were you the co-developer of ableton live?

ah no

but Mr Henke

very much was.

Think about that for a minute.

It’s easy to forget as he’ll never bring it up without being prompted.

He’s not big on the dwelling and far more interested in his current obsessions.

Special interests (SPINS) as they are called are the things driving the REAL artists of which Robert is most certainly one.

I had one “job” interviewing him at this time. We were supposed to talk about the re-release of a classic monolake (Robert’s musical moniker) LP “Hong Kong” on Field Records.

There was a hint of that here. It loomed in the fog over the hills as we, the ramblers, became fascinated by objects more close at hand.

His tremendous work with the commodore PET platform as a primitive yet potent synth and drum machine for example.

His encounters with the art world (which he is not fond of)

his dislike of the infernal machine reverb ! ha. (also not fond it seems)

His connection to the tonal land of the PPG wave and the Synclavier (yes, he’s fond)

ah yes

I loved reconnecting with him after all these years.

He was always a brilliantly bright mind and continues to probe his passions to deliver wildly unique sound and light shows that stand apart from his peers.

oh and dont forget he’s the co-developer of ableton live!

With 20 albums under his own name and his instrumental group Cosmo, the man knows how to make a record.

He is a wildly accomplished and successful songwriter. For example in 2003 Harris he received the Grammy Award for Song Of The Year for Norah Jones’ breakout hit “Don’t Know Why,” from her debut album, Come Away With Me, which has sold almost 30 million copies worldwide.

Versions of his songs have been sung by artists as diverse as

Willie Nelson, Emmylou Harris, Cat Power, Feist, The Black Keys, M. Ward, Brad Mehldau, Bright Eyes, Smokey Robinson, George Benson, Pat Metheny, Kandace Springs, and Solomon Burke.

I mean WHAT a list that is!

Songwriting collaborations have included Maya Hawke, John Zorn, Madeleine Peyroux, Melody Gardot, Papooz, and Lana Del Rey.

If you didnt think you knew Jesse, I bet you’ve heard his writing out there in the known universe of sound and by gosh he’s a real potent force. Even after all this success, he is very mild mannered and thoughtful in this nice rambling interview. He’s generous with his knowledge and a very easy guy to get along with.

I must say I hang my pod head slightly when reflecting on how old this interview is. Like a fine wine, I hope it’s benefited from a little time in the digital cellar.

Drink in the wisdoms y’all !

I met Jim thanks to the wonderful master of mastering Heba Kadry who's based in New York (whi btw that just finished mastering my new LP!)

She used him to assist in the making of her room and that set me on a journey to get my place into shape too. Him and his team at Sondhus did an excellent job and I've been loving my light and airy attic so much!

I've talked about my space a little on the show and I've shared a few pics and videos from the spot so there's evidence of it out there.

I look forward to being in here every day.

Jim's story is really interesting and it's an angle that's not been covered thus far on the pod.

He has knowledge and passion on all manner of issues relating to studio spaces, from the flow to the sound and the minimal aesthetic that is a through line in his work.

He's made rooms for Martin Gore, Laurie Anderson, Heba Kadry, Philip Weinrobe, the Juliard School in New York to name but a few.

Wild !

In this show I demonstrate the sound of my rooms and why using a binaural head for interviews and voice over is a terrible idea :) ha