Tape Notes

Back in summer 2020, John headed over to The Church Studios to catch up with James Vincent McMorrow, Paul Epworth and Lil Silva to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced James’s album ‘Grapefruit Season’. Taking tracks from Dublin to London to LA and back, James talks us through the myriad of iterations the songs went through, exploring the different writing situations and how all of his...

In this episode, John returns to Pixel studios to chat with Maisie Peters and producer Joe Rubel about how they wrote, recorded and produced Maisie’s debut album ‘You Signed Up For This’. Going through their WhatsApp log of voice notes and ideas, Maisie and Joe look back on the chaotic methods of bringing an album together over lockdown, pulling apart how they carefully married Maisie’s original a...

In this episode we look back over Season 8 picking out a selection of highlights and some of the most memorable moments from the artists and producers we were lucky enough to speak to. If you haven’t heard every episode from the last season, this is a good way to introduce yourself to some of the guests we’ve had on and hear some of their top studio tips, writing processes and all-round philosophi...

In this episode, John is reunited with Murray Matravers from Easy Life and producer Rob Milton, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s debut album ‘Life’s A Beach'. From recording in and around lockdowns, in basements, bedrooms and studios, Murray and Rob reflect on the writing process, singling out the sounds, ideas and samples that encapsulate the meaning within the songs...

In this episode, John catches up with Fred Gibson, better known as Fred Again.., to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Actual Life (April 14 - December 17 2020)’. Having written and produced almost all of the album outside of the studio, Fred talks us through his recording and sampling process, digging into the ways in which each new environment helped shape the individual s...

In this episode, John ventures up to The Old Workshop Studio to catch up with Johnny Flynn and producer Charlie Andrew about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Lost in the Cedar Wood’. From the summer walks with co-writer Robert Macfarlane to tracking the bones of the album in a solar-powered woodland cottage, Johnny recalls shaping the world of the record, combining both timeless so...

In this episode John heads over to Pixel Studios to chat with Dodie and producer Joe Rubel about how the album ‘Build A Problem’ was written, recorded and produced. Unearthing Dodie’s first phone recordings made in her bedroom, the pair dig into the ways in which they preserved and developed her DIY/scrapbook sound in the studio.  As well as lots of sumptuous album easter eggs, Joe indulges us in...

In this episode, John catches up with Rostam to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his new album ‘Changephobia’. Giving us a full tour, Rostam talks us through his incredibly varied songwriting processes, from demoing beats on a Japanese bullet train and jamming with the TV, to improvising parts in the studio and simply writing without his brain.  Going in deep, we’re treated to beat c...

In this episode John links up with Marie Ulven, aka girl in red, and producer Matias Tellez, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced her debut album ‘if i could make it go quiet’. With Marie’s original bedroom recordings to hand, the pair take us through how they built on the framework of her demos, singling out the minuscule details in each track that you probably wouldn’t notice, but...

In this episode, John heads down to Royal Blood’s secret studio near Brighton to catch up with Mike and Ben about how they wrote, recorded and produced their chart-topping album ‘Typhoons’. Having written the majority of the record apart from each other in lockdown, the duo reflect on their creative process, from forming demos on the living room sofa to dipping their toes in musical moves they’ve...

In this episode we pick out a selection of highlights from Season 7. 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 and hear some of their top studio tips, writing processes and all-round philosophies towards creating a record.    You’ll hear highlights from:  Bicep Idles with Nick Launay and Adam...

In this episode, John catches up with Sam Lewis AKA SG Lewis to get lost in the disco grooves of his album ‘Times’. Digging deep into the writing and production, Sam charts the development of the tracks right the way through from the demos and initial studio sessions, to recreating sounds and samples with disco legends. As well as treating us to unheard Chic versions and heaps of Nile Rodgers riff...

In this episode, John is joined by slowthai and producer Kwes Darko at Iguana Studios, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Tyron’. With voice messages, demos and stems in hand, Ty and Kwes lay out the development of each track, from the gear and technicalities of capturing vocals and making a beat that hits hard, to the smallest production details that often have the big...

Catching up on some much-needed studio goodness, John returns to Mr Dan’s studio to chat with Conor and Tom of Fontaines D.C. and producer Dan Carey, about how they wrote, recorded and produced the albums 'Dogrel’ and ‘A Hero’s Death’. With rehearsal room and garden shed demos in hand, Conor, Tom and Dan give us a rundown of some of the key moments of the band’s career, from first meetings at a 20...

In this very special episode John steps inside the jingle factory of podcaster, comedian, writer, actor and musician Adam Buxton.  Digging into the depths of his archive, Adam charts his life and career breaking down the songs and jingles that punctuated each moment. From finding arpeggiators in music shops and writing ‘smutty’ rhymes with his friends, to applying advice from Nigel Godrich in the...

In this episode, John heads to Black Barn Studios to chat with Paul Weller along with producer Stan Kybert and engineer Charles Rees, about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘On Sunset’. From recycling and resampling old tunes to recording new ideas on his phone, Paul reflects on his years of endless experimentation in the studio, sharing his thoughts on what makes a good song along...

In this episode, John catches up with King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard frontman and producer Stu Mackenzie to talk about how the band wrote, recorded and produced the albums, ‘K.G.’ and ‘L.W.’ Armed with various living room demos, phone recordings and plenty of stems, Stu delves into the successes and difficulties that came with each band member having to write and record from home, sharing how th...

In this episode John is joined by Idles guitarist Mark Bowen along with co-producers Nick Launay and Adam “Atom” Greenspan to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest album ‘Ultra Mono’. Unearthing backstage phone demos and rehearsal room recordings, Bowen, Nick and Adam look back on how the album was pulled together, from the band’s chats about concepts to the eight days...

In quite possibly one of the most synth-heavy episodes ever, John catches up with Matt and Andy of Bicep to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their latest album ‘Isles’. Unravelling the mystery of how they do what they do, Matt and Andy talk us through the countless demos and subsequent iterations, exploring the abundance of sounds and samples sent to them from collaborators and how...

In this episode we pick out a selection of highlights from Season 6. 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: Paul Epworth Disclosure Biffy Clyro and Rich Costey Georgi...

In this biscuit fuelled episode, John is joined by Lianne La Havas along with producers Sam Crowe and Beni Giles to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Lianne’s latest album ‘Lianne La Havas’. Delving into Lianne's most personal work yet, the trio takes us through the moments the initial song ideas were formed, through the various stages of their development right to the finished vers...

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...

Returning for his second outing on Tape Notes, John links up with Glass Animals frontman and producer Dave Bayley, to talk about how the band wrote, recorded and produced their latest album ‘Dreamland’. Born out of an emotional time of uncertainty for the band, Dave discusses the unexpected moments that formed the foundations of the album. Breaking down his writing process from start to finish, we...

In this episode, John catches up with Conor, Joe and Dom from Nothing But Thieves, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their latest album ‘Moral Panic’. Loaded up with original demo sessions and ideas recorded while on tour, the boys sift through some of the sounds, stories and musical concepts that shaped their songwriting process. Conor enlightens us on his thoughts about vocal p...

In this episode, John catches up with Nova Twins’ Amy and Georgia along with producer Jim Abbiss to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their debut album ‘Who Are The Girls?’  Reflecting on venturing into the studio for the first time with a ‘big name’ producer, Amy, Georgia and Jim delve into their “ropey” demos written in a tiny room at Georgia's house, unravelling how they formed t...