Dave Sitek

Dave Sitek
Sitek in 2004
Sitek in 2004
Background information
Birth nameDavid Andrew Sitek
Also known asMaximum Balloon
Born (1972-09-06) September 6, 1972 (age 52)
GenresIndie rock
Occupations
  • Record producer
  • multi-instrumentalist
Instruments
  • Guitar
  • keyboards
  • bass
  • drums
Years active2001–present
Labels
Member ofTV on the Radio
Formerly ofJane's Addiction

David Andrew Sitek (born September 6, 1972) is an American musician and record producer, known for his work with his band TV on the Radio. He has also worked with bands such as Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, Foals, Celebration, Little Dragon, Wavves, Beady Eye, and Weezer, and produced free jazz-influenced remixes of songs by artists such as Beck and Nine Inch Nails, and has contributed a solo track to the Red Hot Organization Dark Was the Night charity compilation.[1] He is also a photographer and painter.

In April 2008, Sitek was named number one in NME's Future 50 list of the most forward thinking people in music today.[2]

In 2009, Sitek contributed a cover of "With a Girl Like You" to the AIDS benefit album, Dark Was the Night, produced by the Red Hot Organization.

A solo album from Sitek under the moniker Maximum Balloon was released on September 21, 2010, on Interscope with individual songs released as singles commencing June 15, 2010. The record includes contributions by many guests including David Byrne, Tunde Adebimpe, and Karen O.[3]

Early life

Born in 1972, Sitek grew up in Columbia, Maryland, together with his brothers.[4] His mother worked in public education with a degree in child psychology and, according to Sitek, "was pretty good about letting me and my brothers explore things. So much so that [she] let me start a hardcore band and practice in our house when I was 14".[5] Sitek developed an interest in music at an early age influenced by his "aunt Paula [who] sneaked out of the house [to see] Jimi Hendrix in the 1960s, and was really into Talking Heads and Blondie".[5]

Dave Sitek once worked in a coffee shop with future TV on the Radio bandmate Kyp Malone and Grizzly Bear bassist Chris Taylor.[6]

Selected discography

With Jane's Addiction

Production work

Sitek produced the album Anywhere I Lay My Head for actress Scarlett Johansson, released in May 2008. Sitek also co-produced the debut album Antidotes by Foals and the debut EP of Chicago band Aleks and the Drummer titled May a Lightning Bolt Caress You self released by the band in June 2008.[7]

He works with several Brooklyn acts, having recently remixed the song "Disco Lights" for Apollo Heights[8] and produced albums for Dragons of Zynth[9] and Telepathe.[10]

Though Sitek has collaborated with several Brooklyn-based indie bands, he looks upon the indie music movement with skepticism. In an interview with the Danish music magazine Soundvenue, he explained that he is dissatisfied with the opportunistic turn music has taken, referring to the self-promoting indie bands moving to Brooklyn only to claim that they are from "the creative mecca" in order to get the attention of music magazines. This may explain why Sitek has settled down on the West coast in Beverly Hills, California. He explained, "People can't hide themselves out here. Everyone looks after his own interests. It's a very egocentric city. But I don't care what 'indie people' think. Those bands complaining about other bands selling out, got their iPod filled up with illegal music."[22] On his solo project Maximum Balloon, Sitek collaborates with many of his old friends (among these are Karen O, David Byrne and Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio), whom he claims are still interested in creating beautiful songs, not only songs that the music magazines want to write about, which, he thinks, keeps music interesting.[22]

Solo work

Singles

Features

Remixes

  • Fischerspooner "Never Win (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2005), FS Studios
  • Hope of the States "Sing It Out (David Andrew Sitek's Skyhorse Mix)" (2006), Columbia
  • Lee "Scratch" Perry "Fire in Babylon (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2006), Narnack
  • Nine Inch Nails "Survivalism (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2007), Interscope
  • The Knife "Marble House (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2007), Brille
  • Beck "Dark Star (David Andrew Sitek Remix)" (2007), Interscope
  • Bat for Lashes "Sleep Alone (909s In Darktimes Mix)" (2009), Parlophone
  • Steven Wilson "Harmony Korine (David A. Sitek Magnetized Nebula Mix)" (2009), Kscope
  • Fanfarlo "Fire Escape (David Sitek Remix)" (2010), Atlantic
  • UNKLE "Follow Me Down (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2010), Surrender All
  • Gypsy and the Cat "Time to Wander (David Andrew Sitek Remix)" (2010), RCA
  • MF Doom "Gazzillion Ear (Dave Sitek / Jneiro Jarel Remix)" (2010), Lex Records
  • Tegan and Sara "Alligator (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2010), Sire
  • Lykke Li "I Follow Rivers (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2011), LL Recordings
  • Dels "Gob (David Andrew Sitek Remix)" (2011), Big Dada Recordings
  • The Naked and Famous "Young Blood (David Andrew Sitek Remix)" (2011), Universal Music
  • Norah Jones "After the Fall (David Andrew Sitek Remix)" (2012), Parlophone
  • Norah Jones "She's 22 (David Andrew Sitek Remix)" (2012), Parlophone
  • Florence and the Machine "No Light, No Light (DAS Remix)" (2012), Island Records
  • Run The Jewels "Sea Legs (Dave Sitek Remix)" (2013), Fool's Gold Records

References

  1. ^ "Various Artists: Dark Was the Night". Pitchfork Media. February 26, 2009. Retrieved March 15, 2009.
  2. ^ "The Future 50: The bands, artists and innovators driving music forward". NME. April 26, 2008.
  3. ^ Jones, Billy (June 14, 2010). "an interview w/ Dave Sitek of Maximum Balloon (the TVOTR guitarist/producer's new project w/ many guest vocalists)". Brooklyn Vegan. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  4. ^ McCauley, Mary Carole (December 31, 2006). "A Good Year – See Some Of The Marylanders Who Made Their Mark On The Arts Scene In 2006". The Baltimore Sun. p. 3. Archived from the original on April 26, 2014. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  5. ^ a b Dombal, Ryan (October 26, 2010). "TV on the Radio's Dave Sitek: The TVOTR/Maximum Balloon Man on Bad Brains, Aphex Twin, and more". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  6. ^ Greenwald, David (November 17, 2006). "Grizzly Bear". cokemachineglow.com. Archived from the original on September 24, 2012. Retrieved September 22, 2012.
  7. ^ "Aleks and The Drummer profile". MySpace.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  8. ^ "Apollo Heights". MySpace.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  9. ^ Berman, Stuart (November 16, 2007). "Dragons of Zynth: Coronation Thieves". Pitchfork Media. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  10. ^ Strang, Samuel (January 15, 2008). "DiScover: Telepathe". Drowned in Sound. Archived from the original on May 21, 2008. Retrieved June 1, 2008.
  11. ^ "TV on the Radio – Nine Types of Light". AllMusic.com. Retrieved November 18, 2011.
  12. ^ "CSS – Planta". AllMusic.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  13. ^ "Beady Eye – Be". AllMusic.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  14. ^ "Yeah Yeah Yeahs – Mosquito". AllMusic.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  15. ^ "Oh Land – Wishbone". AllMusic.com. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  16. ^ Harding, Luke (2016-10-25). "Pussy Riot celebrate the vagina in lyrical riposte to Trump". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  17. ^ "In The Valley Below Announces The Pink Chateau Full-Length Album". RedLightManagement.com. 28 February 2019. Retrieved April 11, 2019.
  18. ^ "JUJU - Livestream your favorite bands and artists". Archived from the original on August 4, 2020. Retrieved August 5, 2020.
  19. ^ Taylor, Tom (2022-09-29). "Album of the Week: Yeah Yeah Yeahs go huge with Cool It Down". faroutmagazine.co.uk. Retrieved 2022-11-27.
  20. ^ "Timeless - Song by witchgang". Apple Music. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
  21. ^ Pearis, Bill (September 20, 2023). "Chelsea Wolfe shares new single "Dusk", announces 2024 tour w/ Divide and Dissolve". BrooklynVegan. Retrieved October 24, 2023.
  22. ^ a b Soundvenue (in Danish) (46). November 2010. {{cite journal}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)