As if the Electric Zoo festival hasn’t already gotten us beyond excited for this coming Labor Day weekend, the ambitious minds behind Blkmarket Membership, ReSolute, and Esthetik are putting their heads together to give New York City music lovers yet another reason to strap on our dancing shoes Sunday night – the Bpitch Control Showcase. We’re not ashamed to say we quite literally jumped for joy when we first glimpsed this incredible line-up. Ellen Allien, Sascha Funke, Nicolas Jaar, Kiki, Alexi Delano, Taimur & Fahad, and Steven Letigre will all get behind the decks for a no holds barred journey into techno heaven sure to carry you late into the next morning. You better start resting up now, as you will not want to miss a second of this musical event of epic proportions that promises to go even above and beyond the stellar  events we are used to seeing from these party facilitators.

As a DJ, producer, label owner and fashion producer, headliner Ellen Allien not only crosses universes, but rather tries connecting multiple genres through the creation of an independent culture. Her label Bpitch Control, which she founded in 1999, is one of the most successful independent labels in Berlin and beyond, and has released a host of boundary pushing techno, electro, and breaks from international producers like Sascha Funke, Kiki, Moderat, Modeselektor, Paul Kalkbrenner, Thomas Muller, Telefon Tel Aviv, Jahcoozi and more. Bpitch’s mentality is influenced by Berlin’s counterculture, and thus in some ways Bpitch Control represents the musical and thereby cultural and creative movement that has flourished in Berlin over the past ten years.

Ellen Allien – Flashy Flashy (Nicolas Jaar Remix)

Along with Ellen Allien, Bpitch’s second in command Sascha Funke will bring his particular brand of techno that sways between the polarity of emotional overload and concrete rationale. In addition, Kiki will be making his long awaited return to New York and will be adding his unique style which encapsulates everything new and exciting about electronic music, and New Yorker Alexi Delano, who has been a very important part of electronic dance music for the past two decades, will also be delivering his trademark sound. Have a listen below to one of Sascha Funke’s new collobarations with Nina Kraviz.

Sascha Funke vs Nina Kraviz – Moses

Completing the Bpitch Showcase will be electronic music’s new wonderboy Nicolas Jaar, who will be performing a very special live set. Nicolas Jaar was born in New York but quickly relocated to Santiago de Chile in the 90’s only to come back to his birth place as a teenager. Haunted by Mulatu Astatke and Erik Satie, Nico started to make organic electronic music in 2004 at the age of 14. At 17, he made his debut with “The Student EP” on Wolf and Lamb Music with a remix by Seth Troxler who called him “one of the most talented minds dance music is about to see develop”. In recent years he has continued producing and played live all around the world, and has even started his own label, Clown and Sunset. Have a listen to one of his mixes below recorded live inside Brookyn’s own Bunker.

Nicolas Jaar – Wolf & Lamb Showcase Live at The Bunker 3.13.09 [Download]

RSVP to bpitchny@gmail.com for more information and to learn the location. Advanced tickets through Resident Advisor are sold out, but tickets are still available from Halcyon Records in DUMBO, Brooklyn, or at the door on the night of the event.

Last Tuesday night, we made our way to Highline Ballroom for Chiddy Bang’s Opposite of Adults’ Release Party. Featuring Chiddy Bang, Donnis, XV, 2AM Club and Samuel, the night had many surprises in store for eager fans.  We arrived just in time to catch 2AM Club’s great crowd interaction. As they sang “Worry about you,” the audience chimed along. Next up, XV stepped up to the plate, commanding the stage with an awareness as he delivered sharp verses to some heavy beats. Playing several tracks from his mixtape, Everybody is Nobody, the audience took heed to every word. From Smallville, Kansas, XV showed that he has game, and that he can certainly play with the rest.

Donnis blew the roof off the house when he jumped onto the stage. The Atlanta-based rapper exploded with metaphors and presented a fresh accent of country cool and grammar. One of XXl Magazine’s 2010 freshmen class, Donnis exercised crowd control like an experienced pro. Having seen him several times, he has certainly grown up from his freshmen days, but still knows how to play. When he brought up Jim Jones for a number, the audience erupted in fervor and excitement, and it didn’t stop there. Following up, the live and instrumental infusion of Chiddy Bang added a fresh touch of indie hip-hop to the music depository of the night. With a hodgepodge of styles, Chiddy Bang has a knack for creating great combination of melodies intertwined with lyrical play. Their live variations and tracks from ther new album, The Opposite Of Adults, was a treat for the audience – especially when they unveiled a new song produced by Pharrell Williams.

Overall, the entire show had a great vibe, and for their first sold-out show in New York City, we’d say Chiddy Bang hit this one out of the park. The audience came for fun, and by the expressions around the room, they certainly got it. Check out photos from the night by Oliver Correa.

Last Saturday, HARD Summer Tour hit New York City’s Terminal 5 as the second to last stop on their nationwide journey bringing dance music to the masses. Terminal 5, whose capacity is set at 3,000 heads, was completely sold out; packed wall to wall on every level with enthusiastic partygoers who were nearly bursting at the seams with energetic excitement. New Yorkers JDH & Dave P started off the night with an opening set of disco tinged house music, which provided the perfect appetizer for Destructo’s heavily electro influenced set, heating the dancefloor up in earnest. By the time Sinden took the stage, the crowd had been reduced to one heaving organism that was pressed up against the barrier as he spun a set of solid bass music, bring in elements of house, dubstep, and garage. Canadians Crystal Castles closed out the night with their explosive performance of experimental electronic music created through the use of a live band.

Thanks to our good friends over at URB Magazine, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with UK producer/DJ Sinden who has revitalized the club scene with his own brand of forward thinking remixes and productions, clever mash ups, and genre-melting DJ sets. Although Sinden’s sound is associated with different forms of house music, his original influences while growing up stemmed from hardcore hip-hop, the kind that you have to be over 16 to purchase (in the UK), and that your parents would confiscate and destroy if the records were ever found. He sights Public Enemy and N.W.A. as primary influences, which then lead him to branch into the discovery of electronic music through jungle and garage. Pulp Fiction’s “Alex Reece”, which he describes as soulful, sparse, quirky, minimal, and different, fundamentally changed his perception of electronic music and inspired him to truly embrace dance music.

His new label, Grizzly, is in many ways set to reflect Sinden’s own eclectic taste and his desire to keep things fresh and constantly pushing forward. Although house has always been the unifying focal point for the music Sinden has been involved in with regards to both his own production and DJ sets, Grizzly in many ways represents a move away from the traditional 4×4, and an attempt to create and experiment with new patterns and ways of looking at club music.The direction that the label will take is still very fluid, with Sinden’s own innate sense for sound acting as the primary compass – certainly nothing to complain about. Sinden’s own transition into UK Funky and more cutting edge sound has mostly stemmed from a boredom with the over-saturation of generic basslines, which stirred up a desire to move forward and keep things interesting, through tapping into unique micro scenes from all around the world, such as guarachero and old go-go rhythms. In this sense, he has never been much of a “genre” artist, preferring to dabble in many different areas and switch up his production, keeping us hanging on his every release.

Sinden will head back to the studio at the end of this year to work on some solo material, but there’s plenty from Grizzly to keep your dancing shoes moving until then. You can look forward to the release of a collaborative record between Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx’s disco alias Jon Gionvanni and Sinden, as well as new material from Bassanova (Grahmzilla and Jess Jubilee’s project). You should also keep your ears peaked for Sinden’s remix of Lone’s “Once in a While”, which is sure to be a killer track, and as always, future releases from his role as one half of The Count & Sinden.

Check out the full photo gallery from this edition of HARD Summer HERE.

With the recent release of Body Talk Pt. 1 and the imminent release of Pt. 2, I was eager to see how Robyn’s performance has evolved since I last saw her in 2008. The good news: Robyn’s headlining performance on Friday was everything I could have hoped for and more. The bad: she left “Konichiwa Bitches” off an otherwise strong set list. But personal gripes aside, Robyn’s set was hands-down my favorite of the week.

She started things off with ”Fembot” and went straight into “Cry When You Get Older” before kicking back to 2005’s Robyn with a retooled version of “Cobrastyle”. The set list was perfectly balanced between old and new songs, and included almost every track from Body Talk Part 1 (“Dancing On My Own”, “Dancehall Queen”, “None of Dem” and “Don’t Fucking Tell Me What to Do”). As with “Cobrastyle”, Robyn offered up fresh interpretations of several old favorites, including “Be Mine”, “Who’s That Girl” and her breakout debut single, “Show Me Love”. She also played “Dream On”, a collaboration with Swedish musician/producer Christian Falk, and closed the show with an epic rendition of “With Every Heartbeat” in its full original glory.

The creativity that Robyn displays in her impressive body of work has already set her apart from the droves of pop stars that have come and gone over the course of her fifteen-year career. Add her showmanship to the mix and she is completely untouchable. Robyn had me captivated from the moment she took the stage for her first-ever U.S. show at Highline Ballroom in February 2008. She began the show with “Cobrastyle”, delivering the first four lines with a rigidity that matched the form of the song, then suddenly broke into a dance so uninhibited and natural, I can still remember the audience’s collective awe and delight.

What I find so admirable about Robyn (aside from her music, of course) is how high she set the bar back in 2008, and how easily she cleared it two years later. Almost all of the artists I’ve seen on multiple occasions have failed to live up to magic of the first time, but Robyn is a clear exception. Not only did she wisely wait until she had new material before embarking on a major tour, her effervescent personality is so infectious, it makes you wish she was your best friend.

Body Talk Pt. 2 will be released in the U.S. on September 7 with Pt. 3 on the horizon, also slated for a 2010 release. Click through for photos of Robyn’s amazing Øya performance, and CLICK HERE to see more photos from the festival.

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What’s left to say about Major Lazer? After attending every single NYC appearance, I thought I’d tire of seeing them live. Not so. Diplo and Skerrit Bwoy took over Øya’s Vika stage with lazers blazing for one of the most explosive sets of the week. Though there were familiar elements I’d come to expect from a Major Lazer show – Skerrit Bwoy’s “Pon De Floor” moves, girls dancing on stage, and a touch of Ace of Base – there were definitely some surprises in store.

Assigned the sunset time slot, Major Lazer ushered in the night with a full-blown party, transforming the stage into outdoor dancehall. Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne joined us in the photo pit to take some choice shots of his own, a testament to Major Lazer’s growing popularity. Coyne wasn’t the only one who made a guest appearance – Die Antwoord joined the action and clearly had a blast on stage, wearing Pokemon and Stitch onesies, no less. Unpredictable as always, Skerrit Bwoy took advantage of the scenic atmosphere, disappearing for a moment only to emerge in one of the trees surrounding the stage.

All in all, it was one of my favorite Major Lazer performances to date. I had to take off a little early to catch Robyn, but given their recent collaboration, I have to wonder if La Roux made a cameo after I left.

Catch some snaps of Major Lazer’s set after the jump… and CLICK HERE for more photos from the festival.

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Miike Snow’s performance was the one I was most looking forward to on Øya’s second day. And while Richie Adomako and Kenroy George reported on one of three sold-out NYC shows back in March, I personally never had the pleasure of seeing them live.

The band took the stage in matching black jackets and white theatrical masks, which coupled with the lights, fog and ambient intro, gave off an eerie vibe reminiscent of the Phantom of the Opera. They launched into “Cult Logic” and “Burial”, removing their masks in one fell swoop during “Black & Blue” to reveal the full emotional range behind their music.

Physically watching each member’s contribution to the sound made me appreciate the complexity of each song even more. While the entire set list came from their eponymous debut album, the live interpretations were not mere regurgitations of the originals. Miike Snow pushed the boundaries of each song’s structure, adding improvisational breaks to several album favorites, including “Sylvia” and “Black & Blue”. As expected, they ended the show with a rousing rendition of their first single, “Animal”.

Click through for photos from Miike Snow’s Øya performance, or CLICK HERE for more snaps of the festival.

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This Saturday, August 21, Club Infinity returns to Santos Party House for the third installment of their club night of future-minded, bass-driven dance music from around the world. Brought to you by the good folks over at MeanRed, this weekend’s party features resident DJs Kingdom and Dre Skull, as well as Prince William, Physical Therapy & $hayne, and very special guest Girl Unit.

Hailing from the far off shores of London and from Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990’s reputable Night Slugs label, Girl Unit is known for his ability to seamlessly blend deep and melodic variations of Juke, R&B, Hip-Hop instrumentals, South African House, Ballroom Grime, UK Funky, and his own unique reinterpretations of all of the above through his dynamic sets. His own productions also take in vintage, star-lit house, dramatic R&B and 808-heavy Chicago dancefloor gear, creating a product that is not only innovative and interesting, but downright impossible to resist moving to. His track IRL, described by Bok Bok as “rat alert meets Juke @ 135″, has garnered some serious well deserved hype, and we’re itching see what he comes up with next.

This is Girl Unit’s first US tour, and he will be playing a few dates on both coasts, with New York City lucky enough to be counted among them. With only one official release and a smattering of remixes and other tracks to his name, Girl Unit nonetheless displays a keen ear for sound that is completely on point, and an impressive talent and ability that you will not want to miss witnessing firsthand.

For a taste of the coming action this Saturday, check out Girl Unit’s brand new killer XLR8R Podcast below, brimming with the latest dubplates and unreleased tunes to get you pumped.

Tickets are $5 with RSVP HERE, or $10 at the door. We also have two free tickets to give away to one lucky winner, just fill out the form below to enter. Contest closes this Friday at noon. See you on the dancefloor!