As the producer of TV on the Radio, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Liars, and Scarlett Johasson, Dave Sitek is used to critics showering him with praise for his brilliant, densely layered, pieces of art. However, over the last few years Sitek’s mind has moved away from the darkness and towards the light, in more ways than one. After wrapping up work on Holly Miranda’s debut album, he vacated his iconic Stay Gold studio in Williamsburg, bought James Dean’s old house in Beverly Hills, learned how to bake Blueberry pies, and got to work on something entirely new – a retro pop alter ego called Maximum Balloon. Taking production cues from Nile Rodgers, The Gap Band, Cyndi Lauper and Tears for Fears, the 37 year old enlisted his friends including Karen O, David Byrne and Theophilus London to make his first ever pop album. Dazed met him at his studio/home to shoot guns at empty weed containers, eat pie, drink grappa and hear what musical gold he’s found in them thar hills.