RZA: From Brownsville to Baroque & Back
by Sam Retzer
Born in Brownsville, Brooklyn, and the musical force of Staten Island’s Wu-Tang Clan, RZA (Robert Fitzgerald Diggs) is easily one of the most revered and gifted producers of his generation....
interviews
We talk at length with record-makers about how they make records.
John Wood: Techniques in Sound
by Larry Crane
Allan Taylor, John Wood, Dave Mattacks, and Pat Donaldson at Sound Techniques, recording Cajum Moon's self-titled LP, Fall 1975. If I look at my record collection, there are so many favorites...
Joe Boyd: Roots of Rhythm
by Ian Brennan
Having produced classic albums for Nick Drake, Richard & Linda Thompson, R.E.M., and Toots and the Maytals, amongst others, Joe Boyd [Tape Op #60] is arguably the most renowned, living, roots...
John “Spud” Murphy: Filling in the Frequencies
by Steve Silverstein
While I only casually follow British music magazines like The Quietus and Uncut, their frequent championing of the band Lankum caught my eye, and upon hearing the 2023 album, False Lankum, they...
Linda Smith: Embracing Limitations, Expanding Boundaries
by Lisa Machac
Linda Smith is a pioneering figure in the bedroom pop genre. With her introspective lyrics and DIY approach to recording, Smith's lo-fi sound was first captured in cassette releases in the '80s and...
The Messthetics and James Brandon Lewis: At Tonal Park
by Sam Retzer
What happens when you combine the rhythmic backbone of Fugazi veterans Joe Lally (bass) and Brendan Canty (drums, Tape Op #12) with the soaring heights of James Brandon Lewis’ sax, and douse...
Jeff Jones: The Jedi Master
by Ian Brennan
@ Scovil Productions, Norwalk, CT Jeff “The Jedi Master” Jones has been an engineer and producer for music and films in New York City for over 40 years. Starting out as a teenager in...
Joseph LeDoux: Brains & Music
by Richard Barone
Every musician knows that music, memory, and emotion are connected. But how? Joseph LeDoux, Professor of Science and director of the Emotional Brain Institute at New York University, and author of...
Colin Marston: Out of the Cave, Into the Woods
by Sam Retzer
After 18 years helming his studio Menegroth: The Thousand Caves, in Woodhaven, Queens, Colin Marston is alone with his synths. Gearing up to tour behind his band Krallice's latest opus Inorganic...
Fred Thomas: $30 and Ingenuity
by Carolyn Zaldivar Snow
There are too many bands Fred Thomas has touched in his 30 years of touring. Ask him for a count on projects, and he'll tell you he doesn't keep track. The end of 2023 saw Fred's departure from...
Russ Titelman: "There was no school for this."
by Gus Berry
Few people in the music industry have been involved in as many influential records as Russ Titelman. As a teenager, he was making music and running around with the likes of Gerry Goffin, Carole King,...
Lance Skiiiwalker: I Love the Sounds
by Larry Crane
Born Lance Howard, Lance Skiiiwalker was "discovered" by Kendrick Lamar and signed to Top Dawg Entertainment (TDE) a number of years back. Lance's first full release, Introverted Intuition, and his...