Interview with The Bakery's Mastering Engineer & Vinyl Cutter Jett Galindo

Meet Jett Galindo – the incredible Mastering Engineer & Vinyl Cutter from The Bakery. She is one of the key ingredients behind beloved indie records by artists like Elvis Costello & The Imposters, First Aid Kit, Grace Ives, and more.

Here, Jett talks us through the craft behind cutting records on vinyl, why she believes that vinyl formats are here to stay and more.

In 2022, Elvis Costello & The Imposters released their 32nd album 'The Boy Named If', which received a GRAMMY nomination for Best Rock Album. Jett reveals the magic of working on the companion album to it alongside talented folk like Sebastian Krys.

"It's such an honor to have worked with Elvis Costello & The Imposters alongside his producer Sebastian Krys on the mastering of this album. I specifically mastered the 'Alive At Memphis Magnetic' companion album. This being the "live-in-the-studio" performances of the hits from the 'Boy Named If' record, it was definitely a fun challenge making sure I retained the spirit of their live, organic performance while also making it cohesive with the main album which was mastered by Brian Lucey. Add to that the addition of an electronic remix of 'Magnetic Hurt' by the Japanese duo chelmico. Never a dull moment in the mastering studio when I have the privilege of working on albums such as this one."

She also contributed to beloved indie-folk band First Aid Kit's 'Tender Offerings', which came out in 2018.

"The 'Tender Offerings' EP is a collection of 4 songs/outtakes from First Aid Kit's full-length album 'Ruins' which was released the same year in 2018. For this one, I had the privilege of assisting Eric Boulanger in the mastering of both the album and the EP and it was such a treat listening for the first time to the raw, honest performance of First Aid Kit in our mastering speakers. And the mixer Andrew Scheps just knocked it out of the park. I think it's an inspired collaboration for everyone involved."

We asked Jett if there are any records she worked on that she is really proud of. It's unsurprising to see how beloved she is in the biz with these stellar accolades!

"It's always a treat when I get the chance to not only master an artist's digital album, but also master and cut their vinyl releases as well. Just some of the most recent ones I proudly mastered both the digital AND vinyl releases for are the following:

'Slumberland (Soundtrack from the Netflix film)' by Pinar Toprak – I had the honor of working with both Pinar Toprak and Alan Meyerson for this soundtrack. I loved how hands-on through the whole process Alan Meyerson was and it was full of learning moments for me, both as a mastering engineer and vinyl cutter. Grateful for that experience.

'Janky Star' by Grace Ives. This was one of the New York Times' Album of the Year selections for 2022. It's such an all-around fun record, and I had the privilege of working with the brilliant minds Justin Raisen, Anthony Lopez, Ainjel Emme and Erin Tonkon on this. I always like to joke that I'm only cool by association with the amazing artists, producers, and engineers I get to work with. And I can honestly say this album's a prime example of that."

Jett also shared her fave record, outside of her own work, with us!

"Anytime I get asked this question, I always have the same answer. The self-titled album of James Newton Howard & Friends, released by Sheffield Lab in 1983. This entire album was originally recorded direct-to-disc, and the musicians had to play the entire performance (per side) in one unaltered take. Direct-to-disc records haven't really gone away, but this one was special to me. For a recorded medium, this was easily the closest I ever got to getting goosebumps as if I'm enjoying a live performance in front of me. Just a humbling experience listening to the record live as I got to hear anecdotes about the recording session from my mentor Doug Sax who was the executive producer of this album."

Last but not least, she delves into why vinyl is timeless and the importance of giving credit where credit is due.

"I'm a full believer of vinyl records and physical formats being here to stay. The more music and music discovery becomes accessible because of streaming, the more people are going to want to OWN the music that matters to them. I think today's rampant tech advancements have led to people of all ages yearning more for tangible experiences. So I think the music industry shouldn't take that for granted. And we can definitely learn a thing or two about the fact that vinyl records always have liner notes. Let's get those liner notes up on streaming platforms and get everyone credited as deservingly so!"

(Photo: Supplied)