Tape-Op Making Music Conversations With Record Producers

You’ve seen Tape-Op Magazine in any Rock N Roll producer worth drinking with living room’s table near a liquor bottle. Akashic released a book Tape-Op Making Music Conversations With Record Producers which is edited by Tape-Op Magazine’s Larry Crane with John Baccigaluppi.

Tape-Op conversations with legendary producers starts with a premise – What does a Record Producer Do?

The table of contents Tape-Op Making Music Conversations With Record Producers is an impressive scroll. If you’re from a Hip Hop background, then your eyes become huge. RZA, Hank Shocklee, Jon Brion and Mark Ronson are interviewed.

Then you look at the Table of Contents again. Tape-Op’s book interviewed Lee Scratch Perry, Brian Eno, Jack Antonoff and Finneas O’Connell.

I started reading Tape-Op Making Music Conversations from the beginning because I assumed these other 20+ producers are important. I’m reading Glyn Johns discussing working with the Rolling Stones and other Rock N Roll legends like the Beatles, The Who, the Eagles and Led Zeppelin.

I’m realizing I just read about the recording of some legendary albums. I’m then basking in Lee “Skratch” Perry thaumaturgist absurdity. Lee “Skratch” Perry’s Tape-Op interview lives up to the Jamaican dub producer’s aura, which I’m immediately forgetting because Brian Eno is describing his approach to recording music.

During earlier interview in the Tape-Op book I heard people discussing knowing T-Bone Burnett. I didn’t know who the fuck T-Bone Burnett was. Now I know what it’s like to work with Elton John, Robert Plant, Elvis Costello and others. Did you know Daniel Lanois worked with U2, Bob Dylan, Neil Young and Willie Nelson? We learn about equipment, studios, rooms, process, labels and philosophies of working with artists. I’ve studied sampling as a process of learning about music history my entire life.

Tape-Op Making Music Conversations With Record Producers is like sitting in your friend’s studio and you teleport into an intimate moment of music history. I found myself completely engrossed in these men’s experience of capturing sound at important moments.

Public Enemy producer Hank Shocklee interview doesn’t appear until page 239. Everything is fitting that we follow Hank Shocklee from playing vinyl into understanding the spontaneity and organics of producing classic albums with Chuck D and Flavor Flav.

Next up is Fiona Apple’s producer Jon Brion who also composed for Kanye West’s Late Registration. Wu-Tang Clan’s RZA is interviewed about use an ASR. I’m contrasting Hank Shocklee’s discussion about making sound collages with vinyl with RZA freaking an ASR sampler. 4 Non Blonde’s Linda Perry is then interviewed about using an MPC. Linda Perry produced Pink, Christina Aguilera, and Gwen Stefani.

The Jack Antonoff interview finds the Tape-Op Making Music Conversations With Record Producer’s documentation from Rock N Roll, Hip Hop into the current music landscape relevant. Jack Antonoff works with Taylor Swift, Lorde, Kendrick Lamar, Clairo and Charli XCX. We went from Lee Scratch Perry and now I’m reading Billie Ellish producer’s Finneas O’Connell perspective about creating music.

Tape-Op Making Music Conversations With Record Producers presents every conversation with such disparate producers as if you’re in a room with legends who understand everything is about the reception of sound wave.