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Latest by Mike Mettler

Joe Satriani

Joe Satriani stops shredding to spin a story on Shockwave Supernova

Joe Satriani may be known the world over a guitar virtuoso, but on his new album Shockwave Supernova, the master steps outside his comfort zone to try something new.
lee bannon interview audiophile 8

Lee Bannon on ‘chair music,’ his name change, and sonic link to Keith Richards

Pattern of Excel finds Bannon twisting the cosmic knob of a futuristic radio station parked on the edge of an experimental ambient universe where bass and beats have been replaced by reverb-drenched intergalactic axe scrapings.
interview x ambassadors singer songwriter sam harris 2 the audiophile 017

After a Jeep commercial and a hit single, X Ambassadors plant a lo-fi flag on VHS

The single “Renegades” rocketed X Ambassadors to number on alternative radio, and now the fledgling Ithaca, NY band is back with their first full-length album: VHS.
interview thomas fehlmann the orb audiophile 5

Ambient moodmakers The Orb know when to kick out tech to make room for music

Ambient house music pioneers The Orb are past their days of waiting for the latest and greatest synthesizers, and let their music take top priority on their spacey new album Moonbuilding 2703 AD.
interview giorgio moroder on deja vu the audiophile

What do Britney, Charlie XCX, and Sia have in common? The beats of Giorgio Moroder

Giorgio Moroder may not be a household name, but the beats from his 40-year career definitely are. On his latest album, Déjà Vu, Moroder pairs up with artists from Britney Spears to Sia on a fresh set of danceable tracks.
Audiophile The Darkness

When it’s time to cut an album, The Darkness believe in a thing called digital

The Darkness built a career on over-the-top glam rock, but in the studio with producer and guitarist Dan Hawkins, subtlety and restraint reign as the band strives for the perfect sound.
The Audiophile Paul van Dyk

Straight outta East Berlin: DJ Paul van Dyk remixes the politics of electronic music

Growing up in East Germany gave DJ Paul van Dyk a unique perspective that helps fuel the throbbing electronic beats of The Politics of Dancing 3, his latest album.
The Audiophile Steve Aoki

Steve Aoki on Neon Future II, his obsession with Wolverine, and DJing on Mars

We speak to DJ Steve Aoki on his passion for music, high-res audio, comic books, and why he’s so excited about the future.
foo fighters cancel shows after dave grohl broke leg audiophile4

Speeding down the Foo Fighters’ Sonic Highway

As the Foo Fighters explored eight different studios across the U.S., keyboardist Rami Jaffee used the Force (and plenty of Mellotron) to leave his own tire tracks on the new album, Sonic Highways.
my morning jacket jim james on the waterfall  18861 photo by danny clinch 20hirez

For My Morning Jacket, The Waterfall just flows better in high resolution

On their new album The Waterfall, My Morning Jacket experimented with a number of different recording techniques to craft a different vocal treatment for every song, including Jim James’ signature “fish tanking” technique.
Miami Horror

How Miami Horror sculpted a post-disco dreamfest on All Possible Futures

After the bubbly pop of 2010’s Illumination, Miami Horror returns with All Possible Futures, a Talking Heads-inspired discodreamfest that definitely belongs on your summer playlist.
porcupine tree gavin harrison drummer

Stripped down and reimagined in brass, Porcupine Tree takes on a whole new life

Gavin Harrison honed his craft as the drummer for prog-rock legends Porcupine Tree, and with Cheating the Polygraph, he’s returning to some classics to play them as never before.
Silicon Valley interview

Silicon Valley’s Martin Starr on playing a satanic programmer, Kid Rock, season 2

Before HBO’s Silicon Valley begins its second season on Sunday night, we talked to Martin Starr – also known as Bertram Gilfoyle – about the show’s flirtation with real-life tech tycoons, last year’s Kid Rock guest appearance, and of course, what’s next.
The Audiophile Imagine Dragons

Imagine Dragons chase the hi-res dragon, hate getting smashed on the radio

For their new album Smoke + Mirrors, Imagine Dragons created a studio from scratch to capture every nuance in high-resolution digital audio. Listening to it on the radio? Forget about it.
Tycho

For chillwave maestro Tycho, effects are as much instruments as the ones you play

Sometimes beautiful music is a happy accident. For Tycho, also known as Scott Hansen, preserving the stumbling process that leads him there is as important as the intentional part.
interview the crystal method on remixes mp3s their latest album audiophile remixed 007

The Crystal Method explain the art of the remix, why MP3s suck, and Satan Gas

Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland have made a living remixing other artists as The Crystal Method, but on their latest album, it’s their work that goes under the knife as other mixers take the board.
The Audiophile Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield

How many Avett brothers does it take to salute Elliott Smith? One, and an indie prodigy

Indie icon Elliott Smith inspired a generation of songwriters before he tragically passed away at 34 in 2003. Now Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield are rekindling his memory with a touching tribute album.
The Audiophile Will Butler Policy

Arcade Fire’s Will Butler burns short, bright and solo on <em>Policy</em>

Free from the constraints of Arcade Fire’s frantic sextet, multi-instrumentalist Will Butler explores everything from Americana to electronics music on his new solo album <em>Policy</em>.
The Audiophile Steven Wilson

Pushing the aural envelope with high-res audio evangelist Steven Wilson

Steven Wilson doesn’t just prefer the clarity of high-resolution recordings, he’s genuinely dumbfounded by artists that choose not to make them in 2015. And his new album, Hand. Cannot. Erase. , is a perfect showcase of what it can sound like.
alt-j this is all yours

For alt-J, recordings are a ticket to the afterlife (so don’t mess up)

After going from a tiny British electronic act to headlining Madison Square Garden, the guys behind alt-J are coming to their grips with their fame – but one thing remains the same: Recording quality trumps everything.
Interview Alfie Allen Game of Thrones

What’s coming from <em>Game of Thrones</em> Season 5 (and a look back at the cruelest cut)

Winter is coming and All Men Must Die, proclaims the trailer for Season 5 of Game of Thrones. Alfie Allen, who plays Reek on the show, hints at what to expect this season, and the dark days his character has been through.
The Audiophile Kate Pierson Guitars and Microphones

After decades propelling the B-52s with her throaty growl, Kate Pierson flies solo

On Guitars and Microphones, B-52s singer Kate Pierson gets a chance to break out of formation and fly solo – alongside Australian songwriter Sia – on a record that showcases unique vocals that could “cut through steel.”
The Audiophile Michelle Chamuel Face the Fire

After facing judges on The Voice, Michelle Chamuel faces the fire in the studio

After landing a runner-up position on The Voice in 2013, Michelle Chamuel steps back into the spotlight with Face the Fire, her first solo album and a hard-fought lesson in how to distill “the sound of emotion” in a studio.
The Audiophile Butch Walker Afraid of Ghosts

Butch Walker is all about that tape, about that tape (no digital)

Butch Walker has produced talents from Weezer to Taylor Swift, but on Afraid of Ghosts, he gets personal, and lays it down unpolished, over the hiss of tape.
The Ting Tings Super Critical

Slow down! The Ting Tings Katie White gets Super Critical about modern dance music

Katie White of the Ting Tings tells Digital Trends about the decision to go all-analog for the new album Super Critical, her club dreams of years past, and her Stevie Nicks obsession.
hoon lee discusses season 3 of cinemaxs tv show banshee 007

Banshee’s Hoon Lee plays the most badass cross-dressing hacker you’ll ever meet

Hoon Lee, the ass-kicking, cross-dressing hacker star of Showtime's killer series Banshee, talks to Digital Trends about gender roles, transvestites, and just where he found the character's unique voice.
The Audiophile Marky Ramone

iTunes ‘sounds so small’ to punk rock founding father Marky Ramone

The Ramones may have had a reputation for rocking hard and living fast, but as drummer Marky Ramone explains, slowing down and getting meticulous to get record just the right sound in the studio was never out of the question.
interview david crosby hates mp3 loves pono and hi res audio croz audiophile

‘You’re being cheated.’ David Crosby might hate MP3s even more than Neil Young does

Neil Young isn’t the only high-res audio fan: David Crosby insisted on high-res for the 2014 release of his fourth career solo album, Croz – and he laments the ongoing failure of MP3.
CNSY on stage

How Graham Nash mixed Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1974 tour into HD bliss

Graham Nash has spent four years mixing and mashing supergroup Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young’s 1974 tour into an HD album. How he did it and his thoughts on Pono inside.
Audiophile Simple Minds Big Music

Did Simple Minds fast forward, or new bands rewind? Big Music sounds fresh either way

They say you can’t recapture the past, but Simple Minds comes damn close on Big Music, a contemporary take on the sound the band brought to the mainstream in the ‘80s.
the wire goes hd for christmas marathon cast members reminisce mettler 2

The Wire cast members reminisce as an HD Christmas marathon kicks off

Cast members from The Wire reminisce about the show’s tumultuous 60 episodes, which have been remastered in HD just in time for a five-day Christmas marathon, December 26 through 30.
Audiophile DevonAllman Ragged & Dirty

Rocker Devon Allman talks vinyl, vibing and hearing his dad on the radio

He may have descended from rock royalty, but Devon Allman earned his musical stripes on his own, and he proves it on his latest solo album, Ragged & Dirty.
interview cut copy dj dan whitford talks oceans apart audiophile

‘There are no rules.’ No -fi is too lo or hi for Cut Copy DJ Dan Whitford

In his latest work spanning 80 minutes and 19 tracks, Cut Copy DJ Dan Whitford explores everything from electro disco to tribal house music. And somehow, it all flows.
Audiophile | Angels & Airwaves | The Dream Walker

Tom DeLonge on Blink-182’s legacy and dreaming big with Angels & Airwaves

we sit down with Tom DeLonge (of Blink-182 fame) and speak about his new Angels & Airwaves album, The Dream Walker.
interview the pixies david lovering on doolittle turning 25 audiophile 004

The Pixies’ David Lovering talks high-res, Doolittle, the death of a drumkit

In Part 2 of our interview with the Pixies, drummer David Lovering tells us about his smashed drum kit and Doolittle's 25th anniversary.
the pixies doolittle 25th anniversary joey santiago interview 1 of 2 audiophile 009

In case of catastrophe, listen to vinyl! And more from the Pixies’ Joey Santiago

DT’s Mike Mettler interviews Joey Santiago of The Pixies about Nirvana, MP3s, and Doolittle’s 25th anniversary.
interview the kinks dave davies on rippin up time hd audio and more cover art

How The Kinks’ Dave Davies changed the course of rock with a sliced speaker cone

When The Kinks’ guitarist Dave Davies sliced open a speaker cone with a razor blade in 1964, he literally set the tone of rock music for decades to come. And that sound lives on in his latest solo album, Rippin’ Up Time.
interview king crimsons adrian belew tells all about flux music app audiophile 002

Guitar wizard Adrian Belew on how his Flux app creates bite-size music for the Twitter era

DT’s Mike Mettler sits down with guitar wiz Adrian Belew on his new app, Flux, and how he hopes to change music for the Twitter era.