The Auto-Tune auteur talks to Corban Goble about being a father, why working with big-name stars can be a pain in the ass, and his long-awaited second proper album Honest: "This record is for the people who thought I was some fly-by-night artist."

Inspired by the anything-goes sampling styles of Madlib and Flying Lotus, Thailand-via-Japan beatmaker Ryuhei Asano—aka Lee—makes uncanny music that repurposes memory and sound into refreshing new forms. By Carrie Battan.

The sample-crazed producer talks with Ian Cohen about his collaborative EP with hip-hop vet Freeway, his role in the closing gap between rap and indie rock, and why the internet isn't as bad for new artists as David Byrne might have you believe.

Bored with herself and depleted from touring, the unabashedly emphatic Merrill Garbus decided to scrap everything and start at square one for her forthcoming album—singing, drumming, and dancing lessons included. By Jayson Greene.

The frequent Arcade Fire collaborator and art-pop auteur spars with Ian Cohen about the end of the world as we know it, the evils of capitalism, why he thinks so many people got Reflektor wrong, and his forthcoming solo album, In Conflict.

Featuring members of the much-missed art-rock band Women, this Calgary quartet traverses a wide sonic range—from clenched-fist post-punk to Blade Runner-style instrumental passages—sometimes all within the same song. By Evan Minsker.

This electronic artist makes music inspired by cultures from around the world while retaining a sharp, sensitive touch. She talks with Carrie Battan about her forthcoming debut album, which is based on her experiences of an "imagined China."

As Torn Hawk, Luke Wyatt makes smeared, VHS-style instrumental music that shines sunlight on ugly or discarded sounds. He talks to Andy Beta about taking guitar lessons from the Wrens' Charles Bissel, the art of "video mulching," and more.

With her debut solo album as Ramona Lisa, Chairlift's Caroline Polachek creates a dreamlike universe for her most extreme self: "I'm often bored by what my real life is—it doesn't feel worthy of the subject of art." By Larry Fitzmaurice.

Inspired by K Records' offbeat ethos, Frank O'Hara, and NYC's infinite humanity, songwriting prodigy Greta Kline uses her prolific output—45 albums and counting—to chronicle life's little hurts, empowering herself in the process. By Jenn Pelly.

The longtime rock writer tells Jayson Greene about the music of his life: tasting the Rolling Stones' forbidden fruit as a kid, discovering new musical worlds through Talking Heads, listening to Portishead to cope with Kurt Cobain's death, more.

The ageless pop prophet talks to Carrie Battan about why he originally didn't want to make his new solo album G I R L, his take on the alleged sexism of "Blurred Lines", the prospect of a new Clipse album, and what makes him unhappy.

The disarmingly honest Erika M. Anderson talks with Lindsay Zoladz about how rejection helped her grow as an artist, breaking out of the closed-mindedness of the West Coast noise scene, and her paranoid new album, The Future's Void.