TN:163 CMAT & Oli Deakin
John is joined by Irish singer-songwriter CMAT and producer Oli Deakin, to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘EURO-COUNTRY’. CMAT, aka Ciara Mary-Alice Thompson, is best known for her unique blend of country-infused pop music, which often incorporates humour and pop culture references. She released her debut album, ‘If My Wife New I'd Be Dead’, in 2022, produced by longtime friend Oli Deakin. Both it and second album ‘Crazymad, For Me’ were praised for their detailed lyricism. The latter was also nominated for the Mercury Prize and the Ivor Novello Award for Best Album. CMAT’s third album ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ was released on 29th August 2025, with Oli Deakin again on production. It has already garnered rave reviews and given CMAT her first viral Tiktok hit with ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’. Sitting down at Platoon Studios in London, the trio discuss how the album was inspired by growing up in Ireland in the Noughties, why CMAT’s phone is her most important instrument, how online trolling inspired her viral hit ‘Take a Sexy Picture of Me’ and why a three-minute ‘perfect’ pop melody can be the most effective way to deliver a hard-hitting political message. Tracks discussed: Billy Byrne From Ballybrack, The Leader of the Pigeon Convoy; EURO-COUNTRY; Take a Sexy Picture of Me; Iceberg TAPE IT Thanks 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. Recorded at Platoon Studios LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘EURO-COUNTRY’ here: EURO-COUNTRY by CMAT, AWAL Recordings LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Omnichord Mellotron Casio Keyboard AEA R88 microphone Wurlitzer Neumann M49 microphone OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Instagram: @tapenotes Discord: Tape Notes X: @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
2 Sep 2h 2min
TN:162 Laufey & Spencer Stewart
John is joined by singer-songwriter and musician Laufey and producer Spencer Stewart to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘A Matter Of Time’. Having performed on numerous national TV singing shows in her youth, Icelandic-Chinese artist Laufey released her first full-length album, ‘Everything I Know About Love’ in 2022. It was praised for seamlessly blending jazz influences with contemporary production. Her second album, ‘Bewitched’, continued this trend with its captivating jazz-pop ballads and earned her the 2024 Grammy Award for Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album. Laufey met producer Spencer Stewart when they were students at music college in the US and they have been collaborating ever since. Laufey’s much anticipated third album ‘A Matter of Time’ was released on 24th August 2025. Sitting down at Strongroom Studios in London, the trio discuss how creativity often involves breaking formal rules, why the voice is an underrated instrument, the importance of not being a snob when it comes to technology and their belief that when it sounds wrong in the studio, it might just be because you’ve hit on something really original! Tracks discussed: Lover Girl; Tough Luck; Too Little, Too Late TAPE IT Thanks 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. Recorded at Strongroom Studios LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘A Matter of Time’ here , Vingolf Recordings LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Neumann TLM103 Neumann U67 Shure SM7B Juno-60 iZotope Ozone Echoplex Plank of wood OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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
27 Aug 1h 35min
TN:161 Rudimental
John is joined by Piers and Kesi of seminal British dance act Rudimental, at Strongroom Studios in London to discuss how they wrote and recorded new album ‘RUDIM3NTAL’. Rudimental’s three members - Piers Aggett, Kesi Dryden and Leon Rolle - started as childhood friends. After releasing their debut album ‘Home’ in 2013, the trio quickly became one of the most influential dance acts of the 21st century. They have amassed billions of streams worldwide, toured extensively and released multiple chart-topping singles including ‘Feel the Love’, ‘Waiting All Night’ and ‘These Days’. In this episode, the band discuss the evolution of Rudimental from their earliest days and how they keep things fresh and exciting five albums in. They talk about honing in on the drum and bass genre on this record and other changes they made to their process such as working with samples and collaborating with different producers. They also discuss their legendary talent for getting the best from featured vocalists and the influence their live shows have always had on their studio recordings. Tracks discussed: Chop Dem Down, Thank You, Green & Gold TAPE IT Thanks 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. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘RUDIM3NTAL’ here LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective Gear mentions: VPS avenger Xfer Serum U-he diva Apple Logic Pro Izotope Music Rebalance (part of RX suite) AKAI MPC Melotron Splice Loopmasters UAD Eden Neve preamp Manley ref-c mic UA bock 251 mic UA Urei 1176 compressor Rode microphones Shure sm57 mic UAD interface Korg m1 synth Thermionic culture vulture Solid State Logic SSL Fusion Soundtoys Echoboy UAD Dyntronics cyclosonic panner Prophet 6 synth Effectrix by Sugar Bytes Nicky Romero kickstart plugin Moog Voyager OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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
12 Aug 1h 26min
TN:160 Djo & Adam Thein
John is joined by Djo and producer Adam Thein to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘The Crux’. Djo, aka Joe Keery, is an American musician and actor. His music career began back in 2014 as a guitarist and drummer in the Chicago psych-rock/garage band ‘Post Animal’. He left to launch a solo career as Djo, balancing music with a starring role in the Netflix global hit ‘Stranger Things’. His first album as Djo, ‘Twenty Twenty’, was released in 2019 and praised by critics for its blend of psychedelic rock and power pop influences. His second album ‘Decide’, followed in 2022. The single ‘End of Beginning’ from the album was a viral hit and was nominated for Brit and Billboard awards. ‘The Crux’, arrived in April this year to further critical acclaim, once again working with producer Adam Thein In this episode, the pair discuss Joe’s collaborative approach to creating and what Adam sees as Joe’s particular gift for knowing what feedback to take on board and what to discard. Joe talks about the long process of making ‘The Crux’, juggling writing and recording with a demanding acting career, and how space and time actually aided his creative process. Tracks discussed: Delete Ya, Charlie’s Garden, Egg TAPE IT Thanks 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. Recorded at Platoon Tileyard Studios MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘The Crux’ here AWAL Recordings LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Echoboy Soundtoys Microshift Soundtoys Little Alterboy Soundtoys Devil Loc Brainworx True Peak Limiter Universal Audio Vox AC-30 Lexicon 224 Arturia East Piano Sequential Prophet 6 EMU Planet Phatt RCA R44 Brigade Chorus E-Bow Roland Alpha Juno Fender P-Bass Mellotron UTA-D UnFairchild Plugin Wurlitzer Farfisa Synth ARP Pro DGX Synth Digitech Talker Vocoder Guild Starfire Bass Gibson J45 Magniton Amp Boss CE-1 Fender Stratocaster Neve Desk Avid ProTools Ableton Live OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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
29 Juli 1h 41min
TN:159 Barry Can't Swim
John sits down with Scottish artist, producer and DJ Josh Mainnie, at Baltic Studios, better known as Barry Can’t Swim, and producer O’ Flynn to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Loner’. Josh first began releasing under the alias Barry Can’t Swim in 2019, releasing a stream of singles that began attracting attention for their melodic, dance-driven style. In 2023, he released his first full-length album, ‘When Will We Land?’, which became a huge success, earning him nominations for the Mercury Prize and at the BRIT Awards. ‘Loner’ released in July 2025, sees him reflect on his newfound fame and place in the industry, whilst maintaining his signature high energy beats and captivating soundscapes. Sitting down with Josh, and later with collaborator O’Flynn, the conversation dives into the album-making process. They explore Josh’s sampling techniques, the ideal mindset and headspace for creating great music, and the stories behind capturing sounds from unexpected places, like the toilets of an Indian restaurant, and turning them into tracks. Tracks discussed: Still Riding, Wandering Mt. Moon, Kimpton TAPE IT Thanks 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. Recorded at Baltic Studios LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Loner’ here ‘Ninja Tune’ LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Oek Sound Soothe 2 Cable Guys Snap Back XLN Audio Life Plugin Slate & Ash Cycles Slate & Ash Auras Arturia Mini V Arturia Beatstep Pro Arturia Prophet Xfer Serum Synth Spectrasonics Keyscape Double Felt Valhalla Plugins Make Noise Morphogene Korg Kaoss Pad Prophet Synth Korg MS-20 Korg M1 Splice Ableton Prehistoric VHS (Wavetable Preset) Ableton Granulator Ableton EQ Ableton Plugins Ableton Logic Pro X OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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
14 Juli 1h 48min
TN:158 Lorde & Jim-E Stack
John is joined by Lorde and producer Jim-E Stack to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Virgin’. Lorde, is a singer-songwriter and producer from New Zealand who rose to fame in 2013 with the Grammy winning global hit track ‘Royals’. Her albums 2013’s ‘Pure Heroine’, 2017’s ‘Melodrama’, and 2012's ‘Solar Power’ all showcase her sharp, raw lyrics and sophisticated production . In June 2025, after collaborations with artists including Charli XCX, Lorde released ‘Virgin’. Produced by Jim-E Stack, the record reveals a bold new sound and explores themes of self-discovery and identity. In this episode, the pair discuss the subtle changes made in the development of each track. As well as sharing numerous voice notes and demos, they talk through how the lyrics and production informed each other, the importance of muting and stripping songs back, with deep rooted percussion at the music’s core. Tracks discussed: Favourite Daughter, GRWN, Shapeshifter TAPE IT Thanks 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. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘Virgin’ here - https://lynkify.in/album/virgin/wuWmkwlQ ‘Universal Music’ LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Decapiator Soundtoys Devil-Loc Soundtoys FilterFreak FabFilter Pro Q Decimort Waves Soundshift Waves RVox Waves SSL Compressor Kontakt Strings OTT Goodhertz Lossy Korg PolySix Shure SM7 Moog Rogue Thermionic Culture Vulture API 550 EQ Neve 1073 Neumann U47 CL-1B Compressor Roland Juno AMS DMX Unit Telefunken 251 Mic CR 8000 Drum Machine Roland VG-8 Teenage Engineering OP-1 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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
1 Juli 1h 48min
TN:157 Jamie xx
John is joined by Jamie xx, to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘In Waves’. Jamie xx is an English musician, record producer, and DJ. He began his career as part of The xx, whose 2009 debut album ‘xx’ was instrumental in shaping the indie music scene of the 2010s. Jamie’s critically acclaimed solo debut, ‘In Colour’, arrived in 2015, earning both Mercury and Grammy nominations. In 2024, he released ‘In Waves’, a record that captures the emotional highs and hazy afterglow of a night out, blending bliss, heartbreak, and introspection through immersive dance music. In this episode, Jamie reflects on the years-long journey of creating ‘In Waves’. As well as discussing where his initial moments of inspiration came from, he talks through his approach to sampling, how he balances analog synths with a Logic-based workflow, and the plugins that have become essential to crafting his distinctive sound. Tracks discussed: Breather, Dafodil, Life TAPE IT Thanks 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. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban's Songwriting MA here. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LISTEN to ‘In Waves’ here ‘Young’ LISTEN to ‘Tina Moore - Never Gonna Let You Go’ here. ‘RCA Records, Sony’ LISTEN to ‘Cerrone - The House of the Rising Sun Revelacion Suite’ here. ‘Because’ LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective. GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Crystallizer Zynaptiq Morph Output Thermal Roland TR-808 XLN Audio XO Serum Sonar Works Sound ID Reference Roland Space Echo Oberheim 8 Voice Korg Delta Isla Drum Machine Akai MPC 1000 Tascam 8 Track Logic ES 2 Logic Phaser Logic Drum Sampler Logic Pro X Garageband OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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 TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis Evan Lawday Francis Hartgrove
19 Juni 1h 38min
Reissue | TN:42 Caribou
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 Caribou, Dan Snaith, all the way back in Summer 2020. EPISODE NOTES 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 loose in Floating Points' Studio, how leaving his internet browser open while recording provided a moment of compositional serendipity, and why the title of this podcast could well have been 'Things I learned from Timberland'. Songs Discussed: Magpie, Like I Love You, Sister TAPE IT Thanks 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. LANDR Get 20% off LANDR Distribution and Studio at landr.com/tapenotes TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban's Songwriting MA here. MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES https://linktr.ee/tapenotes Listen to 'Suddenly' here. 'Suddenly' - City Slang Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS API Lunchbox Arp 2600 ARP Rhodes Chroma Rhodes Flea 47 Native Instruments Reaktor Spectrasonics Omnisphere Spectrasonics Trilian Synthesis Technology - E370 Quad Morphing VCO ToneBoosters Reelbus Universal Audio 1176 Compressor Waves MondoMod Yamaha CS-70 OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If 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 DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes 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 TAPE NOTES TEAM John Kennedy Will Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica Clucas Ali Lewis
10 Juni 1h 59min
