John links up with Snarky Puppy founder and band leader Michael League to talk about how he wrote, recorded and produced the band’s latest record ‘Empire Central’, as well as works from Varijashree Venugopal and a new project, Ellipsis. Michael League is an American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and founder of jazz fusion ensemble Snarky Puppy. Now with a reputation as one of the most innovative bands of the 21st century, constantly pushing the boundaries of improvisation and the styles they draw from, Snarky Puppy’s 20 year back catalogue includes 16 albums, and five Grammy wins. Outside of the band, Michael has shared his production and writing talents on records from David Crosby, Becca Stevens, Varijashree Venugopal and many more.Speaking from his home studio in Spain, Michael digs into his production process, from crafting rough Logic demos and editing lengthy improvisations to blending global influences with Western jazz. He also shares the technical details of Snarky Puppy’s vast recording setup and treats us to a live demo of his current go-to, the Danelectro Sitar.Tracks discussed: Bet, Ranjani, ObbakosoTAPE ITThanks to our friends at Tape It for supporting the podcast.Visit tape.it/tapenotes or use the promo code TAPENOTES in the app to get 20% off.MUSIVERSALSkip the waitlist and get your discount HERELISTEN to ‘Empire Central’ here.GroundUP MusicLISTEN to ‘Vari’ here.GroundUP MusicLINKS TO EVERYTHING TAPE NOTES  linktr.ee/tapenotes Intro Music - Sunshine Buddy, Laurel CollectiveGEAR MENTIONSLauten Audio LS-208Lauten Audio Snare MicLauten Audio Atlantis FC-387Audio-Technica MicsDanelectro SitarF-Bass Hammertone 12-StringFender RhodesRoland Space-EchoEbowMoog BassLogic ProAvid ProToolsOUR GEARhttps://linktr.ee/tapenotes_ourgearHELP SUPPORT THE SHOWIf you'd like to help support the show you can join us on Patreon, where among many things you can access full length videos of most new episodes, ad-free episodes and detailed gear list breakdowns.KEEP UP TO DATEFor behind the scenes photos and the latest updates, make sure to follow us on: Instagram: @tapenotes Twitter: @tapenotes Facebook: @tapenotespodcast  YouTube: Tape Notes PodcastDiscord: Tape NotesPatreon: Tape NotesTo 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.ukTAPE NOTES TEAMJohn KennedyWill Brown Tim Adam-Smith Will Lyons Nico Varanese Guy Nicholls Jessica ClucasAli Lewis