Tape Notes

Listen to 'Banana Skin Shoes' here.

'Banana Skin Shoes' - Damon Gough, AWAL Recordings Ltd

GEAR MENTIONS

Roland RE-20 Space Echo

Roland TR-808

Tascam 4Trk Recorder

Teenage Engineering OP1

Yamaha Clavinova

OUR GEAR

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TN:46 Rina Sawayama & Clarence Clarity Jul 29, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Rina Sawayama and producer Clarence Clarity to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Rina’s debut album ‘Sawayama’.

Diving deep into the almost 100 track sessions, Rina and Clarence reflect on how the album took shape, from writing demos in Rina’s bedroom to spending months in an LA studio. We hear the pair’s philosophies on creativity and the hustle of making it in the world of music, along with the secrets in crafting their fusion of R&B, noughties pop and nu-metal.

Listen to find out why Rina tries includes at least 10 hooks in each song, how Clarence tried to match a trap beat to Rina’s mum’s Beethoven performance and which member of The 1975 made a secret appearance on the record.

Tracks discussed: Dynasty, Love Me 4 Me, Snakeskin

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Sawayama' here.

'Sawayama' - Dirty Hit

GEAR MENTIONS

Ableton

Sontronics Saturn

Soundelux U99

OUR GEAR

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Discord: Tape Notes

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TN:45 Ghostpoet Jul 22, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Obaro Ejimiwe, A.K.A Ghostpoet, along with engineer and mixer Shuta Shinoda to talk through how they wrote, recorded and produced his latest album, ‘I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep’.

Recorded at the start of lockdown before the album was actually released, Obaro and Shuta shed light on their creative relationship breaking down early demos and treating us to a selection of clips from the monumental amount of session files they racked up. We hear how Obar crafts his music despite a lack of traditional music theory, revealing the methods and approaches he uses to tap directly into the feeling of a song.

Listen to find out how birdsong was meticulously edited to perfectly fit the music, why Obaro has only just managed to use his Mellotron, and how he charmed Sarasara into singing on the record.

Tracks discussed: Breaking Cover, When Mouths Collide, Social Lacerations

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep' here.

'I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep' - Ghostpoet, Play It Again Sam

Critter and Guitari Organelle M

GEAR MENTIONS

Logic Pro

Studer A80 Analogue Tape Machine

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):

Discord: Tape Notes

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TN:44 Tom Misch & Adam Jaffrey Jul 14, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Tom Misch and engineer Adam Jaffrey to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Tom’s collaboration album with drummer Yussef Dayes - ‘What Kinda Music’.

Tom and Adam dig deep into the session material, revealing the techniques and processes they used in recording the album. We hear Tom’s thoughts on stepping outside of his bedroom studio to record, as well as revealing the treasure trove of gear and plugins they used to hone his iconic guitar sound.

Listen to find out why a fan made an almost 10-hour round trip to deliver the coveted OP1, what words Tom sings on his songs without lyrics, and why sometimes having a hangover in the studio can benefit the writing process.

Tracks discussed: Last 100. The Reel, Nightrider.

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to ‘What Kinda Music’ here.

‘What Kinda Music’ - Beyond The Groove. Blue Note Records/Caroline

Moogerfooger MF-101 Pedal

GEAR MENTIONS

Dynacord Tape Echo

Electro-Voice RE20

Eventide

Teenage Engineering OP1

Universal Audio

Universal Audio Neve 1073

UAD Thermionic Culture Vulture

UAD Korg SD300 Plugin

UAD Oxide (Tape Emulation Plugin)

Zvex Lofi Junky

Logic Pro

ProTools

OUR GEAR

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

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TN:43 Jack Garratt Jul 07, 2020

Show notes

In this episode, John catches up with Jack Garratt to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his latest album Love, Death & Dancing.

Jack digs up the original demo sessions recorded in his garden shed, unravelling the multitude of ideas he packed in to each track. Illustrated through a bounty of unheard demos and track breakdowns, Jack charts the emotional journey he undertook writing the album, revealing how he subtly controls rhythm and harmony to tell a story.

Listen to find out how a core guitar riff was saved by a lucky phone recording, how his childhood trombone skills are now coming in handy, and how a few pearls of wisdom from producer Jacknife Lee have impacted his song writing.

Tracks discussed: Time, Anyone, Only The Bravest

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Love, Death & Dancing' here.

'Love, Death & Dancing' - Island Records Release, Universal Music Operations Limited

Arturia Buchla Easel Plugin

GEAR MENTIONS

Arturia Prophet V3 Plugin

Behringer D Model

Critter & Guitari Pocket Piano

Fender Stratocaster

Goodhertz Wow Control

Minimoog

Roland TR-808

Roland TR-909

Roland Boutique Synths

Logic Pro - Space Designer

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):

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TN:42 Caribou Jul 01, 2020

Show notes

In this episode John links up with Caribou a.k.a. Dan Snaith, to breakdown how Suddenly - his first release in five years - was written, recorded and produced.

Diving deep into his hard drive Dan treats us to a plethora of demo versions, track breakdowns and even plays us a few nuggets live. We get to hear the philosophy and stories behind creating his most personal album yet and discover how he reduced a monumental 900 ideas down to a single record.

Listen to hear the results of when Dan was let loose in Floating Points' Studio, how leaving his internet browser open while recording provided a moment of compositional serendipity, and why the title of this podcast could well have been 'Things I learned from Timberland'.

Songs Discussed: Magpie, Like I Love You, Sister

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Suddenly' here.

'Suddenly' - City Slang

Native Instruments Reaktor

GEAR MENTIONS

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Spectrasonics Trilian

Synthesis Technology - E370 Quad Morphing VCO

ToneBoosters Reelbus

Universal Audio 1176 Compressor

Waves MondoMod

Yamaha CS-70

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):

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TN:41 Foals Jun 24, 2020

Show notes

Kicking off a brand new season, John is joined by Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis to talk about how the band’s mammoth two-part project Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost was written, recorded and produced.

As their first self-produced albums, Yannis gives us a fascinating insight into their biggest project yet, breaking down his writing process from the loops and drones he crafted at home to the final versions of lyrics written almost entirely at the pub.

Listen to find out how some NS10 cones were hacked to create a makeshift microphone, what Yannis projects on to the wall when recording vocals, and how the band managed to tie songs together with trips to Paris and cycling adventures in Annecy.

Tracks Discussed: Syrups, Exits & Neptune

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part One' here.

Listen to 'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Part Two' here.

'Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost - Parts 1 & 2' - Foals, Warner Music UK Limited

GEAR MENTIONS

Binson Echorec

Chandler Preamp

Rhodes Chroma Polaris

Boss RC-1 Looping Pedal

Shure SM7B

Teenage Engineering OP1

Yamaha NS10

Logic Pro

OUR GEAR

HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

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Best of Season 4 Jun 18, 2020

Show notes

In this episode we take a look back at some of the best bits from season 4. If you haven't heard every episode from the last season, this is a good way to introduce yourself to some of the artists and producers we've had on, hearing their stories, tips and general philosophy on writing and recording. Have a listen, you never know what you might learn!

You'll hear highlights from:

Mura Masa

Friendly Fires & Mark Ralph

These New Puritans

Elbow

Ezra Collective

Mystery Jets

DJ Shadow

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

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):

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TN:40 DJ Shadow Mar 31, 2020

Show notes

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 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 gatecrash a Run the Jewels gig.

Tracks discussed: Nobody Speak, Rocket Fuel, Drone Warfare

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

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.

GEAR MENTIONS

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):

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TN:39 Mystery Jets & Matt Twaites Mar 26, 2020

Show notes

In this episode John makes multiple trips to Brain Yard Studios to catch up with Mystery Jets frontman Blaine Harrison and producer Matt Twaites to talk about how they recorded and produced the album A Billion Heartbeats.

Recorded in the room where the album was conceived, Blaine and Matt give us full access to the Mystery Jets creative process, from tales of protests, marches and relief work, to their quest not sound too much like the Backstreet Boys. We get to hear an array of demos and phone recordings including the sound of Matt’s unborn son’s heartbeat which was crafted into a drum loop.

Listen to find out what how Blaine ended up in an Icelandic Spa with Bjork, what images he looks at to get the best vocal take and who he turns to when struggling with lyrics.

Songs discussed: Screwdriver, Wrong Side of the Tracks, A Billion Heartbeats

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES

Listen to 'A Billion Heartbeats' here.

'A Billion Heartbeats' - Mystery Jets, Caroline International