Tape Notes

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 p

In this episode, John catches up with Grouplove’s Hannah Hooper and Christian Zucconi along with legendary producer Dave Sitek to breakdown how they wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest album Healer. As their first record with an outside producer, the band reflect on their creative flow, pulling apart tracks bit by bit and showing us how Dave was the perfect weirdo to bring the album together. From jamming out five-hour demos at Hannah’s parent’s house to spending over a month record

In this episode, John catches up with Badly Drawn Boy A.K.A Damon Gough and producer Gethin Pearson to talk through how they wrote, recorded and produced ‘Banana Skin Shoes’. After numerous false starts producing the album – his first after an 8 year hiatus – Damon paired up with Gethin, bringing a new enthusiasm to Damon’s musical endeavours and with him a pool of new talent to draw inspiration from. We get to hear a plethora of demos and track breakdowns as the pair chart the development of t

In this episode, John catches up with Rina Sawayama and producer Clarence Clarity to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Rina’s debut album ‘Sawayama’.   Diving deep into the almost 100 track sessions, Rina and Clarence reflect on how the album took shape, from writing demos in Rina’s bedroom to spending months in an LA studio. We hear the pair’s philosophies on creativity and the hustle of making it in the world of music, along with the secrets in crafting their fusion of R&B, nou

In this episode, John catches up with Obaro Ejimiwe, A.K.A Ghostpoet, along with engineer and mixer Shuta Shinoda to talk through how they wrote, recorded and produced his latest album, ‘I Grow Tired But Dare Not Fall Asleep’.  Recorded at the start of lockdown before the album was actually released, Obaro and Shuta shed light on their creative relationship breaking down early demos and treating us to a selection of clips from the monumental amount of session files they racked up. We hear how Obar cra

In this episode, John catches up with Tom Misch and engineer Adam Jaffrey to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced Tom’s collaboration album with drummer Yussef Dayes -  ‘What Kinda Music’. Tom and Adam dig deep into the session material, revealing the techniques and processes they used in recording the album. We hear Tom’s thoughts on stepping outside of his bedroom studio to record, as well as revealing the treasure trove of gear and plugins they used to hone his iconic guitar sound.

In this episode, John catches up with Jack Garratt to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced his latest album Love, Death & Dancing. Jack digs up the original demo sessions recorded in his garden shed, unravelling the multitude of ideas he packed in to each track. Illustrated through a bounty of unheard demos and track breakdowns, Jack charts the emotional journey he undertook writing the album, revealing how he subtly controls rhythm and harmony to tell a story. Listen to find out how a core gui

In this episode John links up with Caribou a.k.a. Dan Snaith, to breakdown how Suddenly -  his first release in five years - was written, recorded and produced. Diving deep into his hard drive Dan treats us to a plethora of demo versions, track breakdowns and even plays us a few nuggets live. We get to hear the philosophy and stories behind creating his most personal album yet and discover how he reduced a monumental 900 ideas down to a single record. Listen to hear the results of when Dan was let loo

Kicking off a brand new season, John is joined by Foals frontman Yannis Philippakis to talk about how the band’s mammoth two-part project Everything Not Saved Will Be Lost was written, recorded and produced. As their first self-produced albums, Yannis gives us a fascinating insight into their biggest project yet, breaking down his writing process from the loops and drones he crafted at home to the final versions of lyrics written almost entirely at the pub.  Listen to find out how some NS10 cones w

In this episode we take a look back at some of the best bits from season 4. 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, hearing their stories, tips and general philosophy on writing and recording. Have a listen, you never know what you might learn! You'll hear highlights from:Mura MasaFriendly Fires & Mark RalphThese New PuritansElbowEzra CollectiveMystery JetsDJ Shadow VOTE FOR US! - We've been nomina

In this episode, John ventures over to Wendy House Studios to catch up with hip-hip royalty Josh Davis AKA DJ Shadow, to talk through how he recorded and produced his latest album ‘Our Pathetic Age’ and his chart-topping album ‘The Mountain Will Fall’.   Josh gives us a full insight in to his largest most diverse project yet, breaking down his writing process from the moment he randomly dips in to his vast record collection for inspiration, to discovering unlikely source material such as an aband

In this episode John makes multiple trips to Brain Yard Studios to catch up with Mystery Jets frontman Blaine Harrison and producer Matt Twaites to talk about how they recorded and produced the album A Billion Heartbeats. Recorded in the room where the album was conceived, Blaine and Matt give us full access to the Mystery Jets creative process, from tales of protests, marches and relief work, to their quest not sound too much like the Backstreet Boys. We get to hear an array of demos and phone recordings

This week John is joined by Ezra Collective’s Femi, TJ and James to talk about how they wrote and recorded their debut album You Can’t Steal My Joy. Hot off the heels winning 'Jazz Album of the Year' at the World Wide Awards, the boys reflect upon how the album took shape, from the early rehearsals in a dodgy studio in Croatia to spending two days on a boat recording the whole thing. The boys play us previously unheard demos capturing the moments lightning struck, from a very rough voice memo to a more

In this episode, John is joined by Guy Garvey and Craig Potter from Elbow, to talk about how ‘Giants of All Sizes’ was written and recorded. Craig and Guy look back at some of the sessions tracked over a two year period, reflecting on what was an emotionally challenging time for Guy and how this influenced the writing and mood of the record - something grittier and more contemplative than previous Elbow albums. We get to hear early demos and track break breakdowns, plus bags of wisdom from the big man

In this episode John is joined by twin brothers Jack and George Barnett, AKA experimental art-rock music duo These New Puritans, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Inside The Rose’. The boys look back on making music together in their attic as children and uncover some of the many sketches and demos versions created whilst recording the album. We get to hear the moment Jack woke from a dream with a fresh melody composed within his slumber in addition to their general philo