Clay Blair: From the Producer’s Workshop to Boulevard Recording

BY LARRY CRANE

I had heard, from contributor Alex Maiolo, that someone from North Carolina had moved out to L.A. and accidentally discovered and re-opened the famed Producer's Workshop studio in Hollywood. That someone is Clay Blair, so I dropped in on him to find out the story behind revitalizing this studio that had seen artists like Fleetwood Mac, Steely Dan, Ringo Starr, Carly Simon, Ray Charles, Neil Diamond, and famously Pink Floyd wrapped up The Wall here in 1979. Later the place went under the name Westbeach Recorders, and a new era of bands like Blink 182, The Offspring, Bad Religion, MXPX, The Melvins, Rancid, Rocket from the Crypt, Concrete Blonde and Mazzy Star made use of the space. In the new era as Boulevard Recording, the studio has seen sessions with War on Drugs, Moby, Jim James, producer Frank Tetaz [Gotye], Joel Little (producer of Lorde's debut), Bob Rock and The Cult, and producer Eric Rosse.

Jesper “Yebo” Reginal: Crunchy Frog Records

BY ALEX MAIOLO

Independent scenes were popping up all over the US and UK in the '80s and '90s. Labels like Touch & Go and Merge started in spare bedrooms. Simple Machines went so far as to give away their Mechanic's Guide, which demystified the process of recording and distributing your own music. The DIY spirit was everywhere, eventually even giving birth to magazines like Tape Op. Northern Europe, however, was another story. What we take for granted simply didn't exist in countries like Denmark. In a rules-based society, traditionally rooted in Jante Law (the idea that there is a pattern of group behavior), it was utterly revolutionary for Jesper "Yebo" Reginal to start the Crunchy Frog label, in 1994, pre-Internet, with no owner's manual. With the signing of The Raveonettes, the subsequent release of their acclaimed Whip It On, and a follow up with the massive international dance hit, "Move Your Feet," by Junior Senior, things went to the next level. As a monster drummer, Yebo's impressive CV includes time with Tothe International, Junior Senior, Heavy Trash (with Jon Spencer), Danish legends Psyched Up Janis and, along with Tambourine Studio's Per Sunding, he's been "putting the 'urf' back in 'surf,' since 1999" in the instrumental supergroup Tremolo Beer Gut. The label recently hosted a 20-year anniversary party, selling out Copenhagen's Pumpehuset. Nearly 1000 people gathered to celebrate, drinking bespoke Mikkeller beer, and Charles Smith wine, made specially for the event, as bands played until the sun came up, proving Crunchy Frog is his greatest accomplishment.

The Future of Clocks: Clarifications in the Audio Clocking Paradigm

BY ALLEN FARMELO