Tape Notes is a “podcast about the art and craft of music production.”

What makes a music producer “good”? What does it mean when critics deem a song or album “overproduced”? And does any of this matter if long-play albums are on the demise?

“What’s interesting is how interested in the album people still are,” says John Kennedy, host of Tape Notes, our guest on MetaPod this week. “It’s not just older artists, but new artists as well.”

Aside from hosting Tape Notes, John Kennedy is a radio presenter on Radio X in the UK. His radio programme, X-Posure, features new bands and music. John’s life-long love for discovering new music perfectly positions him for these roles, as you’ll hear when he explains the origins of the Tape Notes podcast.

“I think the idea of the album is still there even for young artists who are maybe 20 years of age,” said Kennedy. “They still feel as if they want to write and record an album at some point. That’s still on the list of things that they want to try and do as an artist. It’s a stage to get to and to go through.”

In this episode of MetaPod, we talk to John Kennedy about the collaborative dynamics between musicians and producers. Based on what he has learned, John tells us what he thinks constitutes a “good” producer and why a song or album might be deemed “overproduced”.

He shines a light on the role of engineers in the production process too. And because music comes from the “inner sanctum,” we talk to John about what some of the more personal issues are for musicians currently.

Finally, Wendy and Kevin subject John to a quick-fire round of questions to discover his favourite albums, producers, gigs, and new bands.

Show notes

• Radio X presents: A Conversation with Johnny Marr
• Chartreuse
• In A Silent Way by Miles Davis
• X-Posure with John Kennedy

About John Kennedy

John Kennedy is a music industry legend responsible for breaking new music on his Radio X show (formerly XFM) for over 20 years. In 2008 John first compered the Quarry stage at In The Woods and has been a loyal friend and supporter of the festival ever since.

With his encyclopedic knowledge of bands, insatiable appetite for music and thousands of interviews under his belt, John is the perfect host to explore the captivating world of music production on Tape Notes.

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