Interviews

WE TALK AT LENGTH WITH RECORD-MAKERS ABOUT HOW THEY MAKE RECORDS.

Dan The Automator

Interviews | No. 172

Dan The Automator

By Sam Retzer and John Baccigaluppi

It’s Sunday night in Manhattan at Irving Plaza, and Dan “The Automator” Nakamura takes the stage behind a mouthwatering wall of synths, across from Kid Koala [Tape Op#159] and his three turntables. Deltron 3030 is back to rock the same stage where they made their New York debut 25 years...

Mike Viola
Mar 5, 2026 NO. 169 Interviews

Mike Viola: A New Day and a New Song

Mike Viola is a musical powerhouse, in every sense. His fearless approach to songcraft and record making is uncanny. He also has the ability to deliver them with an impressive vocal performance. Mike has worked as a producer, engineer, songwriter, composer, performer, and A&R for...

Remembering Terry Manning
Mar 5, 2026 NO. 169 Interviews

Remembering Terry Manning

Terry Manning [Tape Op#58] had already changed my life before I ever met him. Like many of us in the recording and record-making community, his work with Big Star, Led Zeppelin, ZZ Top, and Booker T. & the M.G.’s, along with countless others, had shaped my listening ahead of my even...

The Ting Tings
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

The Ting Tings: They Started Something

Jules De Martino and Katie White are The Ting Tings. Their debut record, We Started Nothing, featured the hit song, “That's Not My Name,” one you may have heard in Apple iPod ads and many films over the last several decades. Home is their fifth and newest album, produced, recorded...

Michael Andrews
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Michael Andrews

I'm not even sure of when or how we met, but I've known film composer and musician/producer Michael Andrews quite a while. We co-interviewed John Stephens, the brains behind the Stephens Electronics tape decks, in Tape Op#54 nearly 20 years ago, and have kept in touch since...

Shigeto is Zach Saginaw
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Shigeto is Zach Saginaw

Being in motion while at rest is a good way to describe Detroit’s Zach Saginaw, better known as Shigeto. The self-avowed “jazz school dropout” possesses a critically vetted track record, delivering meticulous records where jazz, hip-hop, and IDM elements blossom from casual bedroom...

Chris Coady
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Chris Coady

We interviewed producer, engineer, and mixer Chris Coady, back in 2016 for Tape Op issue #113. He has worked with TV On The Radio [Tape Op#155], Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Future Islands, Beach House, DIIV, The Drums, Porches, Amen Dunes [#164], SASAMI [#157], Hand Habits...

Felipe Castañeda
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Felipe Castañeda: Out on the Ranch

Originally from Mexico City, Felipe Castañeda is the senior house engineer at Sonic Ranch [Tape Op#94]. Felipe is currently working with two critically acclaimed indie artists at Sonic Ranch studios – Blackwater Holylight, Rachel Eckroth, Portugal. The Man, Strawberry Guy, and a...

Charlie Peacock
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Charlie Peacock: Being a Good Steward

He might be one of the best producers and artists out there, but it’d be hard to tell from Charlie Peacock’s humble demeanor when you get to talk with him. His recent book, Roots & Rhythm: A Life in Music, is an engaging read, chronicling a life growing up in Northern California’s...

Vanessa Parr
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Vanessa Parr: "I Like To Record"

After studying Music Production and Engineering at Berklee College of Music, Vanessa Parr headed to L.A. and promptly jumped into studio work. After almost 13 years at The Village as an assistant and engineer, she's now freelancing and teaching. Her experience is wide, having...

Paul Malinowski
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Paul Malinowski: Massive Sounds

Paul Malinowski is a cornerstone of the Kansas City, Missouri rock scene. His production beginnings from the 1990s and 2000s, plus his presence in the close-knit late-'80s scene, helped spawn the now-iconic KC sound. Paul is an engineer, producer, and musician who was a founding...

Chris Tabron
Mar 6, 2026 NO. 168 Interviews

Chris Tabron: A Mutual Commitment to Excellence

I met Chris Tabron in New York at the AES Convention in 2019. We stayed in touch over social media, and I started to realize this was a compelling music maker whose discography was as all over the place as my own. When I asked Larry and John at Tape Op if they’d be up for an interview...

Bob Blank
Mar 5, 2026 NO. 167 Interviews

Bob Blank: Catching the Moment

Bob Blank built his own Blank Tape Studio in downtown New York City in the mid-‘70s out of spare parts and eventually grew the operation into a multiroom facility. Blank Tape recorded everything, from gold and platinum selling disco records to the Talking Heads, Television, The B-52s...