Tape Notes

• 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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• 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

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• 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

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