We interviewed John Cale in issue #156 around the time of his previous release, Mercy. He has just released POPtical Illusion, a collection of synth and keyboard heavy tunes that carry a heavy, and at times angry message about the state of the world. That is not to say that that Cale has lost all hope and there is optimism that we can still bring about change. POPtical Illusion was produced by Cale along with longtime artistic collaborator Nita Scott.
Every few years it seems time to give a brief explanation of how Tape Op Magazine "works." We constantly get letters from folks who are amazed that this magazine arrives to them for free. Well, it's actually very simple: you pay for...
Speaking of the art world, reader Halsey Burgund sent a link to his installation that “involves some unconventional recording techniques, mainly doing it wirelessly and using lots of open-source and customized software.” Looks like fun...
Craft Recordings has just released a select compilation of Miles Davis' recordings from 1954 for the Prestige label. I just got the Miles '54: The Prestige Recordings vinyl release, and it is a beautiful box set package with four discs, a...
by Alex Maiolo
One of our patron saints of recording, Mitch Easter [Tape Op #21], turns 70 today. That's almost irrelevant, as this treasure of a human should be celebrated every day, but it prompted me to write about his impact.
Like anyone,...
Via the Village Voice and meta-via Brooklyn Vegan comes the tragic news that the NYC recording studio operated by Daptone Records was burgled last night, with a remarkable amount of main brain Gabe Roth's vintage gear lost. Even...
THE ERA OF HI-RES DIGITAL AUDIO IS HERE
I’ve been watching the rise of hi-end digital audio recently, and as I put the individual pieces together over the past year or so a picture is emerging that has inspired me to claim that we are...
Listen
One of my favorite records of 2024 to date is Phosphorescent’s Revelator. It’s a beautifully recorded album, featuring Matthew Houck's timeless songwriting and lyrics plus gorgeous arrangements. I was hooked the first...
Okay, so that's not the most original headline ever. I check the MySpace site once every 6 months and see old notes from friends about things that happened ages ago. Sorry. Oops. But what really drives me bat-shit is seeing ads like "Learn Audio...