John ‘Spud’ Murphy is an Irish producer, mix & record engineer, front of house engineer & multi-instrumentalist. Spud has become an indelible part of the fabric of the Irish underground music community, with many of the most successful and acclaimed releases of recent years bearing his name - including Lankum, Katie Kim, Ye Vagabonds, Pretty Happy, Junior Brother and Woven Skull. More recently, this reputation has spread overseas, seeing Murphy working alongside some of the UK’s foremost experimental rock acts, such as Rough Trade’s caroline, black midi and Goat Girl - as well as on works from European free jazz pioneers like Evan Parker & Peter Brötzmann.
As Lankum’s producer & front of house engineer, Murphy plays a central role in the project via his sculpting of their engulfing, hugely atmospheric & textural sound, and produced the band’s 2019 RTE Choice Music Prize-winning album The Livelong Day [Rough Trade]. In 2023 he produced their critically acclaimed album False Lankum which was nominated for the Mercury Prize as well as an RTE Choice Music award
In being able to draw from the multiple perspectives of musician, producer & live engineer, Murphy offers a unique, far-reaching insight, with his particular area of expertise lying in the exploration of textures, and construction of walls of sound. His primary discipline in production is the creation of acoustic structures to support and create expansive textural content, while capturing the natural dynamism and sonic imprint of each artist, irrespective of genre.