Podcast
Tape Notes
Hosted by In The Woods · EN
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.
33episodes
Episodes
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TN:152 Olly Alexander & Danny L Harle
Feb 21, 202501:53:34Tap to summarizeJohn is joined by Olly Alexander and producer Danny L Harle, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced ‘Polari’Olly Alexander is an English singer, actor, and LGBTQ+ activist, best known as the frontman of Years & Years. The band found global success in the mid 2010’s with the hit ‘King’ and released two UK #1 albums before Olly transitioned to a solo career. As well as representing the UK at Eurovision in 2024 with ‘Dizzy’, Olly has collaborated with numerous pop icons including Elton John and Kylie Minogue. His 2025 album Polari was co-written and produced by Danny L Harle, a sought-after British producer known for his work on P.C. Music, and with artists including Charli XCX, and Caroline Polachek and many more.Catching up at Strongroom Studios, where Olly recorded most of the album’s vocals, the conversation explores the stories and sounds behind each track. Along the way, they share early demos featuring Olly’s first vocal musings, while Danny discusses songwriting habits, optimising a producer’s workflow, and techniques for achieving a creative flow state.Tracks discussed: Whisper In The Waves, Cupid’s Bow, Beautiful, PolariTAPE ITThanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban's Songwriting MA here. MUSIVERSALSkip the waitlist and get your discount HERELISTEN to ‘Polari’ here.LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONSKorg TritonRhizomatic Synthesis PlasmonicWaves TuneValhalla RoomTenor ViolKorg MS-10Yamaha RX5 Drum MachineRoland GAIAAudacityLogic VarispeedLogicOUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgearHELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesPatreon: Tape NotesTo 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.ukTAPE NOTES TEAMJohn KennedyWill Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica ClucasAli Lewis
Transcribe →TN:151 Maribou State
Feb 5, 202502:03:44Tap to summarizeThis week, John is joined by electronic music duo Maribou State to discuss the making of their third studio album, ‘Hallucinating Love’.Maribou State first gained traction after releasing a string of EPs back in 2011, but truly broke through with their debut album, ‘Portraits’, propelling the duo to international recognition. Since then, they’ve become a staple of the global dance music scene, selling out tours across the UK, Europe, and North America.Sitting down at Strongroom Studios, the pair discuss their immersive writing retreats, the challenge of creating over 25 demos for a single track, and their ‘sound harvest’ sessions - entire studio days focused on building custom sample libraries from everyday objects and experimenting with an array of gear.Tracks discussed: Blackoak, Otherside, Rolling StoneTAPE ITThanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban's Songwriting MA here. MUSIVERSALSkip the waitlist and get your discount HERELISTEN to ‘Hallucinating Love’ here - https://lynkify.in/album/hallucinating-love/9fqbKqy9 LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONSSOMA Laboratory ETHERTeenage Engineering TP-7Marantz Cassette Tape Portable Field RecorderKorg MS-200Korg MS-20Sequential Prophet 8Grampian 636 Spring ReverbMoog MatriarchMoog Sub 37Moog MF-104M Analog DelayMoog SynthsRoland SP-404 Roland TB-303Roland SPDRoland SRE-555 Chorus EchoNeural DSP Digital Effects Modeler1176 CompressorNative Instruments KontaktNord StageNeumann U87Coles MicEMT Plate ReverbSVT Ampeg Bass AmpLudwig DrumsAbletonCubaseLogicOUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgearHELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesPatreon: Tape NotesTo 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.ukTAPE NOTES TEAMJohn KennedyWill Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica ClucasAli Lewis
Transcribe →TN:150 RÜFÜS DU SOL
Jan 22, 202501:48:15Tap to summarizeJohn sits down with indie-dance trio RÜFÜS DU SOL to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced their most recent album ‘Inhale / Exhale’.Hailing from Sydney, Rüfüs Du Sol—comprised of Tyrone Lindqvist, Jon George, and James Hunt—joined together in 2010 through a shared passion for electronic music. Since their formation, they have evolved from local talents to global dance music icons, through their immersive blend of melodic and atmospheric sounds. With five chart-topping albums to their name, they have embarked on global tours, performed at renowned festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza, and won a GRAMMY Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording in 2022.Today, they join us from each side of the US to dig into their latest project, ‘Inhale / Exhale’. As well as reflecting on their ever-changing writing processes, they explore the production techniques at the heart of their sound, sharing insights on distorting Tyrone’s vocals, gating, and having ‘bass wars’ to work out the best parts.Tracks discussed: Pressure, Fire / Desire, ExhaleTAPE ITThanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.MUSIVERSALSkip the waitlist and get your discount HERELISTEN to ‘Inhale/Exhale’ here - https://lynkify.in/album/inhale-exhale/EQNVipUP LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONSCableguys ShaperBoxSlate & Ash ChoreographsSlate & Ash PluginsSoundtoys EchoBoySoundtoys DecapitatorXfer SerumCulture Vulture EmulatorAudio Imperia Cinematic Tension StringsTeletone Audio ScarboMoog SynthsSequential OB6Sequential Prophet 6UDO Super 6Korg MS-20AbletonSpliceOUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgearHELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesPatreon: Tape NotesTo 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.ukTAPE NOTES TEAMJohn KennedyWill Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica ClucasAli Lewis
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