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...

In this episode, John links up with Thomas Wesley Pentz, aka Wes aka Diplo, to talk about his work under various guises with Major Lazer, Sia and as Thomas Wesley. With on-going exploration of far reaching and cross-cultural mashups at the centre of his approach, Wes reflects on how working with so many specialists from across the globe has helped him forge a diverse sound and career. Breaking apart three songs, Wes shares his thoughts on the considerations and care that have to be taken...

In this episode John catches up with Benny Sings and producer Kenny Beats to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Young Hearts’. Linking in from their studios in Amsterdam and LA, Benny and Kenny look back on their time spent writing and how each environment had an impact on the music. From experiencing the ‘Kenny Beats Thing’ in LA along with his wealth of collaborators, to spending a solitary week writing in Amsterdam locked in the studio with Covid. As well as...

In this episode, John catches up with Orlando Higginbottom, better known as Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs or T.E.E.D, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘When The Lights Go’. Digging into the record almost 10 years in the making, Orlando talks us through his process of sorting through the piles of musical material he has created over the last decade, and how he developed each idea into a cohesive album. As well as sharing production tips on vocal layering and...

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...

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...

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 Eillish'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...

In this episode, John links up with Lizzy McAlpine and producers Philip Etherington and Ehren Ebbage, to talk about how they wrote, recorded, and produced Lizzy’s album ‘five seconds flat’.   Looking back at their time writing and recording in a makeshift Airbnb studio, Lizzy, Philip, and Ehren dig into their enormous archive of song versions (including John Mayer versions), talking through their process of chipping away at each track and shaping the sounds to match the core expression.    As...

In this episode, John reunites with Alex Crossan, a.k.a. Mura Masa, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his latest album ‘Demon Time’.   Reflecting on the process of working out what a lockdown album would sound like and making the complete opposite of that, Alex shares his thoughts on controlling the vibe of a record while still managing to explore every random studio idea with each of his collaborators.   As well as giving us a tour of some of the weirdest sounds in his sample...

In this episode, John reunites with Fred Gibson, a.k.a. Fred Again.., at his house, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Actual Life 3 (January 1 - September 9 2022)’.   Reflecting on what’s been a very busy 18 months, Fred discusses how the success of the Actual Life series has had an impact on how and why he writes music. From the tricks he uses to keep his writing process fast and fun, to the moments his creativity was lost and the advice that came from Brian Eno to...

In this episode John is joined by Vincent Fenton better known as FKJ (French Kiwi Juice) to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced three tracks across his releases - ‘Time For A Change’, ‘Ylang Ylang’ and ‘Vincent’.   Giving us a glimpse at his musical journey through the years, Vincent reflects on each of the decisive elements that help characterise his signature sound, from location and significant life events, to his early homemade synth presets and sample libraries.    Alongside...

In this episode, John is joined by Jamie T and producer Hugo White at Miloco’s The Yard Studio, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘The Theory of Whatever’.   Alongside all the difficult musical decisions they made to keep the character of each song, we hear tales from the studio of sneakily replacing guitar parts and the challenges that come when there are a lot of big egos floating around.   Listen to find out why the album was almost named after Matt Maltese, why...

Claim your free TrackLib credits here. In this episode, John is back at Spitfire Audio to catch up with Ben Coyle-Larner, better known as Loyle Carner, along with producers Kwes and Nick Mills, about how they wrote, recorded and produced Loyle’s new album ‘Hugo’.   Reflecting back on their time writing over lockdown, Ben, Kwes and Nick talk us through their extensive process of whittling each track down to the finished article, from the early jam sessions and demos they fell in love with,...

Claim your free TrackLib credits here. In this episode, John is back at Spitfire Audio to reunite with Matty and George of The 1975, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Being Funny in a Foreign Language’.   Digging into stems, demos and the musical moments that inspired their writing, Matty and George give us a full behind-the-scenes tour of their creative process, sharing stories of very last-minute album additions and the unreleased songs that might one day be on...

In this very special live episode in partnership with AIM, MPG and Transgressive, John is joined by Let’s Eat Grandma’s Rosa Walton and producer David Wrench at Signature Brew to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s third album ‘Two Ribbons’. Taking us back to the album’s very beginnings, Rosa and David chart each song’s development, from early bedroom demos complete with mumble melodies and simple energy building tricks, to lyrics finished on the day of recording and...

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...

In this episode, John heads to Fiction Studios to catch up with Jon and Alex of Everything Everything to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Raw Data Feel’. Taking us through the very first scraps of ideas, Jon and Alex pull apart the elements within each demo they often endeavour to carry into the final songs, from the qualities found within their raw desk mixes to the hidden melodies that end up pulling a whole track together. Alongside Jon’s tips on writing to...

In this episode, John links up with Lykke Li and producer Bjorn Yttling to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Lykke’s latest album ‘EYEYE’. Digging into the truly multi-dimensional record, Lykke and Bjorn look back on their process of creating the sonic world in which the tracks all live, from finding different angles to songs by playing them on different instruments, to the breakthrough moments in the studio when an idea just unlocks. Alongside sharing thoughts on feeling the...

In this episode, John is back at Spitfire Audio to catch up with Yannis and Jimmy of Foals, to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced their new album ‘Life Is Yours’. Giving us a fascinating insight into their process and how they adapted it for their current 3 piece line up, the pair look back on how they kept their creativity organic and spontaneous, as well as the impact of each new producer along the way. With writing-room demos and plenty of stories from the studio, we’re given...

In this episode, John heads over to Spitfire Audio to chat with Mahalia and producer JD. Reid about how they wrote, recorded and produced the EP ‘Letter To Ur Ex’. Looking back on their early writing sessions together, the pair reflect on their very first meeting and the approach they took to get the best out of one another. From scatting line after line over a beat and jamming ideas until something just sticks, to the promise of food as a reward for finishing each section of a song. ...

In this episode, John links up with Chaz Bear, the mind behind Toro y Moi, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘MAHAL’. Digging into jam sessions dating back to 2015 with all of the original recordings to hand, Chaz gives us the lowdown on how his musical ideas formulate, and the simple yet impactful journey they undertake to arrive as fully fleshed out tracks. Reflecting on life as an all-round creative, Chaz looks back on how he got started in music, from the early...

In this episode, John links up with Harley Streten, better known as Flume, to talk through how he wrote, recorded and produced the four opening tracks from his mixtape and three albums - ‘Flume’, ‘Skin’, ‘Hi This Is Flume’ and ‘Palaces’. Digging out files from sessions dating back to his early adventures travelling around Europe, Harley gives us a rundown on some of the key parts of his life in music and how his approach to producing has changed over the years. From his early days using...

In this episode, John heads to Miloco’s The Yard Studios to catch up with The Chainsmokers, Alex and Drew, talking through how they wrote, recorded and produced their latest album ‘So Far, So Good’. Giving us a glimpse into their Hawaii writing sessions and drunken nights in the studio, the duo share the initial sparks and early ideas (both good and not so good) that developed into the final tracks.  As well as a beat building masterclass, creating drum patterns that no one would ever think...

Tickets to Tape Notes Live with Let's Eat Grandma and David Wrench - 29th March@Signature Brew In this episode, John heads to Bristol to chat with Yard Act’s James, Sam and Ryan along with producer Ali Chant about how their debut album ‘The Overload’ was written, recorded and produced. Catching up after a big night on the Bristol stop of their tour, the band reflect on their process of bringing the album together, from solitary lockdown demos and recording over WhatsApp videos, to learning...

Tickets to Tape Notes Live with Let's Eat Grandma and David Wrench - 29th March@Signature Brew   In this episode, John is joined by Dave, Donny and Jung from Gang of Youths to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s new album ‘Angel In Realtime’. Taking us on a global tour, the trio guides us through the wealth of sounds, people and places that had such a huge influence on the album, from London street ambience and the goings-on outside their studio window, to Pacific...