Tape Notes

• TN:167 Kae Tempest & Fraser T. Smith

  John is joined by Kae Tempest and Fraser T. Smith to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album “Self-Titled”. Kae Tempest is an English recording artist and author. He began his career performing at open mic nights around London, quickly gaining a reputation for his powerful lyrical performances blending rap and spoken word poetry. Between 2008 and 2012 he toured internationally with his band Sound of Rum, launching a solo career with debut album ‘Everybody Down’ in 2014. It and second album ‘Let Them Eat Chaos’, released in 2015, were both nominated for the Mercury Prize. Kae has since released three further solo albums, including BRIT Award-nominated ‘The Line Is A Curve’. Kae is widely recognised as one of the UK alternative scene’s most essential voices, acclaimed for his exceptional lyricism and acute social commentary. Both are particularly evident on his fifth studio album, ‘Self Titled’, released earlier this year. ‘Self-Titled’ is Kae’s first collaboration with multi-award winning UK producer, songwriter and musician Fraser T. Smith. The trio sit down at Fraser’s studio, Utopia, where the album was written and recorded, to discuss developing creative harmony working together for the first time, the process of building a song using ProTools, the influence of drum textures and bass sounds on the record, how one creative choice can completely change the direction of a track and much more. Tracks discussed: Statue In The Square, Forever, Till Morning 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 ‘Self Titled’ here - Self Titled by Kae Tempest LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI  GEAR MENTIONS Ableton Live Avid Pro Tools Soundtoys Phase Mistress Valhalla reverb XLN RC-20 Retro Colour Akai MPC4000 Akai MPC-X Steven Slate Trigger Oeksound Soothe 2 Soundtoys FilterFreak AMS RMX16 Roland SH-101 Boss RE-202 Space Echo Pedal Moog Voyager Soundtoys Decapitator Pultec EQP-1A Mellotron Shure SM7B Manley Gold microphone Tubetech CL 1B Undertone Audio Unfairchild Eventide H3000 Harmoniser Eventide MicroPitch Undertone Audio MPDI-4 Waves H-Delay 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  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, message us on Patreon, 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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• TN:166 Hayley Williams & Daniel James

  John is joined by Hayley Williams and producer Daniel James to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’.  Hayley Williams is an American pop-punk and rock musician. She began writing songs in her early teens, signing a deal with Atlantic Records at just 15 years old. The label wanted her to be a solo artist, but Hayley had other ideas, instead forming the band Paramore with three school friends. Paramore released their first album ‘All We Know Is Falling’ when Hayley was still only 16. They quickly built a loyal fanbase as audiences resonated with the energy and passion in their music. The band went on to release five more albums and win numerous awards including three Grammys. In 2020 Hayley released her first, highly acclaimed solo album ‘Petals for Armor’. Sophomore album ‘FLOWERS for VASES/descansos’ followed in 2021 to further critical praise. ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’, released in August this year on Hayley’s own label Post Atlantic, is her third collaboration with musician, producer and longtime friend Daniel James. In this episode, Hayley and Daniel sit down with John at Platoon Studios to discuss how it felt setting out to record songs without an album in mind, how writing solo music differs from writing for Paramore for Hayley, the record’s diverse influences, the vocal recording techniques they used and much more.  Tracks discussed: Kill Me, Love Me Different, Parachute 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 ‘Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party’ here: Ego Death At A Bachelorette Party by Hayley Williams LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Portal - granular synthesis engine Apple Logic Pro Apple Logic Pro Retrosynth (stock plugin) Arturia Mellotron Stellar Echo SD-201 Valhalla VintageVerb UAD Capitol Chambers Soundtoys Phase Mistress Remo drums Output Arcade Soundtoys Microshift Neural DSP Shure SM7 mic Neumann U67 mic Avid Pro Tools Studio Taylor GS Mini acoustic guitar Gibson Les Paul Junior 1959 Thermal by Output Fender Rhodes electric piano plugin Teletone Roland Juno 106 Akai MPC 3000 Splice sample library Astra by Splice E-Bow for guitar Neve 1073LB UAD Urei 1176 Korg MS20 Sequential Circuits Prophet 5 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  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Discord: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, slide into our DMs, message us on Patreon, 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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• TN:165 The Favors (FINNEAS & Ashe)

  John is joined by The Favors, a duo composed of producer/singer-songwriter FINNEAS and singer-songwriter Ashe, to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘The Dream’.  FINNEAS is a Grammy Award-winning producer best known for his longtime collaboration with his younger sister, Billie Eilish. As her primary producer, songwriter and touring partner, FINNEAS has played a key role in shaping her sound, earning 10 Grammy Awards along the way. Beyond his work with Eilish, Finneas has established himself as a rising alt-pop artist. Ashe began her career singing demos in Nashville before gaining widespread recognition with her viral single ‘Moral of the Story’. Since then, she has released several acclaimed EPs and three studio albums. Having previously collaborated on a number of projects, FINNEAS and Ashe decided to form The Favors. They released the album ‘The Dream’ on 19th September 2025. In this episode, FINNEAS and Ashe sit down with John to discuss their techniques for producing vocals, the essential plug-ins they used to create the album’s sound, how ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ influenced their lyric-writing, why devoting time to drum production really matters and some simple yet very effective production tips! Tracks discussed: The Little Mess You Made, David’s Brother, Moonshine 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 ‘The Dream’ here - The Dream by The Favors, FINNEAS, Ashe LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI  GEAR MENTIONS Yamaha CP80 Ludwig Superbeat Revelle Snare Earthquaker Devices Delay VOX AC30 Valhalla Room Fabfilter Pro-Q 4 Waves Scheps Omni Native Instruments Guitar Rig Sphere Recording Console Logic Pro Ace Tone TOP-6 Soundtoys Decapitator Earthworks sr314 Liquidsonics Lustrous Plates Soundtoys Echo Boy Jr Lindell API Channel Fender Rhodes Piano Bass mk2 Native Instruments Kontakt The Fiddle Spectrasonics Keyscape Rhodes Piano Bass 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  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Twitter: @tapenotes  Facebook: @tapenotespodcast   Discord: 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

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• TN:164 Pomplamoose

  John is joined by Pomplamoose - American indie-jazz duo Jack Conte and Nataly Dawn -  to discuss how they wrote and recorded the album ‘Photogénique’, released in July this year. The two met while studying at Stanford University and began making music together in early 2008. They first gained widespread attention in late 2009 through their inventive covers of popular songs on YouTube and MySpace, achieving their first viral hit in 2010 with their rendition of Beyoncé’s ‘Single Ladies’. Since then, Pomplamoose have released seven albums, including ‘Tribute to Famous People’ (2010) and ‘Hey, It’s Pomplamoose’ (2016), blending elements of indie pop, rock, and jazz. In this episode, Jack and Nataly join remotely from their US studio to discuss the three-year process of writing and recording ‘Photogénique’, the ‘extreme self-honesty’ that led them to scrap and re-record much of the original album and their intricate vocal production processes. They also get into the influence of AI on their art, their top gear recommendations and advice they would give to newer artists.  Tracks discussed: Tu Peux Pas Savoir, Julie 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 ‘Photogénique’ here, Pomplamoose Inc. LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI  GEAR MENTIONS Ableton Live Waves Smack Attack Soundtoys Decapitator Fabfilter Saturn 2 Waves The Kings Microphones Goodhertz Megaverb Roland JU-06A Roland Juno-60 Roland Juno-106 Neumann TLM49 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  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Patreon: Tape Notes Twitter: @tapenotes  Facebook: @tapenotespodcast   Discord: 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

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• 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

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