Tape Op Podcast

Italian engineer and mixer Riccardo Damian has had a hand in the music of a staggering list of artists. Bruno Mars, Lady Gaga, Miley Cyrus, Sampha, Lily Allen, Yebba, Ezra Collective, Alicia Keys, Drake and the list goes on. From interning in a small town in Italy to cutting his teeth in London's more prestigious studios and being Mark Ronson's main engineer, he has learned from mentors and carved a path and created a sound that is decidedly his own. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Ricky earlier this year to discuss his early days, the importance of being prepared and making sure technology never gets in the way. Enjoy! Sponsored by Antelope Audio https://antelopeaudio.com

What is the common thread between Spike Lee, The Grateful Dead, Don Henley, Bonnie Raitt, Pat Metheny, Justin Vernon, James Mercer, Branford Marsalis, Snoop Dog, Polo G and countless other music luminaries? That'd be Bruce Hornsby. His collaborations, songwriting, performances and oft sampled hit "The Way It Is" have kept Bruce Hornsby a vital force in the music community for almost four decades. Online publisher Geoff Stanfield caught up with Bruce recently to chat about his early days, scoring films for Spike Lee and the joys of a stolen Rhodes piano. Enjoy! Sponsored by Soundtoys https://soundtoys.com

Hey Tape Op Podcast Listeners! We know that there are some "standard of quality" issues with Linda's audio for this podcast segment. It was delivered over-compressed and even after some restorative work it remains a bit crunchy at times. Our judgment was that the content's quality outweighed the audio quality. It is worth bearing with it just to hear Linda's Dolly Parton impersonation, bluntness and infectious enthusiasm! Linda Perry had her first hit with “What’s Up?” in 1993, as lead singer and songwriter for 4 Non Blondes. Since then, she’s worked as a producer and songwriter for numerous artists, helping shape the sounds of P!nk, Christina Aguilera, Alicia Keys, Adele, and Dolly Parton, to name a few. In 2015, Perry was inducted into the Songwriter’s Hall of Fame, and in 2019 she received a historic Grammy nomination for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical, one of only nine women to ever be nominated, and the first female producer unattached to a production team. It’s hard to summarize her career, but sh

Daniel Lanois: If you have been a fan of music during the past 30 years, you have heard his production work with U2, Bob Dylan, Emmylou Harris, Willie Nelson, and countless others. In addition to helming these albums, he has had a long and storied solo career, releasing 21 albums since 1989 (release of Acadie). We've interviewed Daniel several times over the years, and it's always a great conversation, full of insights and pearls of wisdom. Geoff Stanfield caught up with him recently to discuss his latest release, Heavy Sun. Enjoy! Sponsored by oeksound https://oeksound.com

We first interviewed producer and engineer Joel Hamilton back in 2011 in Tape Op issue #85. Joel has worked on records with Elvis Costello, Norah Jones, Highly Suspect, Pretty Lights, Iggy Pop, The Black Keys, Matisyahu, Dub Trio, Bonobo and the list goes on. Online publisher Geoff Stanfield has worked on several projects with Joel going back a decade, so he decided to give him a call and have him go on the record about teaching in India, thoughts on asymmetry and a recent project with Rick Rubin and Paul McCartney. Enjoy! Sponsored by Burl Audio https://burlaudio.com

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ singer and songwriter Jolie Holland about Buck Meek’s 2021 release Two Saviors. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ producer and engineer Mark Rubel about The Band’s 1969 Release The Band. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ singer Rahill Jamalifard about The Electric Prunes 1968 album, Release of an Oath. Enjoy!

King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard have released a staggering amount of music over the last decade. Two of those releases, 2017's Flying Microtonal Banana and 2020's KG are both heavily influenced by Turkish Psych-Rock. Geoff Stanfield caught up with the band's main producer, writer, multi-instrumentalist and singer Stu Mackenzie to chat about this direction and take a deeper look at some of their favorite tracks on the most recent of the two albums, KG. Enjoy! Sponsored by ATO Records https://atorecords.com

Welcome to *Tape Op*’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about *their* favorite records. This week we chat w/ singer, songwriter and Vetiver frontman Andy Cabic about The Flying Lizards 1980 release *Fourth Wall*. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ mastering engineer Jessica Thompson about Scott Walker’s 1969 release Scott 3.

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ producer/engineer Beau Sorenson about Talk Talk’s 1991 release Laughing Stock. Enjoy!

Fleet Foxes recently released their 4th album Shore, a sprawling and at times cinematic work that began as a solo record for the band's singer and principal songwriter Robin Pecknold.  Written and recorded in several locations around the globe, Robin and engineer Beatriz Artola working with outside musicians and band members have created the band's most mature and engaging work to date. Geoff Stanfield caught up with Robin from their respective homes in Seattle and Los Angeles to talk about the process of recording the album and chat about some of their favorite tracks. Enjoy! Sponsored by Audix https://audixusa.com

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ producer Emch from Subatomic Sound System about Lee “Scratch” Perry and the Upsetters 1976 release Super Ape. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ drummer Erik Eldenius about Miles Davis’ 1968 release Nefertiti. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ engineer/producer Joe Barresi about Boston’s 1976 album "Boston". Enjoy!

Engineer and mixer Geoff Swan has gone from university student to studio owner, to producer Spike Stent’s assistant, back to studio owner and is now a go to engineer and mixer for some of today’s most exciting artists and producers. He has had a hand in the music of Ed Sheeran, Cardi B, Mahalia, Jonsí, 5 Seconds of Summer, Paul McCartney, The Weeknd, One Direction, Vance Joy, Liam Gallagher, Duran Duran, Charli XCX, and more. Geoff’s name kept showing up on record after record and in many conversations, so it seemed like a good time to catch up and get a sense of his career trajectory and his approach to mixing. Sponsored by Yamaha/Steinberg https://www.steinberg.net

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ song-writer Sadie Dupuis about Aimiee Mann’s 2002 release "Lost in Space". Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ drummer Mark Guiliana about LCD Soundsystem’s 2017 release American Dream. Enjoy!

Welcome to Tape Op’s DISCussion, where we call our friends and music community notables to talk about their favorite records. This week we chat w/ Sarah Jarosz about James McMurtry’s 1989 release Too Long in the Wasteland. Enjoy!