Tape Op Magazine - Issue #149

Stu Mackenzie of King Gizzard & the Lizard Wizard

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JULY 23, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Groenalund: Keeping the ABBA Sound Alive

BY KAI LANAK, GREG CHARLES

Throughout his eight-year adventure of recording and producing Groenalund, a project for capturing the sound of the group ABBA, Martin Gerke has overcome plenty of discouragement. However, over the last couple years the pieces have finally come together for his debut release. What no one could have predicted is that ABBA, after a 40-year hiatus, would also release a new album (Voyage) with new songs at the same time. Martin's intense passion for capturing the sound of ABBA eventually took him to ABBA member Benny Andersson's studio Riksmixningsverket (RMV Studio) in Stockholm, Sweden. Groenalund includes vocalists Sarah Schumacher, Mabel Winkler, and Karo Biewald. Even Janne Schaffer, ABBA's session guitarist, befriended Martin and ended up playing on the upcoming Groenalund album, #lovestorm. Photo Above: L to R: Mabel Winkler, Sarah Schumacher, Karo Biewald, and Martin Gerke

JULY 23, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Sami Perez: Breaking the Rules

BY DIANA LUNGU, AVINASH MITTUR

Many folks who work in the studio straddle the line between musician and engineer on any given day. Sami Perez has kept her feet in both worlds since her teenage years. The result is a sparkling body of work with her bands The She's and Harry the Nightgown, as well as a variety of credits such as The Dates, Sasami, Sonny & The Sunsets, and The California Honeydrops. Specific gear and toys didn't find their way much into our chat when we met at her Wiggle World Studio in L.A. Instead, the effort to keep an analog mind in a digital world became the theme of the hour, and, for my own adventures, the topic of the year.

JULY 23, 2025 INTERVIEWS

The Mental Health of Making Records

BY KYLE MICHAEL NICOLAIDES

Making records has been both blissful and traumatic for me. I've made records with people (and in environments) so un-fun it could make a horrifying night on ayahuasca seem like a family trip to the ice cream parlor. I won't bore you with horror stories, but my overall point is that making records can be hard on our mental health, and your mental health can deeply affect your ability to make these records. These two are not separate. My goal in writing this piece is to help us all take better care of our mental health while recording. I, jokingly – yet not so jokingly – will tell you, "I put my 10,000 hours into suffering while making records so you don't have to." Here's what I learned. [Please note that this article mentions suicide. Help is always available. Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 if you are having any life-threatening issues. -Ed]

JULY 23, 2025 INTERVIEWS

Jay Ruston: It’s All Subjective

BY DIANA LUNGU, AVINASH MITTUR

Metal albums live in a perpetual battle between clarity and attitude, and Jay Ruston has become a go-to for heavy artists looking to toe that line. His productions harken back to an era of analog goodness, but with a modern aggression and deference to metal's penchant for technical wizardry. He's become a go-to for L.A.'s hair metal jokesters Steel Panther, as well as bug-eyed thrashers like Anthrax and Mr. Bungle. But no matter who the artist is, the result always seems to contain at least some Jay Ruston signatures: clear yet searing guitars, snapping and popping drums, and pristine vocals that would make pop producers envious.

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