Tape Notes

TN:187 Overmono

John is joined by Ed and Tom of Overmono to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Pure Devotion’. Overmono are Welsh electronic duo Tom and Ed Russell. After solo careers as Truss and Tessela, they began producing together as Overmono in 2015. Known for their energetic, acclaimed live shows, they broke through with Good Lies in 2023. Their second album, Pure Devotion, arrived in 2026, exploring experimental studio recording. Sitting down at Strongroom Studios in London, Ed and Tom give John a step by step breakdown of their approach to vocal processing, discuss the plug-ins they use for layering synths, get into their unique approach to writing and sequencing drum patterns and reveal why their mix bus would make most audio engineers' heads spin! Plus they answer our Patreons' questions! Tracks discussed: Ballad, Barum, Knight in Shining Prada LISTEN to ‘Pure Devotion’ - XL Recordings 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. Try the new Tape It Denoiser currently 50% off! MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE Recorded at Strongroom Studios - https://www.strongroom.com/ LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI GEAR MENTIONS SoundToys Little Alter Boy SoundToys Microshift SoundToys Radiator Acustica Audio Ruby 3 Antares Autotune Waves CLA Vocals Liquid Sonics Cinematic Rooms FabFilter Pro L2 FabFilter Pro-Q4 Audio Punks Great British Spring Maag EQ4 Soundtheory Gullfoss Oek Sound Soothe 2 TAL Chorus UAD Ampex Tape Simulator UAD 1176 PSP VintageWarmer2 Waves L2 Waves MV2 Arturia Pre 1973 Kush Clariphonic Diamond Cut Access Virus TI API 2500 Black Corporation Deckard's Dream MKII D.W. Fearn VT-5 Groove Synthesis 3rd Wave Korg MS-20 Marshall Amp Elektron Monomachine Moog MF-108M Moogerfooger Cluster Flux Oberheim OB-6 Lexicon PCM80 Sequential Prophet-10 Sequential Prophet-6 Roland Jet Phaser Roland Jupiter Roland Juno-60 Roland RE-501 Roland SH-2 Roland TB-303 Rodec MX Modular Mixer Sherman Filterbank Roland Space Echo Roland TR-1000 Tannoy Little Gold Vermona PerFourmer 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 Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TN:186 Joy Anonymous

John is joined by Hen and Louis a.k.a. Joy Anonymous, to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced a selection of tracks across their back catalog. Joy Anonymous formed in 2018 with the aim of spreading joy through music and live performance. Their South Bank pop-up shows during the pandemic brought widespread attention, with recordings from these performances featuring on their debut album ‘Human Again’ (2021). Since then, they have released ‘Cult Classics’ (2023), collaborated with numerous artists, and continued to release new music, including their stripped-back ‘Source’ versions. Their third record is set for release in the coming months. Sitting down together at Baltic Studios, the trio discuss getting inspired by the rhythm of spoken voices and their techniques for making dance music sound uniquely human, their secrets for building a club banger, how playing live with Fred again and Ezra Collective influenced tracks in the studio and much more, plus they answer questions from our Patreons! Tracks discussed: JOY (Nobody Ever), JOY (Like You Used To), JOY (This One) LISTEN to JOY (Nobody Ever) - 2026 From Concentrate - JOY (Nobody Ever) 7” mix by Joy Anonymous, Tamaraebi JOY (Like You Used To) - 2026 From Concentrate - JOY (Like You Used To) by Joy Anonymous, MOTHERBOARD JOY (This One) - 2026 From Concentrate - JOY (This One) by Joy Anonymous, Ezra Collective, Stush 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. Try the new Tape It Denoiser currently 50% off! MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE Recorded at Baltic Studios - Recording Studios at Baltic LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective GEAR MENTIONS Excite Audio Bloom Bass Forever 89 Visco Plugin Safari Dirty Dog Safari Pedals Plugins Soundtoys MicroShift RC-505 Loop Station LHI Audio ST4B BOSS SP-505 Groove Sampling Workstation Roland TR-1000 Rhythm Creator Drum Machine Native Instruments Traktor Kontrol S8 Coda Labs Szechuan Saturator Neumann U87 LHI Audio ST4b Transient Shaper Akai MPC Coles 4038 Moog Matriarch Soundtoys Crystallizer Soundtoys Decapitator Logic Pro 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 Discord: Tape Notes Patreon: Tape Notes To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

TN:185 Charli xcx, A. G. Cook & Finn Keane

John is joined by Charli XCX and producers A.G. Cook and Finn Keane to talk about how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘Music, Fashion, Film’. Charli XCX is a British singer, songwriter, producer and actor. Since her debut album ‘True Romance' in 2013, Charli has released a further six records, building a fiercely loyal fanbase while continually pushing the boundaries of pop. In 2024, ‘BRAT’ propelled Charli to a new level of global recognition. The Grammy award-winning album became a cultural phenomenon and cemented her status as one of pop’s defining artists of the decade. She has since continued to explore new creative directions, returning to solo music in July 2026 with her eighth album ‘Music, Fashion, Film’, with long-time collaborators & hyperpop pioneers, producers A.G. Cook and Finn Keane. Sitting down together at Platoon Studios, Charli, A.G. and Finn reflect on their approach to working together post-’BRAT’ and taking a wider creative lens on this record. They discuss their recording sessions at Rue Boyer Studios in Paris and dig into the voices, stories and production techniques, including vocal processing and instrument chopping, that give the album its distinctive sonic identity. Tracks discussed: No One Lasts Forever, Card Declined, Rock Music LISTEN to ‘Music, Fashion, Film’ - Charli XCX Inc, Atlantic Recording Corporation 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. Try the new ⁠⁠Tape It Denoiser ⁠⁠ currently 50% off! MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount⁠⁠ HERE⁠⁠ Recorded at Platoon Studios - ⁠⁠https://platoon.ai/⁠⁠ LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES ⁠⁠linktr.ee/tapenotes ⁠⁠ Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - ⁠⁠https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI⁠⁠ GEAR MENTIONS ⁠⁠DataMind Audio Concatenator⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Kilohearts PhasePlant⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Vermona DRM1 MKIV Drum Machine⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Sonic Charge Bitspeek⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Waldorf PPG Synth⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Pro Co RAT 2 Pedal⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Boss SD-1 Super OverDrive⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Roland TR-606⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Love Pedal Englishman⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Waves Butch Vig Vocals⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Soundtoys Little Alterboy ⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Chase Bliss CXM Reverb Pedal⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Boss PH-3 Phase Shifter Pedal⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Cableguys Shaperbox Plugin⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Moog Minimoog⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Gamechanger Audio Third Man Records PLASMA COIL⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Kilohearts Multipass⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Korg MS-20⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Prophet⁠⁠ ⁠⁠Logic Pro⁠⁠ 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 Discord: ⁠⁠Tape Notes⁠⁠ Patreon:⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Tape Notes⁠⁠ To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, 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 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Reissue | TN:54 Disclosure

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 Guy and Howard of Disclosure, digging into their 2020 record, 'ENERGY'. EPISODE NOTES Chosen from over 200 songs, the Guy and Howard break apart the individual parts and distinct sounds from the handful of tracks that made the cut. The boys take a deep dive into what it takes to make a Disclosure hit, revealing the tricks and tools they use along the way.  Listen to find out why the best hooks are written in 20 minutes, how conversations with Pharrell led to new chord progressions, and why the brothers nearly went the same way as Oasis. Tracks discussed: Douha (Mali Mali), Who Knew? & Birthday 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. Try the new ⁠⁠Tape It Denoiser ⁠⁠ currently 50% off! LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES  ⁠⁠https://linktr.ee/tapenotes⁠⁠    Listen to 'ENERGY' Island Records, Universal Music Operations Limited Intro Music - ⁠⁠Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective ⁠⁠ GEAR MENTIONS Korg PolySix⁠ ⁠Ableton⁠ ⁠Native Instruments⁠ ⁠Ample Bass⁠ ⁠Izotope Vocal Synth⁠ ⁠Tube-Tech CL 1B Compressor⁠ ⁠Neve Desk⁠ ⁠Moog Little Phatty⁠ ⁠Roland Juno 106⁠ ⁠Roland Boutique Synths⁠ ⁠ Roland D50⁠ ⁠Roland SH-101⁠ ⁠Universal Audio Apollos 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 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

TN:184 Myles Smith & Peter Fenn

John is joined by Myles Smith and producer Peter Fenn to discuss how they wrote, recorded and produced the album ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’. Myles Smith is a singer-songwriter from Luton in the UK. Performing at local open mic nights since his teens, he built a loyal fan base and landed a record deal with Sony thanks to cover versions he posted on Tiktok. In 2024, Myles’ single ‘Stargazing’ was a viral hit and has since been streamed over one billion times globally. The momentum of ‘Stargazing’ and other early singles helped establish Myles as one of the UK's most promising new artists. He won 2024’s BBC Introducing Artist of the Year and the BRIT Rising Star Award and is only the second artist, after Lewis Capaldi, to sell out London’s 02 Arena before releasing a debut album. ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’, his debut, produced by longtime collaborator Peter Fenn, arrived in June 2026. Sitting down at Salvation Studios in London, the trio discuss “getting out of the way of the song” as their approach to production on the album and how billion-streaming hit ‘Stargazing’ evolved into something really special in the studio. They explain why they prefer to be “in the box” when it comes to mixing, and reveal how they translated Myles’ original acoustic tracks into anthemic live performances, including “Myles Sauce” vocal techniques! Plus they answer questions from our Patrons! Tracks discussed: Stargazing, My Mess, Dying Days LISTEN to ‘My Mess, My Heart, My Life’ - It’s Okay To Feel, Sony Music: My Mess, My Heart, My Life. by Myles Smith  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. Try the new Tape It Denoiser  currently 50% off! TRINITY LABAN Find out more about Trinity Laban’s new MA in Songwriting.   MUSIVERSAL Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE Recorded at Salvation Studios LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES   linktr.ee/tapenotes  Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective - https://lynkify.in/song/sunshine-buddy/YT47TLFI  GEAR MENTIONS Soundtoys Decapitator  Neural Archetype: Cory Wong X Audiomovers Listento Hofner Bass iZotope Vocal Synth 2 Shure SM7B Neumann U87 Oek Sound Soothe2 Leapwing DynOne Valhalla Reverb The God Particle Waves NS1 UAD Hitsville EQ UAD 1176 UAD Lexicon Reverb UAD Capitol Chambers UAD Spark UA Apollo Xfer Serum Ebow Soyuz Pencil Mic  Taylor Acoustic Guitars 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 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