Tape Notes

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 their raucous balance of electronics, punk and heavy hitting guitar and bass riffs. We’re given a glimpse into the secrets of the duo's mammoth pedal boards, revealing how they are so much more than extensions of their instruments. 

Listen to hear drum parts written for drummers with more than two arms, studio debates about a cowbell, and how many biscuits were consumed during the making of the album. 

Tracks discussed: Vortex, Taxi, Play Fair

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

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Listen to 'Who Are The Girls?' here.

'Who Are The Girls?' -Nova Twins Ltd in collaboration with 333 Wreckords Crew

GEAR MENTIONS

EarthQuaker Devices Pedals

Fender Mustang

Bypass Looper

Gretsch Guitars

Logic Pro

Garageband

OUR GEAR

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In this episode, John catches up with Jacob Collier to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his albums Djesse Volumes 1, 2 & 3.

With original Logic sessions, demos and heaps of stems in hand, Jacob unravels the wealth of ideas charting the development of each volume’s sonic environment. 

We hear his approach to getting the right balance between the simple and complex, illustrated with samples constructed from audience recordings, scrapped key changes and demo raps.  

Listen to find out about the benefits and burdens of knowledge, creating tongue twister grooves for the brain and how to take music beyond the twelve tones as we know them.

Tracks discussed: With The Love In My Heart, Nebaluyo, All I Need

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

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Listen to 'Djesse Vol. 1' here.

Listen to 'Djesse Vol. 2' here.

Listen to 'Djesse Vol. 3' here.

'Djesse Vol. 1, 2 & 3' - Hajanga Records, Geffen Records/Decca, a division of Universal Music Operations Limited

GEAR MENTIONS

Kiii 3 Speakers

Shure SM7B

Shure SM58

XLN Audio RC-20 Plugin

XFER Records LFO Tool

Spectrasonics Omnisphere

Native Instruments Battery

Logic Pro

Kontakt

OUR GEAR

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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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In this episode, John catches up with Biffy Clyro frontman Simon Neil and producer Rich Costey to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘A Celebration of Endings’.

Armed with the very first demos and ‘work-in-progress’ recordings, Simon and Rich talk us through each song's evolution, from rehearsals on a farm to getting down intricate drum sounds and a 30-piece orchestra at Abbey Road.

We’re given an insight into Simon’s vocal recording process as well as his approach to the biology of a guitar. Rich shares some of his producer wizardry, talking through single mic recording tricks, common rock mixing problems as well as the amps and gear used to help craft the band’s sound.

Listen to find out how the pair blew up a pre-war Gibson Amp, what tuning their instruments did to the music and why you should go and follow @tempojunkee on Twitter.

Tracks discussed: North of No South, Instant History, Cop Syrup

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

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Listen to 'A Celebration of Endings' here.

'A Celebration of Endings' - 14th Floor Records Limited, a Warner Music Group company.

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Michael Landau Signature Stratocaster

Gibson Les Paul

Boss Metal Zone Pedals

JHS Kilt Pedal

Sunn Drone Pedals

Sequential Prophet 6

1969 100w Marshall Amp

Black Volt

Vox AC30

Roland JC-120

Sunn Amplifiers

OUR GEAR

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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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KEEP UP TO DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

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Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! 

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk 

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In this episode, John catches up with brothers Guy and Howard of Disclosure, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘ENERGY’.

Chosen from over 200 songs, the pair break apart the individual parts and distinct sounds from the handful of tracks that made the cut. The boys take a deep dive into what it takes to make a Disclosure hit, revealing the tricks and tools they use along the way. 

Listen to find out why the best hooks are written in 20 minutes, how conversations with Pharrell led to new chord progressions, and why the brothers nearly went the same way as Oasis.

Tracks discussed: Douha (Mali Mali), Who Knew? & Birthday

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS:

Korg PolySix

Ableton

Native Instruments

Ample Bass

Izotope Vocal Synth

Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor

Neve Desk

Moog Little Phatty

Roland Juno 106

Roland Boutique Synths

Roland D50

Roland SH-101

Universal Audio Apollos

OUR GEAR

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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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KEEP UP TO DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

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Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! 

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Launching into a brand new season, John rockets over to The Church Studios to catch up with super-producer Paul Epworth, Harry Edwards and Riley MacIntyre to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Paul’s debut album ‘Voyager’. 

Paul shines a light on the five year on-off process of bringing the record to life, pulling apart the cosmic sounds and samples that form the basis of the album. From turning his studio desk into an instrument to serendipitous happenings, we hear Paul’s techniques of creating the perfect environment suitable for writing an expansive space concept album. 

Listen to find out what happens when you put a guitar through his ‘multi-story car park’ of pedals, how a SpaceX launch impacted the album, and how Paul stopped himself from just making techno. 

Tracks discussed: Distant Planets, Where Do We Come From?, Space Inc. & Epilogue

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to 'Voyager' here.

'Voyager' - Sony Music Entertainment UK Limited

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Electro Harmonix Freeze Pedal

Electro-Harmonix Superego Guitar Effects Pedal

Moogerfooger MF-104M Analog Delay

Moog MF-103 Moogerfooger 12-Stage Phaser

OUR GEAR

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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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KEEP UP TO DATE

For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: 

Instagram: @tapenotes 

Twitter: @tapenotes 

Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  

To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear! 

Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk 

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In this episode we pick out a selection of highlights from Season 5. 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:

Foals

Caribou

Jack Garrett

Tom Misch & Adam Jaffrey

Ghostpoet

Rina Sawayama & Clarence Clarity

Badly Drawn Boy & Gethin Pearson

Grouplove & Dave Sitek

Enter Shikari

EOB & Flood

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

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OUR GEAR

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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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In this episode, John heads over to Sports Team HQ to catch up with Oli, Rob and producer Burke Reid, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced their Mercury nominated debut album ‘Deep Down Happy’.

With DIY demos and a bag of stems, Oli, Rob and Burke break apart what goes into creating the band’s signature raucous sound. We’re treated to tales of sleeping in rehearsal rooms, sneaking into studios and mixing at the kitchen table. Burke talks us through some of his tricks of the trade, from managing the chaos of recording the band while they all still had day jobs, to making simple repeated things sound new and exciting.

Listen to hear why they like to annoy Alex during his vocal takes, which stock Logic drummer has become an integral part of the band’s writing process and how they tailor their live sets so no one goes to the bar.

Tracks discussed: Kutcher, Here It Comes Again, Fishing 

Listen to 'Deep Down Happy' here.

'Deep Down Happy' - Big Desert Records, Universal Music Operations Limited

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Audacity

Audio Kitchen Big Trees Pedal

Epiphone Casino

Fender Amps

Mu-Tron Pedals

Neumann U67

Rickenbacker Bass

Roland RE-20 Space Echo

Boss SD-1 Pedal

WEM Amps

Logic Pro

SUBMIT A JINGLE

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Submit your Tape Notes jingle and we'll play our favourites each week on the podcast.

Jingles can be in any style, can feature the Tape Notes theme, lyrics, or none of those things - be as creative as you'd like (as long as they're between 5-15 seconds).

SUPPORT THE SHOW

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Back at the start of lockdown, John caught up with Georgia and producer Mark Ralph to bring together a special episode for Aim House on how they wrote, recorded and produced Georgia’s Mercury nominated album ‘Seeking Thrills’. 

Delving right into the first demos inspired by a night out, Georgia and Mark talk us through their fluid process of bringing the songs to life, from drawing intricate details from their dynamic list of influences, to studio days together programming rooms full of synths.  

We’re given an insight into Georgia’s move to becoming a singer, stepping out from behind the drum kit, and Mark shares some of his producer wizardry, enlightening us on song structure, the small things can completely change the feel of a track and much much more.

Listen to hear how a grammatically incorrect sentence became the focus of a song, clips of hook lines written on a glockenspiel and discussions on how to make a computer groove. 

Tracks discussed: Started Out, About Work The Dancefloor 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to 'Seeking Thrills' here.

'Seeking Thrills' - Domino Recording Co Ltd

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Moog

Nord Wave

Roland SH-101

Roland Jupiter 6

Roland TR-808

Roland TR-909

Sequential OB6

OUR GEAR

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HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW

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In this episode, John heads up to Assault & Battery Studios to chat with EOB – the solo project from Radiohead guitarist Ed O'Brien - and legendary producer Flood, to talk through how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Earth’. 

Armed with demos and tracks written during Ed’s time in Brazil, the pair take a deep dive into the sonic trenches, sharing their musings on the creative process, and reflect on their time working together in the studio. From fortuitous iTunes plays to jamming with world-renowned musicians, we hear Ed’s thoughts on transitioning from the realm of backing vocalist to lead vocalist, as well as the intricacies of blending carnival and dance music. 

 Listen to find why sometimes it’s a challenge finding beat 1, which track initially began with a swarm of Vihuelas, and why you should never use the word ‘demo’ in the studio.   

Tracks discussed: Brasil, Olympik, Long Time Coming 

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to 'Earth' here.

'Earth' - Capitol Records, Over Normal Limited, under exclusive license for UMG Recordings, Inc.

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Akai MPC Looper

ARP

Electro-Harmonix Memory Man

Elektron Machine

Eventide H3000

Gibson Les Paul

Soft Tube OTO Biscuit

Roland System 700

Roland Juno 60

Boss RC-1 Looping Pedal

Shure SM58

OUR GEAR

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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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In this episode, John catches up with Enter Shikari frontman and producer, Rou Reynolds to breakdown how the band wrote, recorded and produced their new album ‘Nothing Is True & Everything Is Possible’.  

As the band’s most genre-bending album to date, Rou talks us through the challenges of combining techy metal, rave, reggae and ska influences with an oom-pah band and full symphony orchestra. Digging through his fifteen hard drives of demos and jams, we’re shown how every aspect of a track has a purpose and meaning – with detailed rhythms and distinctive sounds reflecting the state of the world in their own way.   

Listen to hear the original gibberish lyrics that ended up making the final version of a song, how the band ended up forming and recording their toy drum kit and what plugins Rou uses to create his own audio cuddle.  

Tracks discussed: THE GREAT UNKNOWN, Waltzing Off the Face of the Earth (1. Crescendo), satellites* *

LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES 

https://linktr.ee/tapenotes 

Listen to 'Nothing is True & Everything is Possible' here.

'Nothing is True & Everything is Possible' - SO Recordings/Silva Screen Records Limited

Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective 

GEAR MENTIONS

Ableton

Akai MPC Sampler

Arp 2600

Arturia Synth Emulators

Chandler REDD Microphone

Farfisa

Kemper Profiler Rack

LOMO Channel Strip

Native Instruments Massive

Roland Jupiter 6

Sound Guru Mangle Plugin

OUR GEAR

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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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