Record curation by Jonathan Rado

“Rado” to just about everyone — has grown from an improbable West Valley rock star into one of the most in-demand producers in indie rock. One half of Foxygen, whose tape saturated productions lovingly play with the tasteful palette of 1970s rock n roll, Rado’s recordings for Father John Misty, The Lemon Twigs, Whitney, and Weyes Blood all devour the canon and return something distinctly modern.

A gifted multi-instrumentalist, Rado plays the studio best of all. You can hear the 16-track in his Woodland Hills garage on Whitney’s Light Upon The Lake and the studio shimmer of Hollywood’s Electro-Vox on Houndmouth’s Golden Age and Foxygen’s Hang. But don’t mistake the analogue approach for vintage fetishism — Rado’s as likely to reference a kick drum on The Life of Pablo as he is the piano tone on a Warren Zevon deep cut.

Mentored by the late Richard Swift, Rado’s approach turns slight imperfections into an indelible sonic imprint. His tape machines and avant garde experimentation — including a reel-to-reel delay system dubbed ‘Radotronics’ in a nod to the ‘Frippertronics’ rig developed by King Crimson’s Robert Fripp — give each of his recordings an unmistakable vibe. If you hear the sound of a 24- track firing up at the beginning of a recording, a collage of discarded takes churning into motion before the song begins, you know it’s a Rado.

Bob Dylan – Blonde On Blonde (Columbia) LP

Richard Swift – The Hex (Secretly Canadian) LP

Brian Eno – Another Green World (Astralwerks) LP

Sly and The Family Stone – There’s A Riot Going On (Epic) LP

Beastie Boys – Ill Communication (Capitol) LP

Velvet Underground – White Light/White Heat (Verve Records) LP

New Order – Technique (London Records) LP

Kate Bush – Hounds Of Love (Fish People) LP

Can – Tago Mago (Mute) LP

Wilco – Yankee Hotel Foxtrout (Nonesuch) LP

Big Star – Third (Craft) LP

Oneohtrix Point Never – Replica (Software) LP

Brian Eno and David Byrne – My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (Sire) LP

Bruce Springsteen – Born To Run (Columbia) LP

Simon & Garfunkel – Bridge Over Troubled Water (Columbia) LP

Flaming Lips – Soft Bulletin (Warner Bros.) LP

John Cale –
Fear (Wax Cathedral) LP

Beach Boys – Pet Sounds (Capitol) LP