John catches up with Bob Vylan and producer Jonny Breakwell to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the ‘Humble As The Sun’. Bob Vylan, a grime and punk rock duo who emerged in 2017. Despite facing resistance for their provocative themes on racism and inequality, they gained a loyal following. Their albums, 2020’s ‘We Live Here’ and 2022’s ‘Bob Vylan Presents the Price of Life’ earned critical acclaim, and saw the duo win Best Alternative Act at the MOBO Awards. Their latest,...

John catches up with English rock band The Libertines to discuss how they wrote and recorded their latest album ‘All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade’. The Libertines formed in 1997 and shot to fame with their debut album, 'Up the Bracket,' becoming pillars of the British indie/alternative resurgence of the early 2000s. Thirty years after their careers started, they have unveiled their fourth studio album, 'All Quiet on the Eastern Esplanade,' primarily recorded at their studio, The Albion...

John catches up with producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Jack Antonoff of Bleachers to discuss how he wrote, recorded, and produced the band’s latest album ‘Bleachers’. Having grown up performing, song writing, and producing bands throughout his teenage years, Jack first saw mainstream success as part of the band Fun, and their global hit track ‘We Are Young’. Since then, he has gone on to co-write and produce records for some of the biggest artists of the past decade, including...

We’ve been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. This selection is our conversation with Alt-J’s Joe and Gus, along with producer Charlie Andrew, recorded back in February 2019. EPISODE NOTES In this episode John is joined by Gus Unger-Hamilton and Joe Newman from Alt-J, and producer Charlie Andrew to talk about how they recorded and produced the album 'RELAXER'.  The trio give a fascinating account of...

In this episode, John sits down with singer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier, delving into the creative process behind his album ‘Djesse Vol. 4,’ the concluding instalment in his four-part ‘Djesse’ album series. Jacob first shot to fame in 2013 when videos of his complex vocal arrangements went viral on YouTube. Three years later, he released his debut album ‘In My Room’, written and recorded entirely from his family home. In 2018, Jacob set to work on Djesse, a four-volume, 50-song,...

John catches up with Declan McKenna to talk about his latest album ‘What Happened To The Beach?’ Declan McKenna first saw mainstream success in 2015 following the release of his debut single ‘Brazil’ and winning Glastonbury Festival’s Emerging Talent prize. While blending topics of politics and social issues with his indie-pop sound through his first two albums, ‘What Happened To The Beach?’ introduces us to a new world, this time looking inward and drawing on Declan’s personal growth as a...

We’ve been having a look back through the Tape Notes archive to bring back some of our favourite early episodes that you may have missed. The first selection is our chat with Dave Bayley (Glass Animals) from summer 2018.   EPISODE NOTES John ventures up to Dave Bayley’s new home studio in London Fields to talk about how Glass Animals’ debut album ZABA was recorded and produced.  We hear how Dave conjured up the band’s unique style through many late night sessions in his bedroom when he...

John links up with hyper-pop royalty, Laura Les and Dylan Brady, aka 100 gecs, to talk about their latest album ‘10,000 gecs’. 100 gecs first broke onto the scene with their debut album ‘1000 gecs’ in 2019. Capturing attention online and amongst music fans, the innovative record was described as ‘one of the year's most fascinating, exhilarating experimental pop albums’. Their second studio album ‘10,000 gecs’, released in 2023, sees them maintain their status as hyper-pop trailblazers, this...

John ventures into the depths of Kent to catch up with Matthew Herbert and discuss his latest work ‘The Horse’. Renowned for his innovative sound exploration, Matthew gained recognition under various names, including Doctor Rockit, Wishmountain, and Herbert. He's produced for artists such as Bjork and Róisín Murphy, composed for stage and screen, and earned international acclaim for his records. His latest collaboration with the London Contemporary Orchestra resulted in 'The...

John links up pop-rock band Fall Out Boy, and producer Neal Avron, to talk about their latest studio album ‘So Much (For) Stardust’.  Emerging from Chicago’s hardcore punk scene in the early 2000’s, Fall Out Boy rose to fame with hits including ‘Sugar, We’re Goin Down’ and 'Thnks fr th Mmrs’. Constantly innovating, their eight studio albums have seen them embrace all sides of music, including R&B, and electro-pop. For their latest record ‘So Much (For) Stardust’, they return to their...

John sits down with indie rock band Bombay Bicycle Club to talk about their sixth studio album ‘My Big Day’.  Bombay Bicycle Club are a four-piece band from London, that broke onto the indie music scene with their genre defining debut album ‘I Had The Blues But I Shook Them Loose’ in 2009. Since then they have been releasing a steady stream of music which has been met with high critical acclaim, earning them an Ivor Novello and a Mercury Prize nominations.  Chatting with band members Jack...

In this episode, John is reunited with Mike Kerr of Royal Blood, to talk about how the band wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Back To The Water Below’. Following the success of their fourth number one album, Mike reflects on how their purpose as musicians has changed over the years, sharing their process of working out what they love, but haven't done with Royal Blood yet. Giving us an in depth look behind each track, we hear stories of musical experiments, including making a new...

Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ------- In this episode, John is joined by Dodie and Martin Luke Brown of FIZZ, along with producer Pete...

Thanks to Tape It for supporting this episode. Tape It is a recording app designed specifically for musicians and songwriters. Among many of Tape It's incredible features, you can record straight from lock screen, set markers and have complete control over your record settings, and that just the start. To find out more and get the full app free for a month, head to www.tape.it/tapenotes ------- Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for...

Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John is back at Strongroom Studios to catch up with Bakar and producer Zach Nahome about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Halo’. Looking...

Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John is joined by James Blake to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Playing Robots Into Heaven’. With the idea of simplifying his...

Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John heads to Miloco’s The Yard Studios, to catch up with Guy and Howard of Disclosure, and talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album...

Thanks to Audiomovers for supporting this episode. Their Listento Plugin has been a gamechanger for us and we use it across all of our remote interviews and recordings. To see their full range of plugins, visit audiomovers.com and use the promo code TAPENOTES1 at checkout to get your free month (usually only two days). In this episode, John catches up with Amber Bain aka The Japanese House, along with producers Chloe Kraemer and George Daniel to talk about how they wrote, recorded and...

In this episode, John is joined by Blur frontman Damon Albarn and producer James Ford, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘The Ballad of Darren’. With Damon’s initial demos to hand, the pair give us a guided tour of the record, right through the early versions and studio sessions, from the moments that reignited the feelings they had when writing in the 90s, to piecing together the musical jigsaw that forms the Blur sound. Along with stories of Damon’s...

In this episode, John is joined by Ben Howard and producer Nathan Jenkins aka Bullion, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Ben’s latest album ‘Is It?’. Looking back on their time together, Ben and Nathan talk us through their collaborative journey, from their initial coffee shop discussions, to the 10 day stint recording in the South of France. Sharing their initial sketches, voice note demos and the unexpected moments that changed the direction of each of the tracks. In...

In this episode, John joins Dom Harrison, a.k.a. YUNGBLUD and producer Mati Schwartz to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Dom’s debut album, ‘21st Century Liability’. Digging into the very first tracks that the pair worked on together, Dom and Mati share the story of how their relationship began, looking back at the early rejection and tough love moment that kicked Dom into action, and forming the Yungblud sound as we know it today. As well as talking through the evolution of...

Get 50GB of DAW project storage with our sponsor Aux: https://aux.app/tapenotes  In this episode, John joins Nick Douwma, a.k.a. Sub Focus, to talk about how he wrote, recorded, and produced his latest album 'Evolve'. Unable to stop John from dancing out of his chair, Nick ploughs on and talks us through the evolution of his most recent tracks. Sharing some of the first demos and samples that kick-started his process, we hear stories of late-night hotel room sessions and road-testing tracks...

In this episode, John catches up with the mastermind behind Temps, James Acaster, at Strongroom Studios, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘PARTY GATOR PURGATORY’. Reflecting on the genesis of Temps, James talks us through the initial moments of creation, from recording and chopping up his drums from an unaired mockumentary, through to his selection of almost 40 collaborators and how they each steered the music in such unexpected directions. As well as stories of...

Thanks to Highnote for supporting this episode of Tape Notes. Highnote is the best way to share, store, and discuss your recording projects, a kind of bespoke Dropbox for audio specifically built for communication. Think time-stamped voice comments directly over your audio, nesting versions to toggle and compare in real time, and instant notifications when people comment or listen to a track you’ve shared. Highnote accounts are completely free and include 4 gigabytes of storage to get your...