Latest articles by Daniel Griffiths
The incredible story of Eddie Van Halen’s Beat It solo
He created a legend but didn’t earn a dime. He destroyed the master tape (and a speaker). And they had to remake the track… backwards. No wonder Van Halen wasn’t their first choice…
“Check your ego at the door”: The story of USA for Africa’s We Are The World (and why Prince and Madonna aren’t on it)
A new Netflix documentary is set to shed light on the making of the US chart’s fastest-selling hit. We look back at the making of song, and ask why two of the biggest stars of the ‘80s weren’t at the party
“To play music, you have to understand it. I didn’t understand Topographic Oceans. That’s why I hardly played on it": Rick Wakeman and Yes - firings, hirings, curry, catastrophe and chaos
Best of 2023: When Vangelis nearly joined Yes and other tales from topographic oceans…
"The way that Control sounds is an accident because we didn’t know what we were doing": why Jam and Lewis recorded Janet Jackson’s breakthrough album ‘wrong’, and why it’s all Prince’s fault
Best of 2023: Because learning from the best beats reading manual, every time
The year in pop: how Taylor Swift, Beyonce, Harry Styles and Elton John conquered 2023
As the year draws to a close, let’s meet and greet the acts and music that set the tone, filled the stadiums and earned the big bucks
“No Synthesizers”? No way! How Queen backtracked on a boast, embraced synths and went stratospheric
The real story of Queen’s much misunderstood love/hate relationship with electronic instruments
Everything you need to know about Dolby Atmos and Spatial Audio - plus 10 unmissable Spatial Audio in Dolby Atmos tracks, and 3 to avoid…
RECORDING WEEK 2023: What’s all the fuss about and do you need to upgrade your streaming service and throw out your stereo? We explain all
Inon Zur on creating the soundtrack for Starfield: “I composed a whole main theme with lots of versions that we were pretty happy with. And two years later, Todd Howard says, ‘You know, I like it… But I don't love it.’ Boom. Back to the drawing board”
“After 25 years of working in this industry, 90% of the time, the non-musician judges are actually right,” adds Zur; plus, how he ended up collaborating with Imagine Dragons
U2:UV Achtung Baby Live At Sphere - inside the tech behind the greatest show currently on earth
U2 have just launched their 25-night live, visual and sound sensoria that pops eyes and boggles minds. Here’s how they do it
5 Mark Ronson tracks producers need to hear
We take a time-travelling trip through the mind and music of the uptown funker
11 saxophonists, 4 re-recordings and a £17,000 haircut… The tortuous tale of George Michael's Careless Whisper: "I wrote it totally in my head. I worked on it for about three months in my head"
There’s much more to the Wham!-man's modern classic than meets the ear
“I was the first idiot to get one. I'd lie awake at night dreaming up shit for it to do”: Trevor Horn’s rig that made the ‘80s
We’re all familiar with Trevor Horn’s productions and their preference for expensive, elusive kit, but what got the ball rolling?
Secret SAWs: the story of the impossible sampler that made the Stock Aitken Waterman smashes, and the backroom boys that pushed it to its limits
Keyboards came and went throughout SAW’s hundreds of hits, but one box kept delivering the tricks. Think you know sampling? Think again
Synth wars: The story of MIDI, the one interface that ruled them all
CV/Gate, DCB, USI, UMI and The Oberheim System… This is the story of how synth’s biggest players narrowly averted a standards war and made sweet music together
Producer and engineer to the stars Josh Gudwin: “I got a call from Scooter Braun and he’s like ‘I need you to go to Colombia to get Justin Bieber on this remix’”
If you want hits, who are you going to call? Increasingly, that choice seems to be narrowing down to just one man…
Andrew Scheps talks mixing, production and the legacy of Metallica’s Death Magnetic: “My line is that the loudness war is over because I won… and that was the record that did it"
“Every once in a while there's a record where the mixes are crazy loud because that's what works,” he says
Keyboard legend Chuck Leavell on being The Rolling Stones’ Musical Director: “It’s a challenge at times!”
Best of 2022: "Are Mick and Keith speaking to each other right now? They’re brothers"
ABBA Voyage: How does it work?
Best of 2022: ABBA's reappearance on stage has garnered rave reviews. But how exactly do you convincingly put on a gig from a band that isn't there?
5 tracks producers need to hear by… Phil Collins
The definitive essential cuts for producers who are yet to get their Phil…
5 songs producers need to hear by... Trevor Horn
The definitive tracks from one of the UK's best-loved and most prolific producers
The Neptunes’ Chad Hugo on synths, songwriting and his greatest productions: “Britney wants to write with us? It’s like I’m daydreaming”
Best of 2022: The semi-silent partner in N.E.R.D and The Neptunes on producing for Justin and Jay-Z… but not quite Michael Jackson
5 classic tracks producers need to hear by… Tears For Fears
Best of 2022: From new wave synth prodding to full on rock progging, we pick five TFF hits worth shouting about
5 Christmas songs that producers need to hear
Stick your Slade - here are the real five Christmas tunes that every producer should be listening to
