John links up with Snarky Puppy founder and band leader Michael League to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest record ‘Empire Central’, as well as works from Varijashree Venugopal and a new project, Ellipsis.
Michael League is an American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of jazz fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy. Now with a reputation as one of the most innovative bands of the 21st century, constantly pushing the boundaries of improvisation and the styles they draw from, Snarky Puppy’s 20 year back catalogue includes 16 albums, and five Grammy wins. Outside of the band, Michael has shared his production and writing talents on records from David Crosby, Becca Stevens, Varijashree Venugopal and many more.
Speaking from his home studio in Spain, Michael digs into his production process, from crafting rough Logic demos and editing lengthy improvisations to blending global influences with Western jazz. He also shares the technical details of Snarky Puppy’s vast recording setup and treats us to a live demo of his current go-to, the Danelectro Sitar.
Tracks discussed: Bet, Ranjani, Obbakoso
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.
MUSIVERSAL
Skip the waitlist and get your discount HERE
LISTEN to ‘Empire Central’ here.
GroundUP Music
LISTEN to ‘Vari’ here.
GroundUP Music
LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES
linktr.ee/tapenotes
Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective
GEAR MENTIONS
Lauten Audio LS-208
Lauten Audio Snare Mic
Lauten Audio Atlantis FC-387
Audio-Technica Mics
Danelectro Sitar
F-Bass Hammertone 12-String
Fender Rhodes
Roland Space-Echo
Ebow
Moog Bass
Logic Pro
Avid ProTools
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
Twitter: @tapenotes
Facebook: @tapenotespodcast
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
TAPE NOTES TEAM
John Kennedy
Will Brown
Tim Adam-Smith
Will Lyons
Nico Varanese
Guy Nicholls
Jessica Clucas
Ali Lewis
