When you’ve lived in Buenos Aires, Cologne, Santiago and Paris, a little piece of every place is bound to follow you. Such is the case for Matías Aguayo, the Chilean-born, German-raised DJ and producer who is just as comfortable creating sparse, minimal techno as he is working with big warm Latin dance floor hits.

His 2009 release Ay Ay Ay was something of a surprise, as people expected more of the techno sound he and label Kompakt were known for. Instead, he tapped into his international flair and released quite the experimental record, one that was dubbed “irrepressibly catchy.”

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Quite a few solo artists rode in on the chillwave last summer, with hazy, lazy songs perfect for well, chillin’ out (at the beach, if possible). In the vein of Neon Indian, Memory Tapes and friend Washed Out, Toro Y Moi–Chazwick Bundick–stepped up with blissful singles that garnered blog love leading up to his first full-length.

The Columbia, S.C. native released his debut Causers of This (Carpark) earlier this year to critical appreciation: NME called him a “glo-fi pioneer” while Pitchfork said he showed “skill far beyond most of his peers.” But the musician didn’t pop up out of nowhere.

Toro Y Moi has long been a side project for Bundick, who previously fronted indie band The Heist and the Accomplice. And to further distinguish himself from the pack (and what was possibly just a passing trend), Bundick promises another Toro Y Moi release later this year, offering ample material to prove his talent is a permanent fixture.

Toro Y Moi is on tour with Caribou in the U.S. through June, then jets off to Europe for a run of shows, including dates with Phoenix and YACHT. We caught up with Bundick, who told us about touring, funny iPhone apps and the Chatroulette craze.

05/24 – San Francisco, CA – The Independent*
05/26 – Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater*
05/27 – Seattle, WA – Neumo’s*
05/28 – Victoria, BC – Sugar*
05/29 – Vancouver, BC – The Rickshaw Theatre*
05/31 – Calgary, AB – The Republik*
06/01 – Edmonton, AB – The Starlite Room*
06/02 – Saskatoon, SK – Amigos*
06/03 – Winnipeg, MB – Royal Albert Arms*
06/04 – Minneapolis, MN – 7th Street Entry*
06/05 – Chicago, IL – Empty Bottle
06/06 – Lawrence, KS – The Granada Theatre*
06/07 – St. Louis, MO – Firebird*
06/08 – Louisville, KY – Zanzabar*
06/09 – Cleveland, OH – Grog Shop*
06/10 – Knoxville, TN – Pilot Light
06/11 – Columbia, SC – New Brookland Tavern
07/01 – Brooklyn, NY – Glasslands Gallery
08/10 – Des Moines, IA – 7 Flags Event Center ^
08/13 – Council Bluffs, IA – Harrah’s ^

* = w/ Caribou
^ = w/ Phoenix

You’ve probably heard her songs “Shark in the Water” and “Everybody” in the backdrop of shows like Desperate Housewives, The Hills, The City and Ugly Betty. Her voice and songwriting stamps can also be found supporting some of the biggest pop stars out there. And then there are her part-time gigs as a writer and model.

We sat down with renaissance woman VV Brown during SXSW earlier this year, where she told us about breakup albums, video games and graphic novels.

Known for flipping her seemingly eclectic influences (Elvis, Stravinsky, Sex Pistols) into a high energy, poppy soul fusion, Brown is finally stepping into the American spotlight with the release of Travelling Like the Light, released April 20 on Capitol in the U.S.

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Surfer Blood are one of the most buzzed about bands right now, at least in part because they’ve won so many people over with their sunny, catchy sound in the past year–the only year they’ve even existed.

Formed in the spring of 2009, the South Florida band recorded an album and hit the road soon after, criss-crossing the country on their own and eventually touring with Art Brut and Japandroids.

Pitchfork–ye old influential website–called the Florida band’s debut Astro Coast “a great guitar album in the way Weezer’s Blue Album, Built to Spill’s Keep It Like a Secret, or, more recently, Japandroids’ Post-Nothing are.” NY Mag deemed their sound “’90s throwback.” That is, Surfer Blood have chops, but aren’t trying too terribly hard and coming off like fun-hating hipsters.

We caught up with the band for an interview during SXSW, where they packed in a ton of shows, including the NPR and Village Voice parties and the Kanine Records showcase. They just released their debut full-length, and who knows if they’ll even be around by next year’s SXSW. But in the meantime, everyone just seems to be enjoying their ride.

Who’s broke and tours with Lady GaGa? Semi-Precious Weapons. “I can’t pay my rent but I’m fucking gorgeous” sings lead singer Justin Tranter. But with a new album out this spring and tour dates with the perpetually pants-less Lady GaGa (as part of her worldwide Monster Ball Tour), the glam-rock band may soon be able to afford things far more fabulous than rent.

Uncensored Interview sat down with the spotlight-grabbing frontman back in 2008, and it’s no surprise the band has come so far in less than two years. Catchy guitar riffs combined with his flashy onstage antics have garnered comparisons to AC/DC, Queen and David Bowie. Rolling Stone suggested “Tranter is like Adam Ant, T.Rex’s Marc Bolan and Ziggy Stardust wrapped into one, singing lead on AC/DC’s Back In Black.”

Formed in New York City in 2004, the band released a new EP January 19 that includes three songs from their upcoming full-length, You Love You. The tracks were produced by Joseph Puig (Green Day, Beck) and executive produced by tourmate Lady GaGa. (We bet there were some fashion tips exchanged in those studio sessions, too).

And if you’re wondering where Tranter gets all that sass, he borrows it from talented rock stars who have proven themselves worthy of admiration, in addition to tabloid trash who haven’t done much of anything.