Jon Hopkins Reveals Production Secrets Behind 2013 Album Immunity

Jon Hopkins, the English electronic producer who has collaborated with Brian Eno and Coldplay, opened up about the creative engine that powered his 2013 album Immunity in a pair of interviews with The Line of Best Fit and NME. Released by Domino Records in June 2013, the record marked a decisive shift toward a harder, more distorted sound than his earlier works Contact Note (2005) and Insides (2009). Hopkins’ comments give listeners a window into the tools and workflow that shaped the album’s sonic identity.

In a 2013 conversation with The Line of Best Fit, Hopkins explained, “I wanted to make things that are emotionally powerful in some way. I think it doesn’t matter what genre it’s in.” The statement captures Immunity’s hybrid nature: techno‑driven tracks sit alongside quiet, piano‑heavy moments. A Yamaha upright piano, recorded with the practice pedal engaged for a felt tone, becomes a recurring thread throughout the record.

Logic Pro, Apple’s digital audio workstation, was the backbone of Hopkins’ production process. He would export audio from Logic, edit it in other applications, and re‑import the files back into the DAW. This workflow let him apply a range of effects that were not natively available in Logic at the time. A key instrument in the album’s sound design was the Korg MS‑20, a semi‑modular analog synthesizer introduced in 1978. Hopkins used the MS‑20 to generate abrasive textures that bookended the record’s quieter sections.

Distortion emerged as a central theme on Immunity. Hopkins frequently turned to Soundtoys’ Decimator plugin, which adds harmonic content and saturation. In an interview with NME, he said, “I think you need the abrasive first half, if you were to just listen to the quiet tracks I don’t think it would do it.” Decimator’s ability to emulate early digital audio artifacts helped him craft aggressive, glitch‑laden passages that contrast with the album’s melodic moments.

Logic’s built‑in Bitcrusher also played a vital role. The plugin reduces the bit depth of a signal, creating a gated, distorted decay. Hopkins applied it to long reverb tails, especially on piano tracks, to give them a fragmented, almost metallic quality. He noted that the Resolution control could be automated to shape the distortion over time—a technique that has since become a staple in contemporary electronic production.

By combining Logic Pro’s workflow, the Korg MS‑20’s raw timbres, and distortion plugins like Soundtoys Decimator and Logic Bitcrusher, Hopkins crafted a record that balances intensity and introspection. The album’s two‑half structure—four high‑energy techno tracks followed by four ambient, exploratory pieces—was intentional. Hopkins recalled, “It was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve had writing anything and friends who saw me in the middle of it said that I looked like I was in love.” The emotional intensity he describes is reflected in the album’s dynamic range and production choices.

Immunity received critical acclaim and earned a Mercury Prize nomination in 2013. It cemented Hopkins’ reputation as a producer capable of fusing dance‑floor energy with cinematic depth. His later releases, including Singularity (2018) and Music for Psychedelic Therapy (2021), continue to explore similar techniques, albeit with updated software and hardware.

In short, Jon Hopkins’ Immunity showcases a deliberate blend of analog and digital tools to create a dual‑natured listening experience. By marrying Logic Pro’s workflow, the Korg MS‑20’s raw timbres, and distortion plugins such as Soundtoys Decimator and Logic Bitcrusher, Hopkins produced a record that remains influential in electronic music production circles today.