Tape Notes
Tape Notes is a podcast about the art and craft of music production. Hosted by John Kennedy, each episode reunites an artist and producer to talk about the highlights of their collaboration in the studio. Their conversations lift the lid on every stage of the creative process, from kindling the first spark of a song idea, through decisions on style and instrumentation, to finessing the final product. Full of fascinating anecdotes, the conversations also feature early demo versions and stems from the original session recordings. The result is a unique insight into the working methods of some of the most innovative and exciting talents in music.
Episodes
December 10, 2024 • 108 mins
John links up with Snarky Puppy founder and band leader Michael League to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest record ‘Empire Central’, as well as works from Varijashree Venugopal and a new project, Ellipsis.
Michael League is an American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of jazz fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy. Now with a reputation as one of the most innovative bands of the 21st century, cons...
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November 26, 2024 • 103 mins
John is joined by Oli Sykes and Lee Malia of Bring Me The Horizon, as well as producer Dan Lancaster, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest album ‘POST HUMAN: NeX GEn’.
Bring Me the Horizon, formed in 2004 in Sheffield, evolved from deathcore to genre-blending innovators, incorporating electronics, classical, and pop influences. With seven studio albums, over 5 million records sold, and electrifying...
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November 13, 2024 • 118 mins
John is joined by Lizzy McAlpine, and co-producer Mason Stoops and co-writer Taylor Mackall, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Older (and Wiser)’.
Lizzy McAlpine is a singer-songwriter and producer who first gained popularity by sharing covers on SoundCloud and YouTube. Her debut album, ‘Give Me a Minute’, arrived in 2020, however, it was her second album, ‘Five Seconds Flat’, that solidified her as a ...
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October 30, 2024 • 109 mins
John is joined by Pixies, Charles Thompson (aka Black Francis), and producer Tom Dalgety, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest album ‘The Night The Zombies Came’.
The Pixies are an American alternative rock band widely acclaimed as one of the pioneers of the late 1980s rock movement. Their first three albums - Surfer Rosa (1988), Dolittle (1989) and Bossanova (1990) - defined an era as well as earn...
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October 16, 2024 • 66 mins
John is back with Jack Patterson and Grace Chatto of Clean Bandit, for part two of their conversation, this time, talking about how they wrote, recorded, and produced some of their more recent hits.
Clean Bandit are an English electronic group formed in 2008, known for blending classical music with electronics and pop. While they gained early attention with the track ‘Mozart’s House,’ their 2014 hit ‘Rather Be,’ featuring Jess Gl...
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October 1, 2024 • 108 mins
John sits down with English musician, producer, and DJ Simon Green, better known as Bonobo, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced works from across his back catalogue.
Bonobo first caught attention with his 1999 debut. Over the years, his evolving sound, often including elements of world music, nu-jazz and electronica, have earned him a devoted following. This popularity surged with the release of critically acclaimed ...
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September 5, 2024 • 106 mins
John sits down with Rex Orange County and producers Jim Reed and Teo Halm, to talk about how he wrote and recorded his latest album ‘The Alexander Technique’.
Alex O'Connor, better known as Rex Orange County, is an English singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Teaching himself music production at 16 years old, within a year he released his debut album ‘Bcos U Will Never B Free’. Since then, Alex has been consistently relea...
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August 20, 2024 • 95 mins
John is joined by Jack Patterson and Grace Chatto of Clean Bandit to talk about how they wrote, recorded, and produced some of their early hits.
Clean Bandit are an English electronic group formed in 2008, known for blending classical music with electronics and pop. While they gained early attention with the track ‘Mozart’s House,’ their 2014 hit ‘Rather Be,’ featuring Jess Glynne, won a Grammy and earned the band global recognitio...
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August 6, 2024 • 121 mins
John is joined by Alex Cook, better known as A. G. Cook, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Britpop’.
A. G. Cook, is a London-based artist and producer. After studying at Goldsmiths University, he founded PC Music, a label shaping hyper pop with artists including Hannah Diamond and Danny L Harle. His debut solo albums, ‘7G’ and ‘Apple’, arrived in 2020. In addition to his own music, Alex has shared his pr...
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July 30, 2024 • 83 mins
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 from November 2019, with Sam Shepard, Floating Points.
EPISODE NOTES
In this episode John heads to EMS4 studios in Shoreditch to chat with Floating Points a.k.a Sam Shepherd, about how he recorded and produced his latest release, Crush.
Talking from deep withi...
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July 16, 2024 • 117 mins
John is joined by Kieran Hebden, better known as Four Tet, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Three’, along with a selection of his other work.
Following his start in music writing and recording as part of post-rock band ‘Fridge’, Kieran released his debut solo album as Four Tet ‘Dialogue’ in 1999. Since then, his constant experimentation and blend of hip-hop, jazz, krautrock, electronica, dance, and folk...
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July 4, 2024 • 97 mins
John joins Kasabian producer, songwriter, and frontman Serge Pizzorno to discuss the band’s latest record, ‘Happenings’.
Kasabian, an English rock band formed in the late 1990s, burst onto the scene in the early 2000s with iconic anthems like ‘LSF’ and ‘Club Foot’. Since then, they have released eight albums, earning multiple NME Awards and a Brit Award for Best British Group in 2010.
Sitting down with guitarist and co-founder Se...
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June 19, 2024 • 92 mins
John is joined by singer, songwriter, and producer Charli XCX, as well as producers A.G. Cook and George Daniel, to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Brat’.
Charli XCX first saw success collaborating on Icona Pop's 2012 smash hit ‘I Love It’ and Iggy Azalea's chart-topping single ‘Fancy’. Since releasing her debut album in 2013, she has continued to innovate and energise the music scene, earning a Global Impact Award ...
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May 30, 2024 • 108 mins
John is joined by IDLES' Bowen, along with producer Kenny Beats, and producer and engineer Mikko Gordon, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘TANGK’.
Idles are a British post-punk band who gained recognition with their 2017 debut album ‘Brutalism’. Known for their gritty, powerful sound and explosive live shows, their five albums to date have earned them nominations for the Mercury Prize, BRIT & Grammy Aw...
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May 14, 2024 • 87 mins
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 Matty and George of The 1975, recorded back in March 2019.
EPISODE NOTES
John ventures up to Spitfire Audio to meet with Matty and George from The 1975 to talk about how the album 'A Brief Inquiry Into Online Relationships' was recorded and produced.
Some...
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April 30, 2024 • 72 mins
John sits down with American singer and guitarist Annie Clark, aka St Vincent, to talk about her latest album ‘All Born Screaming’.
Immersed in music since childhood, after studying at Berklee College of Music, Annie toured with acts including The Polyphonic Spree and Sufjan Stevens. Adopting the name 'St. Vincent', in 2006 she released her debut EP 'Paris Is Burning', and released her debut album 'Marry Me' the following year. As...
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April 23, 2024 • 103 mins
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, are 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 ...
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April 11, 2024 • 72 mins
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 ...
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March 28, 2024 • 93 mins
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 ...
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March 12, 2024 • 102 mins
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 ...
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