Hanging Out With Audiophiles

So I was introduced to Emily at an Ableton event here in Nashville and we were chatting about some pretty specific protools stuff. Something insane about how she needed to have a flightcase for an old Mac Pro to do her job. It was all very unusual. I had no idea who I was talking to tbh. But I could tell she had a WAY of doing things. Turns out she’s one of the biggest vocal producers working!  No big deal. She’s recorded and produced for folks like Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Ke$ha, Miley Cyrus, Jessie J, Flo Rida, Kelly Clarkson and WAY more.  In 2010, Emily began work on Katy Perry's Teenage Dream as an engineer. She also engineered eight songs and co-wrote one song ("Gasoline") on Britney Spears' Femme Fatale (not to mention her work on Circus, Pretty Girls and Britney Jean) So it turns out she’s seen and heard a LOT of craziness at a very high level. We are talking about top tier pop recording. I’ve never chatted with someone who’s been in this particular line of work so it was ace just trying to work

Whether or not you know the full, hard history of Lee Fields, I think 50 years into his music career, 10 years since he found the Expressions, and nearly 7 decades of a life that began in Civil Rights-era North Carolina make 2019 a prime time to celebrate "the coolest motherf***er to sing words into a microphone" (Vice). Across dozens of record labels, countless periods of defeat, and stretches of near-retirement, Lee jumpstarted the legacy of Charles Bradley and Sharon Jones, laid the groove for songs by Travis Scott and J Cole, and - with April 5th album It Rains Love (Big Crown) - will affirm his position as the new, benevolent standard of soul.    On Episode 45 of HOWA, I feel very lucky to had a (rather scratchy sounding) phone chat with both Lee and producer Leon Michels (Lana Del Rey, Adele, Beyoncé & Jay Z) on how they've spent the past 20 years or so together, crossing analog and digital mediums, multiple generations of tape saturation, and six consecutive hours of vocal takes at a time to get th

Want to get into Endless? Here’s the link to the HOWA jam http://bit.ly/HOWAjam I met Tim Shaw aka Tim Exile in Berlin in the mid 2000s We were 2 brits roasting in the furnace of creativity that was cooking in the East It was a heady time. There were so many amazing performers around Everyone from Peaches to Kevin Blechdom, Errorsmith to Neubauten  You could inhale the punk as a gas and it fueled a lot of invention at that time Tech was on that more steady and tangible bubble up and we were all trying to see how to combine our strengths with that digital promise. Around 2000 I had decided to drop out of music making to be a builder of machines. I got completely taken by the promise of Max/Msp and indeed it allowed me a great freedom to combine my voice and my obsession with the machine in a new way I was making a living looping and Tim caught wind of those early shows and it set him off on a journey to build an absolute BEAST of a looper I had travelled the Max way, Tim took the Reaktor to the loop limit.  Hi

The sequel usually disappoints. Not this time.  Greg and I literally go into outer space and beyond the grave in this cosmic excursion. Earthly concerns addressed in good measure also. An immense pleasure to chat in such great depth with this absolutely superb chap.  

Welcome to the first of a two part epic chat with the excellent Greg Wells!  Yes! Mr. G.W. is a ludicrously talented chap. He’s produced and written with Adele, he’s responsible for the hugely successful The Greatest Showman: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, he’s a long time collaborator with the lesser known Katy Perry, I mean who’s ever heard of Ariana Grande ? Or Pink ? Pharrell Williams,  Burt Bacharach, Elton John ... Too MUCH and yet, this list is a mere micro dose of Greg’s funk menu. It must feel amazing to able to express yourself on the drums, the piano and with the world of synths and also mixing and recording equipment. It’s not RIGHT to be good at it all and yet Greg has the skills to write, play, record, mix. I think it's safe to say, he has ALL the skills. What's more, he has an unbelievable amount of knowledge and experience all in a generous and light hearted frame that is most fun to be around. There are so many milestones along his timeline that would be pinnacles of achievement for mos

Hello 41 !  Hello to this now vintage chat with Matt Sweeney recorded June 14 2018. I was first introduced to Matt trough my friend Pete Townsend. Not THAT Pete but another Pete!  There’s a rather fantastic band by the name of Super Wolf and Pete plays drums, Matt’s on guitar and Will Oldham aka Bonnie Prince Billy is singing.  It’s hard to not be moved by that music and every element is crucial to the buzz.  Who’s that amazing guitarist you ask? Yep, it’s Matt Sweeney. Let’s have a quick celebratory tour around some of this lads achievements! He’s been in bands like Skunk, Chavez and Super Wolf He’s played on records with Johnny Cash, Cat Power, Andrew W. K., Run the Jewels, Eagles of Death Metal and maybe more He’s produced .. oh boy he’s produced! He’s lent a crucial touch to the making of the Red Dead Redemption 2 soundtrack.  (This is the then secret stuff we couldn’t talk about!) In 2016, Sweeney toured with Iggy Pop and Josh Homme to support their album Post Pop Depression. He’s been interview by the E

Episode 40 welcomes Travis Stewart aka Machine Drum to the pod! Travis is a badass I've know for some time now and is someone I’m lucky to call a friend at this point. We made it to brunching status ! I’ve had him over to the house in Nashville and we jammed once which makes me think We really need to do that again! I’ve also sung on a JETS track U.N.I. which was a real rush.  Travis is one of those characters that gets the magic side of music. He gets the fact that the presentation of ideas is important. To DREEEEAAAAMMMM He gets that you don’t need much kit to make amazing shit (you can quote me on that) He also gets that it’s good to share.  So enjoy our ramble back in time. Yes! We get into some Machinedrum time travel. How did a kid from small town USA get to wander so free? The man is prolific and talented having pushed quality sounds through labels of distinction such as: Ninja Tune LuckyMe Merck Records Planet Mu Producing work for Theophilus London, Jesse Boykins III, Azealia Banks, and oh so many mo

I’m so fortunate to have one of my favourite UK musicians on the show, Mr Alexis Taylor. A founding member of the now legendary Hot Chip, he’s been releasing music for good whee while now and by gosh it’s all superb. His clothing choices are also second to none. The man marches to the beat of his own drum machine. I REALLY hope you’re not aware of Alexis thus far so you get to experience the joy of opening up his catalog as it were the first snow you’d ever seen on your lawn. The majesty!!! Hello Alexis!    GIG ALERT   Alexis has got a seriously cool show coming up very soon in NYC March 15th and 16th https://www.metmuseum.org/events/programs/met-live-arts/alexis-taylor-19 Needless to say, this is a MUST for any New Yorkers. He’s playing together with the amazing Money Mark, my super talented friend Jonny Lam, Annie Hart and visual master Nick Relph at the Met! Bloody hell. EPIC!   Today’s Nitty is a levels game.  I ask the potentially expensive question “does a DI/mic pre combo make eurorack belt harder?” F

Greetings from the adobe! Yeah we made it (finally) to Santa Fe :) The sky looks more impressive here. It’s really a breathtaking place. Anyway .. I digress. What’s in the Show??? My guest today is the wonderful Leo Ross.  A lovely chap I met at a BBQ in LA hosted by Si Bonobo and his girlfriend last year.  Leo’s a mellow badass. A sonic raven. One of those low key players that’s really found a great way to carve out a rich musical life as a composer, sound designer, guitarist and dreamer. He’s worked with loads of ace folk including the incredible Grace Jones, Bad Religion, Korn and also a lot with his super talented brother, Atticus Ross. He picked up a BMI film music award for his work on “Book of Eli” I was fascinated to hear about his path from the late 90s to now. We chatted in December 2018 hence talk of the “minimal tree” Verrrry happy to have the raven on the pod. Music for EP38 comes from my old friend Dana wachs. We worked together way back in the mid 2000s and since then she’s mixed live sound for

Hello JMJ!   Bass player badass who’s thumbed the metal for beck, NIN, Air and so many more Producer of paramore, M83 and so many more. The man wears many hats. Although the only one I’ve SEEN him in is a dodgers cap! JMJ was kind enough to host me at his rather splendid home studio in Glendale LA. Chock full o drool worthy wobblers of the various golden eras he’s amassed the sonic arsenal to tackle almost any production task   I’ve had the pleasure of recording music with justin when beck invited me to a session some time ago and I was blown away by his playing. He’s one of the most incredible bass cats out there. Combining THAT talent with a deep sense of how to get THOSE tones positions him as a perfect producer and he’s done bloody well in that role. Big hat stacks!   We chat about the wonderful gear he’s collected and why he is drawn to it. The chase of the buzz (big topic). The path to avoid burn out. A little arm chair philosophy on the nature of sound and MORE! Ha.    It gives me great pleasure to wel

I’m very happy to say I’ve got Paul Webb aka Rustin man on the show! Paul will be known by many as the the bass player in legendary 80s band Talk Talk. I will admit to my shame that I was unaware of Paul’s work as Rustin Man and even largely the work of Talk Talk. I know. I know!  I AM shamed. BUT I am feeling mighty chuffed to have the window of learning open wide. I now feel I can plunge into the deeps with a direct blessing from Mr Webb! Not only was Paul the bass end of the mighty T.T. but he has released the superb Out Of Season, a collaboration with Beth Gibbons of Portishead as Rustin Man. That happened in 2002. He produced a record by James Yorkston in 2006 called “the year of the leopard” which is a gorgeous listen. Also he produced an LP with Dez Mona in 2009. A little timeline for ya.   He latest record is due Feb 1st 2019 on Domino records. It’s called “Drift Code” and it’s a  I can assure you, it’s a corker! A generous, expansive, deep, detailed work. Something very rare in these disposable days

Hey 19 Happy 19 Intrepid 19 Here's to you and me in the new year. Let's GO!  I'm kicking this annual run of shows in the stars with a chat with the chap that goes by the name of Juro Mez Davis. Starting as an MC in NYC and learning the ropes by pure graft and hands on MAKING with some intense folk (like MF doom) this guy can make a mix bump. We get into his come up and the work he does with Hip Hop legend J Cole! Yes indeed Thanks to Audeze for making the connection and providing stupidly good headphones. KOD by J Cole was MASTERED on the Audeze phones! craziness. In the nitty gritty I get into exploring a modified cassette deck as an echo. It's a wonderful and wobbly ride!  Thanks to Scott Campbell for his ingenious crafting and toil. It's a total treat to work with  n n n n n n nineteen!

HO HO HO HOWA! Yhep we made it to the end of year special Seasons greats from me to you! Couldn’t be spending this episode with a better round up companion. At long last I get to introduce you to the show’s spiritual advisor Mr Jake Aron! We’ve toured the world together. From tiny 100 seaters to opening for Prince ... We’ve mixed a bunch of my records (Compass, Jamie Lidell and Building a beginning)  We’ve grown in the game side by side and it’s been amazing to watch him rocking with a badass studio in Brooklyn and loads of sweet production and mixing under his belt. Like for example the rather fantastic and highly acclaimed 2018 Snail Mail record We chat about the present and the great come up Ah yeah welcome to HOWA the hilarious and humble Mr Aron. Stay tuned :)   Nitty wise I get into a noisy bath with the Koma electronics field kit. Motors on guitars, Heart beats down a wire, rhythmic radio rambles.. it’s my kind of box Speaking of boxes I hope you get a couple of good gifts for the Crimble! I raise my c

Welcome to another LA out and about pod, this time with the wonder that is Bobby Krlic Aka The Haxan Cloak. We fall into a distorted time line as we chew the mighty cud sat humbly outside his calm studio in Silverlake. You’ll hear the passings by of local wildlife faintly muttering as we pontificate the meaning of sound and have a good old fashioned ramble!  From Sludge to Hollywood From Laptops on a Brick to Bjork and Atticus Ross  Bobby’s story is the shit!  I’m very happy to have made his acquaintance and I trust you’ll be equally chuffed Let’s chat!   Today’s nitty sees Me paying homage to the work of sound artist and tape master Scott campbell who makes superb tape machine mods and sweet music! Find him on the gram here: @ondemagnetique @scttcmpbll This nitty is also inspired by the rather badass HAINBACH https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCeovElJP0n0i8ADaPsRSd8g   And in particular this tape loop demo (so helpful!) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYz2J4DmxVA YES! Music for EP 33 comes from Mischa Lively.

Imagine being a young engineer and being thrown into the heady reality of holding down the tape machines and such for MANY a vocal recording session with Mariah Carey! Would you enjoy that rush? Would you crumble? Imagine then going on to record and mix many many MANY albums for Alicia Keys… Imagine working with Usher, Jay-Z… Whitney Houston then opening your own brick and mortar studio in the heart of New York in 2011 Artists like Beyonce, Rihanna, Depeche Mode, J. Cole, Taylor Swift, Kendrick Lamar, Lorde and so many more have since worked there! Ann Mincieli is beyond the real deal. She has forged a career in the music biz at the highest level. On top of all her achievements she remains so humble and so hungry to learn! We get into chatting about a new thing she and Alicia Keys have started called “she is the music” Ann gives mention to these great female musicians/writers/producers/mixers. Check em out! Trakgirl @trakgirl Skylar Grey @SkylarGrey jennifer decilveo @hijennwhatsup Ingrid Andress @WhatIsAnIng

Here we go !  No big deal, it's only Spike Stent. One of the greatest mix engineers EVER. He's put his hands and ears on countless MASSIVE (literally! lol) records. He's got Grammy's galore. Name dropping casually he's worked with Madonna, Depeche Mode, Beyonce, Bjork, Ed Sheeran, Massive Attack, Frank Ocean... I mean too many to bloody mention tbh. Needless to say he's the REAL deal. All of that and a superb chap who makes me chuckle. We get into the micro and macro. Fractal chats y'all!  I get into using the polyend and dreadbox Medusa with the AMS 1580S for some sonic delights and music today is courtesy of MÒZÂMBÎQÚE  Hen-joy!     

Im very happy to be welcoming the mighty voice of Rag ’n Bone man to the show ! He’s lending his generous mind and voice and spreading a very welcome message of hope in these times. It can feel overwhelming in 2018. There’s so much noise, one might wonder if there’s a way to cut through? Well listen to Rory (rag’nbone) as he explains his path from small town England to riding high after his major LP release on Columbia, hit single around the world, multiple Brit awards and more!  I get into some fade waving in the nitty gritty and we have GUEST MUSIC thanks to Peter Ibbetson  I placed tracks from his Rivals EP on the show :) check the release here: https://soundcloud.com/peteribbetson/sets/peter-ibbetson-rivals-ep  

Welcome to another remote LA pod! It’s a REAL treat to have had a sit down and chin wag with the fabulous gent and badass musical mind that is Si Bonobo! We’ve orbited in the same musical lands since the early 2000’s and yet this is the first substantial convo we’ve had. Bring it on I say :) he welcomed me into his home, we killed the AC and sweated it out for your listening pleasures.   Twas a top chat. We get into the come up and the evolution of Si’s styles and touch on his amazing live show setup and philosophy. Couple of Brits at the end of the rainbow as it were. Chatting in the hills of LA. Must be doing something right!   Feeling very lucky.    In the nitty gritty I get into a tricky gritty trying to tame the forces of feedback once again. This time feeding an eq into it’s own mind. Does it work??   Av a listen!     Thank yee  Thank yee  

The Funk Lordz have boarded the pod. we go waaaaay back and yet we've rarely had a chance for a proper chin wag. They were rolling thro Nashville so I HAD to hang with these  2 legends! We talk about surviving and evolving, keeping it fresh, staying power, LA, New York, Prince and what not. Freestyle rambles of funk. Enjoy! In today's nitty I'm discovering what sonic salt might be.  Go easy. Remember they add more at restaurants.  Jake Aron on the metaphor. Too true. I'm happy to say that I'm also sponsored today by plugin alliance. The place to get some MAJOR sonic power tools. chuffed! thanks dudes :) check them here.  https://www.plugin-alliance.com

Welcome to 27. I’m in the distance pod this time chatting to the man like Chrome Sparks in Australia of all places… Not in person but over the magic Skype ping pong. It was a top treat to pick the brains of this intellectual craftsman. He’s a trained percussionist with a very good ear and bold song writing moves. Since 2010 he’s just not stopped Much inspiration as we talk about his past, the rise and the current set up both in the studio and live. We brave the eternal question… how does an electronic artist play live??? HOW??!?! HOWA??!?!? I dig into the multi tracking and phasing of effects to see if there are any simple pleasures hiding. Also I demo sounds from my NEW splice.com sound pack “TIME MODULATOR” Happy days