansive space concept album.

Listen to find out what happens when you put a guitar through his ‘multi-story car park’ of pedals, how a SpaceX launch impacted the album, and how Paul stopped himself from just making techno.

Tracks discussed: Distant Planets, Where Do We Come From?, Space Inc. & Epilogue

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Voyager' here.

'Voyager' - Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

Electro Harmonix Freeze Pedal

GEAR MENTIONS

Electro-Harmonix Superego Guitar Effects Pedal

Moogerfooger MF-104M Analog Delay

Moog MF-103 Moogerfooger 12-Stage Phaser

OUR GEAR

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 :)

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

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

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Best of Season 5 Oct 13, 2020

Show notes

In this episode we pick out a selection of highlights from Season 5. If you haven't heard every episode from the last season, this is a good way to introduce yourself to some of the other artists and producers we've had on and hear their tips, tricks and stories. Have a listen to see what you've been missing!

You'll hear highlights from:

Foals

Caribou

Jack Garrett

Tom Misch & Adam Jaffrey

Ghostpoet

Rina Sawayama & Clarence Clarity

Badly Drawn Boy & Gethin Pearson

Grouplove & Dave Sitek

Enter Shikari

EOB & Flood

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

OUR GEAR

Listen to 'Deep Down Happy' here.

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):

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

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TN:52 Sports Team & Burke Reid (Mercury Prize Nominated) Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John heads over to Sports Team HQ to catch up with Oli, Rob and producer Burke Reid, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their Mercury nominated debut album ‘Deep Down Happy’.

With DIY demos and a bag of stems, Oli, Rob and Burke break apart what goes into creating the band’s signature raucous sound. We’re treated to tales of sleeping in rehearsal rooms, sneaking into studios and mixing at the kitchen table. Burke talks us through some of his tricks of the trade, from managing the chaos of recording the band while they all still had day jobs, to making simple repeated things sound new and exciting.

Listen to hear why they like to annoy Alex during his vocal takes, which stock Logic drummer has become an integral part of the band’s writing process and how they tailor their live sets so no one goes to the bar.

Tracks discussed: Kutcher, Here It Comes Again, Fishing

'Deep Down Happy' - Big Desert Records, Universal Music Operations Limited

Audio Kitchen Big Trees Pedal

GEAR MENTIONS

Audacity

Roland RE-20 Space Echo

Boss SD-1 Pedal

WEM Amps

Logic Pro

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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):

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TN:51 Georgia & Mark Ralph (Mercury Prize Nominated) Sep 22, 2020

Show notes

Back at the start of lockdown, John caught up with Georgia and producer Mark Ralph to bring together a special episode for Aim House on how they wrote, recorded and produced Georgia’s Mercury nominated album ‘Seeking Thrills’.

Delving right into the first demos inspired by a night out, Georgia and Mark talk us through their fluid process of bringing the songs to life, from drawing intricate details from their dynamic list of influences, to studio days together programming rooms full of synths.

We’re given an insight into Georgia’s move to becoming a singer, stepping out from behind the drum kit, and Mark shares some of his producer wizardry, enlightening us on song structure, the small things can completely change the feel of a track and much much more.

Listen to hear how a grammatically incorrect sentence became the focus of a song, clips of hook lines written on a glockenspiel and discussions on how to make a computer groove.

Tracks discussed: Started Out, About Work The Dancefloor

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Seeking Thrills' here.

'Seeking Thrills' - Domino Recording Co Ltd

GEAR MENTIONS

OUR GEAR

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):

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TN:50 EOB & Flood Aug 26, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John heads up to Assault & Battery Studios to chat with EOB – the solo project from Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien - and legendary producer Flood, to talk through how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Earth’.

Armed with demos and tracks written during Ed’s time in Brazil, the pair take a deep dive into the sonic trenches, sharing their musings on the creative process, and reflect on their time working together in the studio. From fortuitous iTunes plays to jamming with world-renowned musicians, we hear Ed’s thoughts on transitioning from the realm of backing vocalist to lead vocalist, as well as the intricacies of blending carnival and dance music.

Listen to find why sometimes it’s a challenge finding beat 1, which track initially began with a swarm of Vihuelas, and why you should never use the word ‘demo’ in the studio.

Tracks discussed: Brasil, Olympik, Long Time Coming

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Earth' here.

'Earth' - Capitol Records, Over Normal Limited, under exclusive license for UMG Recordings, Inc.

Electro-Harmonix Memory Man

GEAR MENTIONS

Akai MPC Looper

ARP

Elektron Machine

Eventide H3000

Gibson Les Paul

Soft Tube OTO Biscuit

Roland System 700

Roland Juno 60

Boss RC-1 Looping Pedal

Shure SM58

OUR GEAR

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):

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TN:49 Enter Shikari Aug 19, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Enter Shikari frontman and producer, Rou Reynolds to breakdown how the band wrote, recorded and produced their new album ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’.

As the band’s most genre-bending album to date, Rou talks us through the challenges of combining techy metal, rave, reggae and ska influences with an oom-pah band and full symphony orchestra. Digging through his fifteen hard drives of demos and jams, we’re shown how every aspect of a track has a purpose and meaning – with detailed rhythms and distinctive sounds reflecting the state of the world in their own way.

Listen to hear the original gibberish lyrics that ended up making the final version of a song, how the band ended up forming and recording their toy drum kit and what plugins Rou uses to create his own audio cuddle.

Tracks discussed: THE GREAT UNKNOWN, Waltzing Off the Face of the Earth (1. Crescendo), satellites* *

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Nothing is True & Everything is Possible' here.

'Nothing is True & Everything is Possible' - SO Recordings/Silva Screen Records Limited

Native Instruments Massive

GEAR MENTIONS

Ableton

Akai MPC Sampler

Arp 2600

Arturia Synth Emulators

Chandler REDD Microphone

Farfisa

Kemper Profiler Rack

LOMO Channel Strip

Roland Jupiter 6

Sound Guru Mangle Plugin

OUR GEAR

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):

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TN:48 Grouplove & Dave Sitek Aug 12, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Grouplove’s Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi along with legendary producer Dave Sitek to breakdown how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest album Healer.

As their first record with an outside producer, the band reflect on their creative flow, pulling apart tracks bit by bit and showing us how Dave was the perfect weirdo to bring the album together. From jamming out five-hour demos at Hannah’s parent’s house to spending over a month recording from 9pm through to 11am, fuelled by cookies with cream cheese, breakfast burritos and copious amounts of weed.

We hear theories on how people’s souls enter your body to give you songs, why Dave has been the cause of multiple people’s synth addictions, and we are treated to unheard midnight vocal takes recorded just before Hannah’s vocal surgery.

Tracks discussed: Deleter, Expectations, Places

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Healer' here.

'Healer' - Atlantic Recording Corporation, WEA International Inc., Warner Music Group

GEAR MENTIONS

Dunlop Echoplex Pedal

Mellotron

Sequential Prophet 6

OUR GEAR