TN:96 Mahalia & JD. Reid

In this episode, John heads over to Spitfire Audio to chat with Mahalia and producer JD. Reid about how they wrote, recorded and produced the EP ‘Letter To Ur Ex’. Looking back on their early writing sessions together, the pair reflect on their very first meeting and the approach they took to get the best out of one another. From scatting line after line over a beat and jamming ideas until something just sticks, to the promise of food as a reward for finishing each section of a song. Alongside sharing their thoughts on blending the worlds of hip-hop and R&B, we’re treated to a production deep dive, looking at the intricate relationships between the parts that make up a beat and the small yet essential ingredients that add so much to each track in such subtle ways. Listen to find out why Mahalia sometimes sings with a man’s voice, what moments just scream out for a Talk Box, and why it’s always important to look at a track as more than just an instrumental and vocal.   Tracks discussed: Letter To Ur N(ex)t, Whatever Simon Says, In The Club   Listen to ‘Letter To Ur Ex’ here. ‘Letter To Ur Ex’ - Warner Music UK   Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel Collective   LINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES  https://linktr.ee/tapenotes    GEAR MENTIONS Wavesfactory Cassette Tape Saturation Goodhertz Lossy Spectrasonics Omnisphere Arturia CS80 Arturia Mellotron Arturia Juno Chorus  Antares Autotune Keyscape Rhodes UAD Empirical Labs Distressor UAD Empirical Labs Pultec Universal Audio Apollo Twin (JD’s Interface) Native Instruments Rickenbacker Bass Native Instruments Reaktor Native Instruments Kontakt Valhalla Reverbs Valhalla Shimmer Spitfire Strings Spitfire Audio Talk Box MicroKorg Shure SM7B Splice Logic Pro   OUR GEAR https://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgear    HELP SUPPORT THE SHOW If you'd like to help support the show you can donate as little or as much as you'd like here, (we really appreciate your contributions :)  Donate   KEEP UP TO DATE For behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on:  Instagram: @tapenotes  Twitter: @tapenotes  YouTube: Tape Notes Podcast Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  Discord: Tape Notes   To let us know the artists you’d like to hear, Tweet us, slide into our DMs, send us an email or even a letter. We’d love to hear!  Visit our website to join our mailing list: www.tapenotes.co.uk    TAPE NOTES TEAM Will Brown - Executive Producer, Engineer & Editor Tim Adam-Smith - Executive Producer Will Lyons - Editor Herbie Elton-Rowley - Videographer George Durston - Assistant Nathan Hetherington - PR Rebecca Ibbotson - Digital Marketing