Originally from North Wales and hailing from London, The Joy Formidable is a three-member indie rock band who made their way to the music scene in 2008. Acclaimed by the Times (UK), who described them as “dreamy indie pop” and regarded as one band to watch by the Guardian (UK) upon the release of their debut single “Austere” in August 2008  – the group is of pure sensation with regard. Their syncopated style draws on a contention of riffs that are backed with the resounds of pleasing and rejoicing melodies. The reavealing voice of lead singer Ritzy Bryan plays off their forceful drums and raw guitars to create a sound that is fervently fit for a  jaunt. It is also nice to come across a band that isn’t trying to sell you anything. Their music is their brand – and a good one that is! Tagged with the likes of the Editors, White Lies, and Passion Pit, The Joy Formidable will be making a stint in New York City from January 8th to January 12th. (Their exact schedule is below.)

Selling out their debut UK tour, the heavily creative group is more than the sense of optimism they omit in song. True artists, we can only imagine them live…for now. With four dates to choose from, we certainly won’t miss them. Check out their tracks “Austere” and “Cradle” below. Click through for the video of their recently released track “Greyhounds in the Slips” featuring Paul Draper.

The Joy Formidable - “Austere”

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The Joy Formidable - “Cradle”

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The Joy Formidable – 2010 New York Tour Dates

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Last March, attendees from 80 countries flocked to Miami for the annual Winter Music Conference. The legendary five-day event , which goes from March 23-27, will host some of the best parties of the year, informative panels with world-renown DJs, and of course, Ultra Music Festival.

The initial line-up for the music festival, taking place once more at Bicentennial Park, already includes A-Trak, Major Lazer, Steve Aoki, the Bloody Beetroots, and Pretty Lights. The added presence of Rusko, Skream, Bassnectar and Crookers is just another indication of how prolific dubstep has become in the music scene. Tiesto, Carl Cox, Dirty South, Rabbit in the Moon, Infected Mushroom, Deadmau5 and Armin Van Buuren were on the bill last year and will make repeat appearance in 2010.

A ticket to Ultra is included with the purchase of the Winter Music Conference badge, which is $325 if you purchase by January 6. On it’s own, a two-day pass to the festival costs $139.50.

Click through to view the complete list of the initial acts set to perform at Ultra, along with the official festival trailer. If the line-up wasn’t enough to get you psyched, check out photos from Ultra 2009 with Santigold, The Ting Tings, Armin van Buuren and Prodigy.

Stay tuned for our complete coverage of WMC – we’ll be posting info about the week’s best parties, panels, concerts, and more…

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Next Friday (December 18), Cage will conclude his US tour with a hometown show at B.B. King’s Blues Club. This has been a big year for Cage, who became the first artist to release an EP through MTV. The five-song EP can be downloaded gratis via MTV’s Subterranean Blog.

Born Chris Palko, the rapper’s visceral lyrics may reflect a childhood riddled with drugs, violence and abuse, but Cage is a prime example of how music can be used as an outlet to overcome adversity. Cage made his first appearance on a record for Pete Nice in 1993, but it wasn’t until 1997 that he recorded his breakthrough song, “Agent Orange”, produced by Necro. The song later appeared on his debut album, Movies for the Blind (2002).

In a surprising move, Cage selected Shia LaBeouf to direct the video for his EP’s title track, “I Never Knew You”. The video, which features actor Dan Byrd, draws influence from Cage’s troubled past. “Everything is from personal experience,” Cage said in an interview with MTV, “it’s depression, heartache, falling on your face, getting up, falling down again – just like a lot of common stuff people go through”. He also noted that his overall message has taken a positive turn, “that was what was what was important to me as a kid, finding some sort of escape through music. So if I can do that for somebody else, that’s great.”

Over the course of the last 15+ years, Cage has worked with Aesop Rock, RJD2, DJ Shadow, and other legendary artists. In addition to his recent gig opening for Less than Jake, Cage will headline his own tour, backed by former Hatebreed guitarist Sean Martin.

Check out the video for “I Never Knew You” after the jump, and click here to buy tickets to his live show on December 18th.

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German DJ and producer Timo Maas delivers more than enough surprises to fuel a revelry fit for an Armageddon.  Exhibiting creativity behind the decks and mixing with a unique selection of tracks, Timo Maas is a hybrid of an artist within the commercialization of Electronic Dance Music. DJs like Timo are the fresh air relieving from the cycle of methodology that often stifles the stigma of expectations when it comes to popular music – all while progressively pushing the threshold of familiarity. The Grammy-nominated producer emotes originality and a sense of his surroundings and audience. Timo Maas has worked with Kelis, Sweden’s Neneh Cherry, Placebo’s Brian Molko and contributed to soundtracks like The Italian Job (2003), Riders, FIFA Football (2003 and 2004) and a Budweiser commercial.

For the grand opening of Dance.Here.Too. at Santos Party House, Timo Maas created an electronic carnival, supported by a style and grace, that is nothing short of an enchantment. With treble and base on rectors that reformed faces in “the House,” it was an unfamiliar Santos. Fitting, his hash of a style combines familiar and unfamiliar tracks (some yet to be released) to hook the audience along with melodies and effects at the turn of knobs and twists to a frenzy of pure sounds sparking enjoyment. From ethnic Indian to Argentinean/Brazilian tracks, Timo’s capability on the stage is like a force of wind through a tunnel. The room was packed, yet everyone found some space to dance – dipping to the ground and rising while reaching up in the air. Timo inspired a dance of unison that only a ritual could conjure.

While he is considered to be a house DJ/producer,  Timo Mass’ progressive style blows the roof off the house. Keeping the fires of a party ablaze in full force is very hard to do in New York City, yet Timo managed to keep the room alive until close. After a splendid eclectic set, our hope is that he will return to New York with another delivery soon.

Click here for photos by Kenroy George from the grand opening of Dance.Here.Too., and click through to check out Timo Maas’ interpretation of Tron for his video “Ubik”, featuring Martin Bettinghaus.

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This past weekend, we checked out Themselves at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn. The Left Coast indie hip-hop duo, Jeffrey “Jel” Logan and Adam “Doseone” Drucker, combine beats, rhymes and art. In colorful fashion, the DJ and MC rap over live beats with voice control while igniting on a lyrical expedition. Spewing over a juggernaut of of technical samples, from typewriter sounds to crying babies, the funkadelic lyrics of Themselves echo with effects to chaotic syncopates of sinister sarcasm and cool samplings.

Click Here for photos of Themselves at the Knitting Factory by Kenroy George.

Check the cupcake galore in the music video for “Roman Is As Roman Does” after the jump.

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This week, Theophilus London has been shooting the music video for “Humdrum Town”, his first single on Green Label Sound, released last month. The video won’t be out for a couple of weeks, but in the meantime, you can watch a live performance of the track from the Hype Machine/Babelgum CMJ Showcase this past October:

Theophilus London – “Humdrum Town”

Click here for a free download of “Humdrum Town” from Green Label Sound, and check out his CMJ performance of “Ultraviolet” after the jump.

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