Billy Polo: Audio Engineer as Archaeologist

Today, we're putting The Tonearm's needle on Billy Polo, in-house audio and mastering engineer, at iconic Jamaican music label VP Records. Billy has spent years restoring and remastering some of the most important recordings in reggae and dancehall history. Works from Peter Tosh, Dennis Brown, King Jammy, Sly and Robbie, and dozens more. Billy works with the original analog tapes, often in rough shape, and brings them back for today’s and tomorrow’s listeners.

We talk about the restoration process, what vintage tape actually sounds like when it's failing, and what Billy's doing to make sure this knowledge doesn't disappear.

(The musical excerpts heard in the interview are Prince Jammy - "Second Generation"; Augustus Pablo & King Tubby - "The Big Rip Off"; King Tubby with Max Romeo & The Upsetters - "Three Times Three" )

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Billy Polo and VP Records:

• Visit VP Records — Billy's label home and the institution whose archive he manages
• VP Records on Bandcamp

Artists and Projects Mentioned:

• King Jammy — official site
• Lee "Scratch" Perry — official site
• Augustus Pablo at VP Records
• Junior Murvin — Police & Thieves
• Linval Thompson — Wikipedia
• Dennis Brown — King Jammy Presents: Dennis Brown Tracks of Life on Bandcamp

Studios and Labels:

• Channel One Studios — Wikipedia
• Clive Chin and 17 North Parade — United Reggae profile

Collaborators and Engineers:

• Wharton Tiers — Tape Op interview
• King Tubby — Wikipedia
• David Amram — official site; composer of Splendor in the Grass and The Manchurian Candidate

Gear Referenced:

• Drawmer Electronics — manufacturer of the Drawmer dynamics processors mentioned in the episode
• Tascam 424 — the four-track machine that started Billy's home recording life

Atmos and Immersive Audio:

• Anthrax — Among the Living (Atmos) — available on Tidal and Apple Music; one of Billy's standout Atmos listening experiences —

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• Dig into this episode's complete show notes at