Noted for his flamboyant style, he is among the most successful producers of the post-punk era, helming records from pivotal acts including Public Image Ltd, Gang of Four, Killing Joke, The Birthday Party, and The Slits.
Launay is known primarily for his passionate approach to recording with emphasis on raw sounds and capturing mood.
Some of the artists he has worked with include: Kate Bush, Talking Heads, David Byrne, INXS, Models, Midnight Oil, Grinderman, Lou Reed, The Veils, Anna Calvi, Supergrass, The Living End, Band of Skulls, Silverchair and IDLES.
In 2012, he encouraged Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds to record what became the Push the Sky Away album at a little-known studio in France called La Fabrique.
Similarly with La Frette studios he produced Skeleton Tree and then recommended it to Arctic Monkeys via Domino Recording Company owner Laurence Bell.
[citation needed] The family returned to England in 1976, where Launay developed a love of punk rock.
In 1980, Launay moved to Virgin Records' Townhouse studios, where he worked as an assistant engineer on albums including The Jam’s Sound Affects and XTC's Black Sea, assisting producers John Leckie, Tony Visconti, Steve Lillywhite and Hugh Padgham.
In 1981, as the most junior member assistant engineer, he was conscripted to work on a Public Image Ltd recording session for a single, "Home is Where the Heart is".
The session started very slow because the engineer/producer they had chosen wasn't very familiar with the then very new and experimental SSL mixing console.
John sat in a big arm chair with two crates of Red Stripe, the Jamaican Beer, one on each side, and watched with amusement at me going back and forth trying my best to help the engineer out.