Giant and very-varied Labor Day Weekend electro festival Electric Zoo returns to Randall's Island on September 2-4 and just announced 14 more artists to its already big lineup which is split across four stages (times three days).

The fest this year features performances by big names like Moby (DJ set), Rusko, MSTRKRFT, Richie Hawtin as Plastikman, Chromeo, Boys Noize, Calvin Harris and Diplo. The lineup also includes smaller but familiar and exciting names like Daedelus, SebastiAn (Live), SBTRKT, Nicolas Jaar (Live), and many more. The whole thing is listed below.

SBTRKT meanwhile has dates coming up in July.

SebastiAn, who has had singles floating around for a few years now, and more recently a film score, finally released his first proper full length Total on May 30 via Ed Banger. The album is 22 songs of Daft Punk-esque aggressive French House and features vocal contributions from Mayer Hawthorne and M.I.A.. Check out a soundcloud stream of the M.I.A.-featured "C.T.F.O." (which stands for chill the fuck out) and the full tracklist also below.

More tour dates for Diplo, Chromeo and Rusko, along with the EZ lineup, and stuff, below...

Continue reading "Electric Zoo expands lineup (SBTRKT, Nicolas Jaar, MSTRKRFT, MANY more), SebastiAn released 'Total' on Ed Banger"

photos by Brook Bobbins

The Rusko & Doorly tour hit Terminal 5 in NYC on Wednesday night (4/27). Pictures from that HARD-presented show are in this post.

HARD also presents the LA date of the tour which is also the last date of the tour.

LA is also where HARD is holding a 'Summer Festival' on Saturday August 6th. That craziness will include sets by:

"DUCK SAUCE, Boys Noize, CHROMEO live, RATATAT live, Skrillex, ODD FUTURE, JAMES MURPHY AND PAT MAHONEY DFA TENT SPECIAL DISCO VERSION, DIGITALISM live, Jack Beats, KARLSSON and WINNBERG / MIIKE SNOW DJ SET, Caspa, NERO, Noisia, Emalkay, CARTE BLANCHE live featuring dj Mehdi and Riton, BUSY PICTIONARY featuring BUSY P and SO ME, Holy Ghost ! live, SIRIUSMO, GESAFFELSTEIN, GASLAMP KILLER, DESTRUCTO, Juan MacLean, Shit Robot (The Shit Robot Show), Still Going, Nadastrom, DILLION FRANCIS, Acid Jacks, Visuals by Vello V2 labs, + more."

HARD Cruise sails out of Florida in January, and though no lineup has been announced for that yet, I'm sure the lineup will contain at least a few of the artists mentioned in this post.

More pictures from Terminal 5 are below...

Continue reading "Rusko played Terminal 5 w/ Doorly & Destructo (pics), playing other HARD events (dates)"

photos by Alysse Gafkjen

MGMT / My Morning Jacket

"It's more than an average sweat-your-brains-out, suffer-in-the-mud music festival. It's the Voodoo Experience, and it went down at City Park this weekend in New Orleans.

Voodoo Fest, one of the world's largest Halloween parties, housed thousands of attendees who, for three days of musical bliss, watched some of the world's most notorious names -- including Muse, Ozzy Osbourne, MGMT and My Morning Jacket -- and donned costumes ranging from zombies to superheroes, fictional characters to condiments and anything and everything in-between." [The Daily Reveille]

Continue reading "Voodoo Experience 2010 in pics & video - part 1 (MGMT as Scooby Doo, My Morning Jacket, Jonsi, Muse, Metric & more) "

by BBG

Boys Noize at HARD NYC (more by Zachary Alex Stern)

Boys Noize will team up with Rusko for a date at Webster Hall on 10/29. The two electronic artists, who both just played Electric Zoo (and who both played different dates on the recent HARD tour), are criscrossing in NYC, but each are hitting the road for much larger separate tours in promotion of their latest LPs, Power and O.M.G.! respectively. Full tour dates for both are below.

Three weeks after Boys Noize/Rusko, look for Z-Trip to bring his cornucopia of beats to Webster Hall (11/19), his only East Coast date so far. Full dates are below, as well as a recent (and awesome) Marvin Gaye/2Pac blend by Z-Trip commissioned by Afeni Shakur.

Continue reading "Boys Noize, Rusko & Z-Trip are playing NYC shows & touring (not together)"

photos by Sharese Ann Frederick

Ed Banger's DJ Mehdi signs a fan

Bassnectar closes out the final day

"Bassnectar, arms flailing and Cousin It hair flying in all directions, brought the loudest set of the weekend, inspiring two concertgoers to scale a 30-foot support pole inside the tent." [NYU News]

In terms of new material, he says:

This week i finished the latest Bassnectar EP, 'Wildstyle' which is the most bonkers collection of music i've ever created. Each song was crafted with you in mind, and how your body and soul will be affected when the waves of this music are crashing through your cells. We will have more info soon with regards to release, but it will definitely become centerpiece of the fall soundtrack.

Continue reading "the final set of Electric Zoo pics & more Bassnectar dates "

words by Kon Glikos, photos by Zach Dilgard

Flying Lotus / ravers

As we were saying, This past Labor Day weekend saw the second installment of the Electric Zoo festival, taking place on Randall's Island. The two-day festival boasted a line up of over 70 artists on 4 stages, catering to most genres of electronic music. The line up ran the gamut. Commercial dance DJ's/acts such as: The Chemical Brothers, Moby, Armin Van Buuren, and house and techno staples the likes of: Richie Hawtin, Claude Von Stroke, and Steve Bug found themselves along side each other on the bill. In addition, artists such as Martyn, Erol Alkan, and Aeroplane represented genres like dubstep, electro, and nu-disco.

Highlights on Saturday included a blistering live techno set from Reboot, taking place in the Sunday School tent. In the evening, Major Lazer brought the crowd into a frenzy with their all-encompassing musical mash-ups. Over on the Red Bull Academy stage, Flying Lotus's much anticipated set had its moments of brilliance, namely a re-edit of Radiohead's Idioteque towards the end of his set. The Chemical Brothers closed out the night on the main stage, starting off with a string of new songs, signifying a musical directional change, giving way to older crowd favorites. Additionally, the visual production paired with their music, made their performance memorable for the thousands that listened in.

Day 2 started off on a high note, with Jon Hopkins's thoroughly original take of a live electronic set, which seemed largely improvisational. The next time slot called for witnessing a meeting of the techno minds back at the Sunday School tent. Techno heavy weights: Martin Buttrich, Mattias Tanzmann and Davide Squillace performed a track for track DJ set that was mainly composed of their favorite techno classics. It quickly became one of the highlights of the weekend. On the main stage, Moby played his DJ set to a sea of people in full on festival mode. His set was a retrospective, made up of tracks from dance eras gone by. What he played was a nice contrast to the seemingly endless stream of commercial trance and progressive house sounds coming from the main stage all day long. He was one of the top main stage performances all weekend.

While the aforementioned performances made up what I thought to be some of the most significant of the weekend, there was no shortage of cringe-worthy music being performed. For example, the countless musical crimes being committed in the Hilltop Arena tent (aptly re-named the Jersey Shore tent by many), aided in shedding some of the festival's musical credibility. Still, the premise of this festival seems to be that there is something for everyone because "you get what you pay for". Only time will tell if this is the electronic music festival that New York City deserves.

--

As promised, here are more pictures from last weekend's event. Part 1 is HERE. Part 2 is HERE. Part 3 continues below...

Continue reading "Electric Zoo in pics - part 3 (Flying Lotus, Moby, Reboot, more) "

photos by Andrew St. Clair

"Dutch this, Swedish that! Germany's answer to house, Boys Noize, put on one hell of a set. Almost every track he dropped was welcomed by a roaring cheer. Technically he was breathtaking and proved once again why he is the future of electronic music." [Dancing Astronaut]

Continue reading "Electric Zoo 2010 in pics - part 2 (A-Trak, Armin Van Buuren, Boys Noize, Diplo, Steve Aoki, JDH, Dave P & more) "

DOWNLOAD: Flying Lotus - 3 non-album tracks (ZIP)

Electric Zoo 2009 (more by Zach Dilgard)

The lineup for this year's Electric Zoo, on Randall's Island September 4th and 5th, has been updated and now includes Major Lazer, Flying Lotus, Rusko, Steve Aoki and more, which are all listed below. The headliner for night one is Chemical Brothers; night two's is Armin van Buuren. Tickets are on sale.

Major Lazer, who put on a great show, have upcoming shows at Pitchfork Fest and Camp Bisco this summer, plus lots of festivals in Asia and Europe. They recently put out a mixtape with La Roux called LAZERPROOF, which you can get that for free here.

Electric Zoo is Flying Lotus' only US gig currently. His LP Cosmogramma came out earlier this year, and he'll have an EP out before it ends.

Electric Zoo lineup and Major Lazer tour dates are below...

Continue reading "Electric Zoo lineup now includes Flying Lotus & Major Lazer (who are touring, giving away a mixtape) "

photos by Zachary Alex Stern

"Major Lazer was wicked last night at Terminal 5. Made me act like a fool." - Jake Shears

HARD PACKED Terminal 5 full of sweaty bodies on Saturday night (4/3). Pacifiers, bright colors and eyes rolling back into people's heads were in abundance. Skimpily outfitted dancers often decorated the stage at what was otherwise mostly a DJ show. Destructo opened the night (but Zach missed them). Then came Russia's Proxy followed by Portugal's always-fun and lively (and mc-led) Buraka Som Sistema. Headliners of the night were Boys Noize who actually kept visuals to a minimum, and Major Lazer (aka Diplo and Switch) who, like at SXSW, kept things over the top. In Austin they had one kind of monster. In NYC there was a dragon.

HARD's next NYC party takes place in an even larger venue this summer...

Global trendsetter & cultural icon M.I.A. will make her 2010 national stage debut at HARD NYC on Saturday, July 24th at the South Island Field on Governors Island. In conjunction with M.I.A.'s NEET Recordings label, confirmed performers for this two-stage festival include Sleigh Bells, Theophilus London, Skream, Benga, Ninjasonik, 12th Planet, Nguzunguzu, Borgore, Destructo & much much more TBA.

Continue reading "Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Buraka Som Sistema & Proxy @ Terminal 5 in (HARD) NYC - pics "

We'll get a more complete press release in the morning (and confirm what is listed below is 100% correct), but in the meantime below is a picture of the 2010 Sasquatch poster (that someone Tweeted) and the lineup as read by Bradford Cox at tonight's Atlas Sound show in Seattle (and being listed all over the Internet)....

Continue reading "Sasquatch announces 2010 lineup (includes Massive Attack & My Morning Jacket) (and many more) "

Chilly Gonzales is currently celebrating two new releases: a spellbinding 7" piano remake of Erol Alkan and Boys Noize's club banger "Waves" (coupled with a spoken music lesson on the B-side) and his 4-album live Guinness World Record set "The Works" (released through Believe digital). Listen to the "Waves" remake below

Feb 4 w/ guest SIA
Feb 11 w/ guest Andrew WK
Feb 18 w/ guest DJ A-Trak plus surprise guest
Feb 25 w/ guest Princess Superstar

Andrew WK and Jamie Lidell joined him last time he played the same venue. Check out the "Waves" video below...

Continue reading "Chilly Gonzales adds guests to his Joe's residency, plays Erol Alkan & Boys Noize song on piano "

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the Dinosaur Jr. shows coming up at Bowery Ballroom and Music Hall of Williamsburg.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the "Doveman and Friends" show coming up at Mercury Lounge.

Tickets are on sale (@ noon) for the upcoming Here We Go Magic / Midnight Masses show at Music Hall of Williamsburg.

The dance party HARD is returning to Terminal 5 on April 3rd. Boys Noize and Major Lazer (Diplo and Switch) headline the bill that also includes Buraka Som Sistema (MC/DJ Set), Proxy, and Destructo. Tickets are on sale (@ noon).

Tickets are on sale for the Fucked Up / Kurt Vile show happening at Europa.

Check out some holiday shows coming up at BB King's.

Pixies play TWO shows at Hammerstein Ballroom tonight (11/25). Tickets are still available for the late one.

DOWNLOAD: Justin Miller DFA Mix for Viva Radio (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Schmami - Eurolax mix (MP3)

Drop the Lime & live band @ Summerstage - Aug 8, 2009 (more by Sara Skolnick)

Last week in dance was great, more specifically Saturday. Unfortunately I missed Canyons at Dark Disco in the Park, but arrived just in time for Drop the Lime's live set, which was amazing. As much as I first loved the heavy bass champion's sound when I first started seeing him deejay back in '07, lately his (and the other Trouble & Bass deejays') sets have been a little too bass-heavy for me (I think I'm getting old!). However, the live set on Saturday was the perfect balance of heavy bass, awesome live drums, and great vocals. There is something about adding live elements to dance music that just can't be touched, and Drop the Lime's live act is no exception.

Boys Noize @ Summerstage - Aug 8, 2009 (more by Sara Skolnick)

I was in an excellent mood after Drop the Lime's set and it only got better as Boys Noize took the stage. From the get-go it was clear that it was going to be a great set. It included loads of new tracks and any predictability I had witnessed in some of his prior sets was gone. Check out some video of Boys Noize dropping one of his & Erol Alkan's new tracks "Waves" below:

While there aren't any discos in the park this week, there is still plenty going on dance-wise, starting with Thursday (8/13):

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 1)"

photos by Sara Skolnick

Drop the Lime dancer

"Boys Noize is the moniker of Alexander Ridha, a German electro-tech producer and DJ. It is also the name of Ridha's label, Boysnoize Records, which he set up in 2005...

...Under the name Boys Noize, he has released records on French label Kitsuné Music, Tiga's Turbo Records label, and on DJ Hell's International DeeJay Gigolo Records. He has also remixed tracks for Tiga, Para One, Feist, Kreeps and Depeche Mode, as well as popular remixes of British indie anthems "Banquet" by Bloc Party and "Everyday I Love You Less and Less" by Kaiser Chiefs. Boys Noize's tracks and remixes are played by DJs such as Erol Alkan, SebastiAn, 2 Many DJ's, Tiga and Justice...

...Boys Noize is set to release a new album, called "POWER", in October 2009. It will feature 12 tracks including "Starter" and "Jeffer", which were released on EP in July 2009.In addition to his new album he will also release a EP with Erol Alkan called: "WAVES"/"DEATH SUITE". [Wikipedia]

Continue reading "Boys Noize, Drop the Lime & Canyons @ Summerstage - pics "

DOWNLOAD: Flashmen ft. Sewingpattern - As The Night Rolls On [Guitar Edit] (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: 33Hz - I Feel Alive (Eli Escobar remix) (MP3)

Dublex Inc

This weekend is packed with plenty of opportunities to get down outside. To begin with there is P.S.1's weekly Warm Up, followed by New Release's Beach Party, LIC on Saturday (8/8). This week's Warm Up features the Music Committee of the (late) Merce Cunningham Dance Company: Stephan Moore and David Behrman, Eats Tapes, Lovefingers (highly recommended disco! check out the tons of free mixes on his site), Master Khan (check out his mix from last month on Beats In Space), and special guests. More info on Warm Up and Stephan Moore & David Behrman below:

Stephan Moore is a Brooklyn sound artist whose work relies on the collection and use of real world sound, perception of sonic environments, improvisation and interactivity. David Behrman has been active as a composer and artist since the 1960s, making sound and multimedia installations for gallery spaces as well as concert music. The MCDC was founded in 1953 by Modernist choreographer Merce Cunningham, who commissioned more new music by American composers than any other single choreographer.

Warm Up Admission
On Warm Up Saturdays, from 2:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m., the admission fee to P.S.1 and Warm Up is $10.00. Included in this price is access to all exhibitions and to Warm Up. We do not offer special discounts for seniors or students on Warm Up Saturdays. Cash only.

continued....

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ Showtrotta (part 2) (PS1, Dublex Inc, Boys Noise, Simian Mobile Disco, BEMF, 33Hz, more)"

Bela Fleck & Toumani Diabate, Savannah Music Fest '09 (Savannah Grandfather)

Celebrating its twentieth anniversary, City Parks Foundation is pleased to announce the 2009 season schedule of its flagship free performing arts festival, Central Park SummerStage. Internationally acclaimed for presenting world-renowned and emerging talent from around the globe and New York City's own backyard, the Central Park SummerStage season promises to be as electrifying as ever with a calendar chock-full of culturally diverse programs in multiple disciplines including music, dance, word, film, and comedy.

The 2009 Central Park SummerStage season is marked by innovative collaborations and will open on Friday, June 12 at 8:00 PM with a performance by the critically acclaimed singer/songwriter Josh Ritter and his band for the evening, The New York Pops.

City Parks Foundation also welcomes The Metropolitan Opera for the first time ever to Central Park SummerStage as The Met launches its free Summer Recital Series of outdoor concerts in neighborhood parks on Monday, July 13 at 8:00 PM with a special performance of opera arias and popular songs headlined by the Tony Award-winning baritone Paulo Szot and featuring Lisette Oropesa (soprano), Alek Shrader (tenor), and Vlad Iftinca (piano).

Continue reading "Central Park Summerstage - full 2009 concert schedule "

"Though promoters around the country report strong early ticket sales for festivals and summer tours, the recession is causing jitters. This year Coachella, which has the most glamorous reputation of all American festivals, began selling tickets on layaway, and 18 percent of its customers took that option, Mr. Tollett said.

The proliferation of big festivals, like Bonnaroo near Nashville and Lollapalooza in Chicago, has not been without casualties. This year Langerado in Miami shut down, citing the economy. The Pemberton Festival in British Columbia is on hiatus after only one year, although its promoter, Live Nation, said the problem was permit delays." [NY Times]

Continue reading "Lollapalooza 2009 - the official & complete lineup"

DOWNLOAD: DJ Ayres, Nick Catchdubs, and Jubilee
- Flashing Lights Mix 1 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Sebastien Tellier - L'amour et la Violence (Boys Noize remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Boys Noize - Live at Sonar Festival - June 21, 2008 (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Nick Warren - Cosmic Space Mix (MP3)

A-Trak @ Central Park Summerstage (more by Ryan Muir)

With all there was to choose from last night I hope you were able to find something to get you moving on the floor. If not, I'm sure some of the deejays and bands in this post can help out with your weekend...

Continue reading "the weekend (and next week) in Dance w/ Showtrotta"

by Showtrotta

DOWNLOAD: AC Slater - Bassline Time (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: AC Slater - BanGer (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: AC Slater - Vertigo (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: AC Slater - Party Girl (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Boys Noize - Shine Shine (AC Slater remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Maskinen - "Alla Som Inte Dansar" (Mister Thingamy Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Maskinen -Alla Som Inte Dansar (Team Skidoo & Tek box Rmx) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Touch - "Night Dominator ft. Lina" (DJ Assualt Remix) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Kid Fresh - "Palms Out Mix Series Vol. 6: Winter In Shanghai" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: ESTAW & J-Cast - "Break It Down" (MP3)

New York electro blog Palms Out Sounds presents a showcase of both New York-based and international deejays at Luna Lounge in Brooklyn tonight (Thursday March 20). Email RSVP@palmsout.com for $5 reduced list.

There are easily 10 people on the bill scheduled to deejay. One I think is especially worth checking out is AC Slater. Brooklyn based dj/producer/remixer AC Slater won me over a long time ago with his remix of Boys Noize's 'Shine Shine' (MP3 above), but he has also done a number of his own tracks which are quite good. (also see MP3s above)

This week AC also did a fresh mix for the increasingly popular No Love Lost Records (NLLR) Mixtape Project if you want an idea of what you're in for tonight, download that one right HERE

If you haven't already checked them out, NLLR is a record label with a great philosophy that will hopefully be releasing some excellent dance music in the near future. In the meantime their mixtape project has amassed enough great tunes to keep you moving for months. From their manifesto:

Established in September 2007 in Brooklyn, New York, by British born dance music aficionado Lee Norman Williams, No Love Lost Records is dedicated to discovering and developing the next wave of artists, DJs, and remixers. No Love Lost Records is an independent label that understands and respects the culture of dance music, and the endless drive to push the boundaries of what is both the most progressive and exciting music on the planet.

No Love Lost Records also runs a very exciting, free to download, side-project called THE NLLR MIXTAPE PROJECT. This project is an ongoing series of exclusive showcase mixes representing all styles of dance and electronic music by the most progressive and talented DJs in the world. In its short existence the NLLR Mixtape Project has already received more than 275,000 downloads...

Continue reading "a Palms Out showcase in BK, AC Slater, lots of MP3s, & NLLR"

DOWNLOAD: Dandi Wind - Balloon Factory (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Captain - Birthday Mix from The Birdhouse (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Walter Meego - Romantic (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Walter Meego - Wanna Be a Star (Walter Sees Stars mix) (MP3)

The dance world typically gathers steam in the US in March, with Winter Music Conference held in Miami, and the increasingly dance-populated SXSW, many labels and producers tour their beat-laden wares come spring. This Spring is no different and NYC will host almost all the top upcoming talent in the month of March.

WMC happens in Miami March 20th through March 25th. The list of events is here. I'll post highlights in a few weeks.

Two zeitgeist-y days in March see the dance world collide in NYC. There is a line in the sand...

Booka Shade

Thursday March 15th
* Cut NYC returns at Studio B with Booka Shade Live
* Institubes vs. Boys Noize at Hiro with Para One, Boys Noize, & Curses!

Booka Shade, along with M.A.N.D.Y., and the rest of the Get Physical label were THE sound of 2005. Penning minimally melodic stormers that rocked every genre of dancefloor, Booka Shade arguably put on the best show of WMC 2006 at the Fixed/Revolver party.

Institubes is the reserved cousin to Paris' Ed Banger Records. Their roster includes Tacteel, Para One, Das Glow, Surkin, Bobmo, & (NYC'er) Curses!, all who blur the lines between hip-hop, techno, and rave. They will all be on the tip of your tounge in 2007. Boys Noize and the output of his self-titled label have been crafting a hard edged, drum centric version of the current electro sound of dance, evidenced by THAT remix of "Banquet" that you hear every weekend. Besides Bloc Party, BN has remixed much of the indierati: Kaiser Chiefs, Tiga, Shiny Toy Guns, Living Things, and (!) Depeche Mode.

And another complicated night that needs no explanation for readers of this fine site:

Saturday March 31st
* LCD Soundsystem at Bowery Ballroom
* Datarock, Lo-Fi-Fnk, & the Presets at Fixed at Studio B
* John Digweed & MSTRKRFT tour hits Pacha

Less of a decision TONIGHT (Feb 22)....

Brooklyn Wasted Youth

The always wonderful Modular Monthly happens tonight at Galapagos in Brooklyn. Hometown hero Drop The Lime destroys it live, along with the art dance craze of Dandi Wind, and they JUST ADDED Chicago crew Walter Meego. This is the spot tonight.

NEWS

• XLR8R Previews SXSW and the Presets


• Abbey at Punkphoto got some cool phootage of the Rapture party last week


• Stylus runs down techno videos on YouTube


• The Month in Grime/Dubstep at PFork (DMZ meets Dubwar at Tonic on Saturday)

• XLR8R's Podcast (This week features a mix by editor Vivian Host (Star Eyes))


• Boys Noize Mix Live in Chicago


• Booka Shade's Essential Mix for BBC Radio 1


• M.A.N.D.Y. on Galaxy FM UK

Continue reading "the week in Dance w/ David Bruno (02/22/07)"