To capture his father’s legacy, Dweezil Zappa turns to surround sound
Dweezil Zappa doesn’t live in the shadow of his father – he embraces it. The son of legend Frank Zappa discusses how he captures the right sound on tour, working with surround sound, and his father’s legacy.
Radio made Extreme famous, but streaming keeps their live shows alive
Extreme hit it big in 1991 with More Than Words, but in the more than two decades since, the band has continued to thrive by focusing on its live sound, and rolling with the times as radio has morphed into Spotify.
Before he blinded us with science, Thomas Dolby was dumpster diving for synths
Thomas Dolby helped legitimize electronic music with tracks like She Blinded Me With Science, which was accompanied by a hit music video on the bourgeoning MTV network. He was also an early proponent of music sharing via the internet.
How California DJ SNBRN made Sunset House music catch fire
Sunset house blends of real instruments like piano, strings, and horns with synths and samples to create the duskiest of sonic vibes — it’s the smoothest electronic dance music yet. DJ SNBRN explains where it came from and where EDM is going.
Streaming finds new fans, but what pays the bills? Rachael Yamagata found a way
From a cellist who plays the violin between his legs, to a “happy accident” that filled dead air with an orchestra, Rachael Yamagata’s recording process for Tightrope Walker was anything but ordinary.
KISS’ Paul Stanley talks vinyl, Spotify, ‘the injustice of the internet’
KISS frontman Paul Stanley explains why the internet hasn’t been good for artists, why he isn’t as enamored with vinyl as everyone else, and how KISS’ legendary Las Vegas act translates into Blu-ray and Dolby Atmos for ‘KISS Rocks Vegas.’
When it comes to live shows, Groves believes that if you stream it, they will come
Electro-rock trio Groves blend classic rock instruments with electronic sound to create their own sound. The band recently caught the attention of Boy George and toured with Culture Club. They view streaming as a way to attract more fans to their shows.
Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart has sweet dreams of Spotify streams for his new band
Dave Stewart is best known for being Annie Lennox’s collaborator in the Eurythmics, and he’s produced everyone from Mick Jagger to Tom Petty to Stevie Nicks. We talked to the man with the golden ear about Spotify, the struggles of modern musicians, and his new band Stewart Lindsey.
Faith No More is back, and these punk rockers still care a lot
Faith No More is back with a suite of reissues and a hard-charging 2015 album, Sol Invictus. Bassist/producer Billy Gould called Digital Trends to discuss the band’s ever-evolving goals in the studio, how to challenge a live audience, and reconciling with the streaming universe.
Chris Robinson wants artists to storm Spotify HQ and ‘take whatever we want’
Chris Robinson, former frontman for jam-band the Black Crowes, on his slinky and psychedielic new album “Anyway You Love, We Know How You Feel, out now in various formats via Robinson’s own custom label, Silver Arrow – and the price artists pay for Spotify.
How streaming has helped O.A.R. spread their jams and celebrate ‘XX’
Streaming music remains a controversial subject for many artists. But for O.A.R., a band that’s always embraced connecting with its fans, streaming is an awesome way to learn who’s tuning in.
As other musicians ran from streaming, German DJ LCAW built his career on it
Leon Christoph Alexander Weber grew up surrounded by classical music, but after embracing electronic music and the moniker LCAW, the German DJ built a career on streaming.
Steve Vai literally bled for his music on ‘Passion and Warfare’
It has been 25 years since Steve Vai released ‘Passion and Warfare,’ but the recent remaster brings back memories of the frenetic energy that literally brought him to bleed for his first solo album.
Canadian DJ duo MSTRKRFT let their gear make the music on ‘Operator’
Jesse F. Keeler and Al-P, computers don’t make creating music easier, they stifle. Find out how this DJ Duo turned to classic analog equipment to make their latest record.
Deerhoof break bad and cook up a batch of audio endorphins on ‘The Magic’
Even Walter White would approve of pure endorphins Deerhoof peddle on ‘The Magic,’ an album recorded in a deserted Albuquerque office building.
Darius Rucker would rather rock live than count pennies from Spotify plays
Call ‘If I Told You’ country if you must, but Darius Rucker isn’t big on labels. The former Hootie & The Blowfish frontman talks about his new album, his love for vinyl, and the sad reality of Spotify.
She can write a pop hit for anybody, but on ‘Death Valley,’ LP wrote for LP
“Good songs have a leeway to them. They respond to being done in different versions.” Identity is everything to recording artists. If that gets diluted in any way, musicians feel a clear disconnect has occurred between their intended message and how it’s being conveyed to the listener. In essence, that’s exactly what happened to indie […]
Bass? Been done. Jaded is all about that chirp on ‘4000Hz’
Jaded turn the usual obsession with bass on its head with 4000Hz, a track dedicated to exploring the higher side of the audio spectrum, birds and all.
Gary Barlow didn’t just meet his ’80s heroes, he made a retro album with them
How do you make an ‘80s album in 2016. For Gary Barlow, the answer was simple: Round up your music heroes, put them in a studio, and let them loose.
Stream it if you want, but Garbage’s new album is no ‘digital-disposable’ throwaway
On Strange Little Birds, Garbage strips back their usual layered approach for a raw, dark sound straight out of Butch Vig’s basement.
Band of Skulls set up shop in church to conjure the unholy rock of ‘By Default’
Churches aren’t just for Christian rock and gospel. Band of Skulls’ Russell Marsden explains how the band set up shop to rock in one of their hometown holy spots.
Andrew W.K. explains how his Twitter fans got the Penguins partying hard
If you attend a Pittsburgh Penguins Playoff game, you’re going to hear Andrew W.K.’s anthem Party Hard, and Twitter fans can take all the credit.
DJ Gold Panda loves to get physical with his music, sees little value in streaming
Gold Panda isn’t interested in digital media, but he still uses it as a discovery tool. In our interview, find out what makes this artist tick, and how his music gets its unique sound.
‘The ship has already sailed.’ Rogue Wave knows there’s no going back on streaming
Zach Rogue and his bandmates in Rogue Wave talk about recording techniques, the emotion in recordings, and mixed feelings about streaming music.
Coffee’s worth $5, but music must be free? Enation’s Jonathan Jackson doesn’t get it
Nashville actor and Enation frontman Jonathan Jackson discusses his new album Blame-shifter, the resurgence of vinyl, and society’s curious refusal to pay for music – but not coffee.
John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls tells us why iTunes is “Irrelevant”
With the release of new album Boxes, John Rzeznik of Goo Goo Dolls called Digital Trends to discuss incorporating electronic dance music, the pros and cons of streaming, ugly babies, and short song titles.
Rufus Wainwright crafted an album so uncharted, it’s ineligible for a Grammy
Rufus Wainwright knows a mash-up of Shakespearian sonnets won’t pay the bills, and it won’t win a Grammy. But it hasn’t stopped the Canadian-American from throwing away all conventions for Take All My Loves.
Montreal’s Essaie Pas push the limits of what you can do with a synth
Electronic duo Essaie Pas deliver their own take on modern-retro chic on their new album, Demain est une autre nuit.
Hüsker Dü’s Bob Mould rocks on with Patch the Sky, but won’t touch Spotify
Hüsker Dü frontman and alt-rock pioneer Bob Mould returns to rock with Patch the Sky, a guitar-driven look inward. But do him a favor and listen somewhere other than Spotify.
‘Music is suffering’ On 99¢, Santigold calls to fix a broken streaming biz
On her latest album 99 Cents, Santigold challenges the streaming music-biz model that brought us the likes of Spotify without losing the energetic bounce that vaulted her to stardom.
Whether you’re a vinyl lover or Spotify fan, Pete Yorn is ‘ArrangingTime’ for you
For this week’s Audiophile we get on the horn with Pete Yorn to talk about vinyl, streaming, and how he’s going back to his roots with his new album ArrangingTime.
Nora en Pure brings tropical house from Switzerland to Coachella and beyond
Born in South Africa, living in Switzerland, and soon to perform at Coachella, DJ Nora en Pure pulls together influences from all over the globe to remix into crowd-warming tropical house tracks.
DJ Felix da Housecat on channeling his inner Prince, and his love for lo-fi
Superstar DJ/producer Felix da Housecat discussed his new album Narrative of Thee Blast Illusion, how he crafts and layers his vocal tracks, the art of the mix, and his ongoing super-tight ties to the ’80s.
Vinyl or Spotify? Neither. Mercury Rev’s Jonathan Donahue is a cassette man
Alt-rock icons Mercury Rev are back after seven years with The Light in You, and while the musical landscape has changed, Jonathan Donahue’s lust for cassettes has not.