Festival season is officially upon us, and lot’s of events this year are looking to expand. This includes Made Event’s annual celebration of all things dance music, Electric Zoo, which has added a third day to their weekend extravaganza that will take Labor Day weekend, September 2-4, 2011. The line-up is as follows:

Friday, September 2

☛ Main Stage: Moby (DJ set), Benny Benassi, Rusko, Tiga, AN21 & Ma Vangeli

☛ Hilltop Arena: Richie Hawtin Presents Plastikman (Live), MSTRKRFT, Felguk, Gareth Emery, Markus Schultz, Robbie Rivera

☛ Carl Cox & Friends Take Over Sunday School: Carl Cox, Loco Dice, Joris Voorn & Nic Fanciulli (B2B), Victor Calderone

☛ Red Bull Music Academy Riverside: Crookers, Martin Solveig, Bart B More, Busy P, Feed Me, SebastiAn

Saturday, September 3

☛ Main Stage: David Guetta, Above & Beyond, Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, John Digweed, Sander Can Doorn, Sub Focus

☛ Hilltop Arena: Ferry Corsten, ATB, Andy Moor, Dirty South Joachim Garraud, Mat Zo, Sean Tyas & Simon Patterson (B2B), Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano

☛ Sunday School Grove: Luciano, Danny Tenaglia, Carl Craig, Chris Liebing, James Holden, Steve Bug

☛ Red Bull Music Academy Riverside: Skrillex, Super Smash Bros, 12th Planet, Beardyman, Kid Sister, Porter Robinson, Tommy Lee & DJ Aero

Sunday, September 4

☛ Main Stage: Armin Van Buuren, Afrojack, Chromeo, DJ Snoopadelic, Calvin Harris

☛ Hilltop Arena: Boys Noize, Diplo, Big Gigantic, Carte Blanche, Excision & Datsik, Fake Blood, Jack Beats, MiMOSA

☛ Sunday School Grove: Richie Hawtin, Dubfire, Gui Boratto, Guy Gerber, Ida Engberg, Nicolas Jaar (Live)

☛ Red Bull Music Academy Riverside: Infected Mushroom, Gabriel & Dresden, Arty, EDX, Hardwell, Kyau & Albert, Mark Knight

More artists TBA!

Payment Plans

Passes to the festival can be purchased HERE. This year, Electric Zoo is also offering a payment plan for those who would prefer to not pay the full sum all at once. This payment plan contains two options. The first payment option allows you to pay a 50% deposit of your order total upon purchase of the pass, plus service fees, with the remaining 50% automatically deducted from your card on August 1, 2011. The second option allows you to pay 30% of your order total plus service fees as your first payment, with the remaining total automatically deducted in equal payments on July 1st and August 1st 2011.

Dust Reduction

Electric Zoo will also be making efforts to reduce dust this year, as the dancing and frolicking of 25,000 pairs of feet coupled with the unusually dry summer took a toll last year, and by the end of the day, the grass had been trampled and a lot of dirt had been kicked up into the air.

Here’s a list of things they’ve put in place to reduce the dust:

• Flooring will be used in all of the tents. This means that where all that dancing is going on, the grass will be protected and dirt won’t be kicked up.
• Dirt service roads will be covered with flooring. As our crew travels in golf carts and other vehicles to get from place to place around the perimeter of the festival grounds, there’ll be far less dirt stirred up.
• Making use of existing pavement for high traffic areas, including the area directly in front of the main stage. The main stage will be moved back this year in order to create more space. This will mean that a large area directly in front of the main stage will now be situated on pavement rather than grass. So when you “tear up the dancefloor” in front of the main stage, you’ll no longer be tearing up grass and kicking up dirt at the same time

They’ve also hired lawn specialists to consult with and work with Randall’s Island Park to improve on the maintenance of the field and to get it as healthy as possible before Electric Zoo.

Check out our coverage of last year’s Electric Zoo HERE, and stay tuned for more information and updates from us as the event draws closer!

Into The Woods is a collective of filmmakers from the pacific northwest who shoot bands and DJs in unusual places. I recently had the experience of watching this crew at my home to shoot a piece for San Francisco based band Young Prisms, and I even took some time to film with the collective behind the camera. The amount of equipment used to record the sounds and video was staggering, and I have to admire their expertise in capturing moments that I can only describe as magic off the stage. With the same likeliness, when I came across the footage of their encounters with Daedelus, 12th Planet and Gaslamp Killer, I was not surprised by the sheer quality and sentiments of these videos. Even more magical is how these moments are captured. The videos and performances exude raw and unique qualities that encapsulate the artists’ character and charisma - no crowds, just the artist and their nuance off the beaten path. Check out the refreshing videos after the jump, along with snippets of what Into The Woods had to say about the happenstance of  their encounters.

Continue Reading

This summer, Hard is going bigger than ever, with not one, but TWO New York City visits from the LA-based party machine.

On July 24, Hard will carry on one of NYC’s favorite summer pastimes with an outdoor concert at Governor’s Island. Headliner M.I.A. will be joined by fellow Creators Project alums Die Antwoord and Sleigh Bells, along with Skream, Benga, Rye Rye, Theophilus London, Borgore, Destructo, 12th Planet, Nguzunguze and Ninjasonik, all coming together for an evening of music you won’t want to miss. [tickets + info]

This August, Hard will also hit the road for their first tour, stopping in 12 cities across the US and Canada. Crystal Castles, Sinden and Destructo will take over NYC’s Terminal 5 on August 21, with more performers to be announced at a later date. [tickets + info]

To prepare you for the madness, the good folks at Hard released a promotional mix featuring artists that will perform at Hard this summer. Though the mix is geared towards the L.A. events, the mix is not only free, but also good, so who are we to complain? Listen to the mix below, or CLICK HERE download. Peep the tracklist after the jump…

Hard Promo Mix (Produced by Nitrus)

Continue Reading

This past Friday’s installment of GBH’s Girls & Boys party at Webster Hall featured JFK of MSTRKRFT, 12th Planet and St. Mandrew, along with Girls & Boys residents Alex English and Rekles. These jockeys came well prepared, playing to a packed house and owning the tracks they spun. Having covered many shows at Webster Hall, a venue with a rich history that has catered to artists like Bjork, Mick Jagger, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Harry Belafonte and even Elvis Presley, I always imagine moments of fervor in accordance to our electronic preferences and performances due to periodic tastes in terms of music, and JFK of MSTRKFT captured this essence.

When I think of MSTRKFT, I think of the Ontario duo who curated a platform that blends electro house, dance pop, electro punk and even rap with hard beats. In light of the famed and historical hallmark, Jesse F. Keeler  (aka JFK) delivered behind the decks, with highlights that included crowd control as he weaved in and out of mixes like a maze. On guard behind the decks, his fingers never left the knobs. As if he were curing a constant itch, he caressed the decks with the right touch, and every seamless beat and transition that followed erupted out of the speakers like an explosion with rhythm. A madman behind the table, he was the cleric in charge of an audience that wanted to move and dance, and surely, there wasn’t a still body in the crowd. He played a heavy French house set, but added infusions among the mix that included MSTRKFT’s mixes of “Heartbreaker” featuring John Legend and “Bounce” featuring N.O.R.E.. Overall, the high-energy set involved tracks that heightened the dramatic sense of the space – to the glee of the audience. The result was a well cultivated set and session that served as a contemporary representation of the historical venue, and we were glad to catch this one.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

For kicks and sample of what the night felt like, click through for the video of Bounce by MSTRKRFT featuring. N.O.R.E. and ISIS
Continue Reading

On Friday night, DJ Craze wowed the crowd at Webster Hall with an incredibly diverse set that flowed between hip hop, reggae, drum n bass, electro and dubstep, seamlessly integrating the genres with his masterful scratching skills. 12th Planet was up next, demanding that the crowd match his unending energy, and because an NYC dubstep party wouldn’t be complete without some Trouble & Bass action, The Captain and Star Eyes rounded out the line-up along with Girls & Boys residents Alex English and Rekles.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

If there’s one thing we should have all learned by now it’s that Trouble & Bass throws one hell of a party, and last night’s installment of No Escape from New York was no exception. The featured guests, 12th Planet and Flinch, brought their west-coast grime to The Studio at Webster Hall for a rager that also served as the backdrop for AC Slater‘s music video shoot for his upcoming release, “Take You” featuring Ninjasonik.

The Trouble & Bass Crew was in full effect, with The Captain, Drop the Lime and Star Eyes joining AC Slater for alternating sets. Diplo, Roxy Cottontail, Dances with White Girls and Apl.de.ap of the Black Eyed Peas all dropped in to get their dose of bass on a Wednesday evening.

CLICK HERE to check out photos of the night, and don’t miss the Trouble & Bass Crew when they take over Miami at the end of the month for the Winter Music Conference.

Check out the latest edition of the Trouble & Bass Smashcast, featuring Flinch. Listen to it below, download the free mix HERE or subscribe to the Smashcast for a regular dose of the Trouble & Bass Crew.

Trouble & Bass Smashcast 004: Flinch

This Wednesday, Trouble & Bass‘ No Escape from New York returns to The Studio at Webster Hall with special guests 12th Planet and Flinch. 12th Planet (aka John Dadzie) got his start in the drum & bass scene as Infiltrata. He evolved into 12th Planet when his sound – inspired by the likes of Skream, Benga and Technical Itch – took a turn towards dubstep, with influences of electro and hip hop.

Flinch (aka Adam Glassco) got his start with the LA-based electro team True Pseudo, that also counts 12th Planet as a member. On his own, Flinch has been breaking genre barriers with what RCRDLBL calls “Dutch Step”, a cross between cumbia dubstep and Dutch house.

As always, the Trouble & Bass Crew – The Captain, Star Eyes, AC Slater and Drop the Lime – will shake the walls with their bass-heavy beats. This is a party you don’t want to miss.

CLICK HERE to RSVP for reduced $5 admission. When you RSVP you will be automatically entered to win a pair of tickets to the party. To prepare for the madness, listen to 12th Planet and Flinch’s remix of Dave Nada’s Apocalypse Theme (streamed below), and be sure download the third installment of the Trouble & Bass Smashcast, which is free on iTunes.

Trouble & Bass will be taking over Miami at the end of the month with some massive events. Check out the HiFi Cartel Guide to the Winter Music Conference for more.