Tape Op Magazine - Issue #93

Interviews

Justin Meldal-Johnsen (bonus)

By John Baccigaluppi

I first met Justin Meldal-Johnsen via our mutual friend, Lyle Workman, at a NAMM show. He was a Tape Op reader and seemed like a cool dude. He's also got a big fro, so when I saw him on some TV show playing bass with Beck, I recognized him right away and was like, "Hey that's...

Interviews

Steve Lillywhite: U2, Peter Gabriel, XTC

By Max Hsu, John Baccigaluppi

Near the end of my interview with Steve Lillywhite, CBE, he confessed to me, "My first thought is that I hate doing some of these interviews. I thought Tape Op was like the other audio magazines, and I just hate talking about gear and such. "No, we're nothing like that," I...

Interviews

Bill Laswell: PiL, Material, Herbie Hancock

By Peter Wetherbee, Brian T Silak

Whether printing complex mixes, section-by-section through old Neve consoles without automation to 1/2-inch tape, or hauling recording rigs and generators into the mountains of Morocco, Bill Laswell embodies a fearless resolve in creating a discography that no one can touch in terms of depth...

Interviews

Bill Laswell (bonus): PiL, Material, Herbie Hancock

By Peter Wetherbee

Whether printing complex mixes, section-by-section, through old Neve consoles without...

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Brian Kehew: Digging in the Vaults

BY LARRY CRANE

Brian Kehew is well known as the co-author (with Kevin Ryan) of the massive book Recording The Beatles [Tape Op #53]. But he's also been a fill-in keyboardist (and live tech) for The Who and a member of the charming group The Moog Cookbook (with Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.). Oh, and he's played on, engineered and produced a number of albums, and has been the Archives Historian for the Bob Moog Foundation. But, as far as I can tell, he also has the coolest job around; combing the vaults of the big record labels looking for unreleased tracks and outtakes to mix them. I met up with Brian at his modest studio in North Hollywood, California.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Brian Kehew (bonus): Digging in the Vaults

BY LARRY CRANE

Brian Kehew is well known as the co-author (with Kevin Ryan) of the massive book Recording The Beatles [ #53URL]. But he's also been a fill-in keyboardist (and live tech) for The Who, as well as a member of the charming group The Moog Cookbook (with Roger Joseph Manning, Jr.). Oh, and he's played on, engineered and produced a number of albums, plus he's been the Archives Historian for the Bob Moog Foundation. But, as far as I can tell, he also has the coolest job around: combing the vaults of the big record labels looking for unreleased tracks and outtakes, and getting to mix them as well. I met up with Brian at his modest studio in North Hollywood, California.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

David Longstreth: of the Dirty Projectors

BY DAN DUSZYNSKI, SHAWN BRACKBILL

The days of white lab coats at Abbey Road are long gone. Recording technology has never been more accessible to musicians, and there is a well-defined lineage of great artists who can both craft a song and perfect its sonic reality. The Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth is among the best of them. From home recording experiments to live orchestra cut-ups to hi-fi conquests, he's covered an intimidating amount of ground in ten years and twelve releases. The band's latest LP, Swing Lo Magellan, is the culmination of his abilities as a songwriter and an engineer.

FEBRUARY 23, 2026 INTERVIEWS

Justin Meldal-Johnsen: M83, Tegan & Sara, Paramore

BY JOHN BACCIGALUPPI, ALEXANDRA ELLA

I first met Justin Meldal-Johnsen via our mutual friend, Lyle Workman, at a NAMM show. He was a Tape Op reader and seemed like a cool dude. He's also got a big 'fro, so when I saw him on a TV show, playing bass with Beck, I recognized him right away. Well, Mr. Meldal-Johnsen has done much more than play bass with Beck. He's also been Mr. Hansen's musical director, a role he's also filled for Charlotte Gainsbourg and Gnarls Barkley. More recently, he's moved into production. So, when I was in L.A. on a recent surf trip and the opportunity came up to interview him about making records, I enthusiastically jumped at the chance. And, as I suspected, I had a great time chatting with Justin at Sunset Sound's Studio 3 while he was there producing a new Paramore album.

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COLUMNS

by John Baccigaluppi

GEAR REVIEWS