Larry Crane, editor/founder

1. Emily A. Sprague
   Cloud Time
   Listen

My partner at Tape Op, John Baccigaluppi, turned me onto Emily A. Sprague's music and he interviewed her for Tape Op #171. Late night/early morning looping dreamscapes with so many cool bits and textures. If you like Brian Eno [#85] at his spaciest or Steve Roach...

As any longtime reader of Tape Op will know, I've been a big Pink Floyd fan since I first heard The Wall as a teenager in 1979. The Wall was an amazing studio achievement and a commercial success, but it was their 1975 release, Wish You Were Here, that soon became my favorite. The initial CD version was a crap mastering...

Since his death in the summer of 2021, there seems to have been a steady stream of Lee "Scratch" Perry [who I interviewed inTape Op#136] releases. These are largely compilations, and it's hard to know if they have been approved by his estate or not.

The latest is Lee "Scratch" Perry presents:Black...

Miles Davis' Kind of Blue is, and will forever be in my favorite albums of all time. It was the album that introduced me to jazz, modal music, the concept of space in music, great recordings, and more than anything, the idea that such a distinct feeling and vibe could be transmitted from musicians in a room, to a fixed...

When I recently interviewed Emily A. Sprague for the upcoming January 2026 issue of Tape Op, she mentioned having played on an LP by artist Hannah Pruzinsky who goes by h. pruz. I’m glad Emily turned me on to pruz, as their new album Red sky at morning that Emily played on is a really beautiful set of songs. It fits within...

At the end of December, Marsha Vdovin, who has been working with Tape Op for 14 years, is moving on and leaving the Tape Op team. We’re sad to see her go, but we’re happy that she’s chosen to pursue her art full-time. Marsha has been really great to work with, and I always enjoyed the conversations we had about music and the...

David Byrne and Brian Eno famously collaborated on 1981’s seminal My Life in the Bush of Ghosts LP, which was recorded before Eno produced the Talking Heads' classic LP Remain In Light that came out in 1980. Listen to both records in the order they were recorded, and you can hear the progression of ideas from ...Ghosts...

I interviewed Logan Farmer for Tape Op back in issue #139 and his debut album, Still No Mother, was one of my top ten LPs for 2020.

Logan just released a new single that is from his upcoming third LP, Nightmare World I See The Horizon, that will be released by Western Vinyl on January 16, 2026.
https://loganfarmer.bandcamp.com/album/nightmare-world-i-see-the-horizon...

I was recently in the incredible Elliott Bay Books here in Seattle, and as always, I found myself in the music section, (after the cooking section). I love the smell of a book store, and I love the colorful quilt all of the various book spines make. It also feels great to pick something up and flip through its pages. You may...

It is with profound sorrow that we announce the passing of Grammy-nominated multi-instrumentalist, composer, producer, pioneer in electronica, and owner of Electron Farm Records, Maurice Oliver. A master of many musical idioms, including fusion jazz, electronica, and world music, his legacy includes being a founding member...

Robert Plant has managed to not necessarily reinvent himself, but to continue to surround himself with great musicians and songs that suit his aging but unmistakable voice. His latest offering, Saving Grace, is a collection of cover songs rooted in the American folk and blues traditions, but also dips into indie rock and modern...

When I'm fixing things in my studio or cleaning house, I prefer listening to radio broadcasts instead of podcasts or auto-generated playlists. As a fan of commercial-free independent radio, I appreciate charismatic announcers who introduce me to new music and raise my awareness of local happenings. I can stream my favorite...

When I recently interviewed Emily A. Sprague for the upcoming January 2026 issue of Tape Op, she mentioned having played on an LP by artist Hannah Pruzinsky who goes by h. pruz. I’m glad Emily turned me on to pruz, as their new album Red sky at morning that Emily played on is a really beautiful set of songs. It fits within...

When I'm fixing things in my studio or cleaning house, I prefer listening to radio broadcasts instead of podcasts or auto-generated playlists. As a fan of commercial-free independent radio, I appreciate charismatic announcers who introduce me to new music and raise my awareness of local happenings. I can stream my favorite...

There’s a basic disconnect in how most people view learning the art and process of music recording and mixing. Say you get a new job, and they need you to place a widget in a bag, seal the bag, and place it in a container. On day one, someone will teach you how to do this task. There’s not a whole lot of room for variation...

Ambrose Bye laughingly calls himself a "nepo baby with a laptop." As the son of internationally-renowned poet Anne Waldman, Bye practically grew up at the Buddhist-inspired school in Boulder, Colorado – now known as Naropa University – where Waldman and Allen Ginsberg started the writing program. Bye originally recorded on...

In the previous issue, I mentioned my gear rack that’s the control-room equivalent of a kitchen island. I wanted active cooling for the rack, but routing an air-conditioner duct to that location was impossible, so I opted for the simpler solution of utilizing vent panels as intakes with exhaust fans in the three upper rear...

Hazel Mills is a British pianist, synthesist, and songwriter whose day job is touring with the likes of Goldfrapp, Kylie Minogue, Florence + the Machine, Birdy, Dave Rowntree (Blur), and Fraser T. Smith. Mills's classical virtuosity and passion for sampling, minimalism, and analog synths inform both her compositions and...

Larry Crane, editor/founder

1. Emily A. Sprague
   Cloud Time
   Listen

My partner at Tape Op, John Baccigaluppi, turned me onto Emily A. Sprague's music and he interviewed her for Tape Op #171. Late night/early morning looping dreamscapes with so many cool bits and textures. If you like Brian Eno [#85] at his spaciest or Steve Roach...

As any longtime reader of Tape Op will know, I've been a big Pink Floyd fan since I first heard The Wall as a teenager in 1979. The Wall was an amazing studio achievement and a commercial success, but it was their 1975 release, Wish You Were Here, that soon became my favorite. The initial CD version was a crap mastering...

Since his death in the summer of 2021, there seems to have been a steady stream of Lee "Scratch" Perry [who I interviewed inTape Op#136] releases. These are largely compilations, and it's hard to know if they have been approved by his estate or not.

The latest is Lee "Scratch" Perry presents:Black...