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
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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
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