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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Last week, Fixed got the holidays started early with a DJ set by Hot Chip. The parties continue this week when our favorite NYC music families bring us plenty of reasons to celebrate the season…

Every year, Matisyahu celebrates the Festival of Lights with a whopping eight shows, each with a different opening act. This year’s festival kicked off last Thursday with Glitch Mob at Webster Hall, but you still have four opportunities to see the reggae musician in action at the Music Hall of Williamsburg. Personally, we’re planning to catch this Thursday’s show, when HiFi favorite Kid Koala will also be playing. Get your tickets here.

On Friday at Webster Hall, GBH is celebrating with Mark Ronson and Aaron LaCrate. We caught Mark Ronson with Q-Tip at Santos Party House last week, and look forward to seeing him at our favorite weekly party. A limited number of $10 tickets are still available, so act fast.

Meanwhile, at Public Assembly, the Trouble & Bass Crew will be spinning alongside Finnish producer Rico Tubbs. Click here to win tickets to what is sure to be another great party.

On Saturday, The Brothers Macklovitch, Nick Catchdubs, Max Glazer and Just Blaze will headline the Fool’s Gold and LTD Holiday Party at the Etnies Showroom. The party is free with RSVP.

Also on Saturday, Basic NYC residents Sleepy and Boo are getting in on the holiday action at the Sullivan Room with special guests Mark Farina, Nickmatic, and a tag team set by Pete Schwinge and Tonylee. Get advance tickets here.

Looks like it’s going to be a busy weekend… click through to view the fliers for this weekend’s events, and check in next week for the lowdown on New Year’s Eve in NYC.

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Last Wednesday, Fool’s Gold Records celebrated the release of Kid Sister’s Ultraviolet with a party at Griffiin. With music by label founders A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs, it was refreshing to hear good music in a regular club setting. Dave 1, Diplo, Theophilus London, Spank Rock, Amanda Lepore and even Mrs. Macklovich (A-Trak and Dave 1’s mom) were in the house to celebrate Kid Sister’s big debut.

Nick Catchdubs was manning the decks when we arrived. He spun a good selection of pure hip-hop, possibly in anticipation of A-Trak’s electro set that followed.

A-Trak started off with a short speech congratulating Kid Sister and “aNYway” by Duck Sauce. The beginning of his set was dominated by electro, leaning more towards commercial club tracks before moving on to the good stuff. He played Jack Beats’ dubby remix of La Roux’s “I’m Not Your Toy”, an electro mix of Kid Sister’s “Big n Bad”, and his own remix of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Heads Will Roll”. He later moved into hip-hop, dropping crowd pleasers like Jay-Z’s “Empire State of Mind” and Puff Daddy’s “Bad Boy For Life”.

Click here to view the photo gallery, and check out Jack Beats’ remix of “I’m Not Your Toy” below.

La Roux – “I’m Not Your Toy” (Jack Beats Remix)

As co-creator and weekly resident DJ of Girls & Boys, Webster Hall’s acclaimed Friday party, Alex English has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the DJ world. In the past year alone, Girls & Boys has played host to Xavier de Rosnay, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Crookers, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Deadmau5 and Chromeo, among others.

With over 20 years of DJ experience under his belt, Alex English has become a fixture in the electro scene in New York City. Apart from his residencies at Thom Bar on Thursdays, Webster Hall on Fridays, and the Tribeca Grand Hotel on Saturdays, Alex also deals with booking the all-star DJ line-up for GBH parties at Webster Hall, Tribeca Grand, and North 8th in Williamsburg.

Tonight, Alex English and Dan Physics will make their debut as Disko Dali when they open for Justice’s sold-out DJ set at Webster Hall. Though Alex came up with Disko Dali back in 2001, he and Dan didn’t start working together until this past summer. The duo writes and produces original dance music and has done remixes of artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Dragonette, and Depeche Mode (check out some of their remixes on their MySpace page, or listen to their remix of “Plastic Caramelo” below).

Over the last few weeks, we traded emails with Alex to discuss his DJ career, influences, and upcoming projects. After the jump, read an excerpt of the interview that transpired.

We compiled photos documenting some of Alex’s exploits around New York City to celebrate The HiFi Cartel’s 100th Photo Gallery… click here to check it out. Be sure to listen to the Disko Dali remix of Plastic Caramelo’s self-titled track, streamed below, and check back soon for the Alex English edition of HiFi Essentials.

Plastic Caramelo – “Plastic Caramelo” (Disko Dali Mix)

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On Wednesday night, Fool’s Gold Records celebrated their two-year anniversary with a CMJ Showcase at 88 Palace. MeanRed put on quite the soirée, which featured live performances by The Suzan, Trackademicks, Vega and Donnis, and DJ sets by Treasure Fingers, Kingdom, and Sammy Bananas. Founders A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs were the hosts and MCs for the night, keeping the party going and giving away t-shirts, stickers, and other Fool’s Gold goodies.

We arrived in time to see Treasure Fingers dominate the decks with his electro set. Next up, Vega took the stage for their live performance. Fortunately for us, they blew a fuse during the first song, and we got to chat with the bassist about their future endeavors. The Austin-based band will move to New York in early 2010 to work with Chromeo on their upcoming album. When Vega finally resumed their set, it was clear that this is a match made in heaven. Their funk-infused baselines and electro-synth grooves will definitely flourish under Chromeo’s guidance.

Atlanta native Donnis, the newest member of the Fool’s Gold family, delivered a high-energy performance off songs off his summer mixtape, Diary of an ATL Brave. Pill joined him on stage for a few songs, adding a dynamic element to the set.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

After the jump, check out a few photos from the Fool’s Gold one-year anniversary party at Webster Hall last year.

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We just got wind of a couple more parties you might want to check out this week…

Our friends at MeanRed are taking over 88 Palace this week with their Shanghai’d event series. Tonight is the Fool’s Showcase, featuring Kingdom and Sammy Bananas, with live performances by Vega and Donnis. Fool’s Gold founders A-Trak and Nick Catchdubs will be around to host the festivities. On Thursday, the Noise Problem Showcase features Designer Drugs, Lauren Flax, and NROTB; on Friday, Adam Tensta, VDRK and Free Magic are on the roster for MeanRed’s own showcase. As an added bonus, they’ll be passing around dim sum dishes throughout each night. Click here for the full line-ups and to RSVP.

If you’re looking for some daytime action on Saturday, Levi’s and The Fader have you covered. With continuous music from 2-10 PM, The Ace Hotel is the place to be on Saturday. We’re particularly looking forward to Chauffeur’s performance, which will feature Mark Ronson, Theophilus London and Sam Sparrow. Flashing Lights founders Nick Catchdubs and Jubilee will also be spinning at the event. Click here to RSVP.

Creating our CMJ schedule has been no easy task. With over 1000 artists performing in NYC over the next four days, the official schedule of events is enough to make your head spin. Throw in the daily seminars and you’ve got your work cut out for you. Our top picks? The xx is performing at Mercury Lounge on Wednesday and is giving a free show at The Apple Store on Thursday. The Green Owl CMJ Showcase at Le Poisson Rouge on Wednesday also promises to be a great event, with performances by Theophilus London and The Very Best, among others. On Thursday, legendary DJs and hip-hop acts will unite at B.B. King’s to pay tribute to the late Grandmaster Roc Raida, with performances by X-Ecutioners, The Beat Junkies, DJ Craze, A-Trak, Z-Trip, and more. You can view all of the official events and create your own CMJ schedule by clicking here.

And it doesn’t stop there. In addition to the thousands of official events, we have our eyes on several unofficial events that are happening this week. Fool’s Gold Records will celebrate its two-year anniversary with events at 88 Palace on Wednesday and N8 on Thursday. Friday will keep us busy with three great events, all in Brooklyn. The Green Label Sound Bowl Party at the Brooklyn Bowl features live performances by Chromeo, Theophilus London, Amazing Baby and Solid Gold, with a DJ set by Holy Ghost. PopGun Booking is hosting their event at Glasslands, featuring a live performance by Francis and the Lights. The Trouble & Bass Crew rounds out the trifecta with an event at Cameo.

So there you have it. Are you ready for the week ahead? Check out some of the fliers for the unofficial events after the jump, and be sure to check in daily for our coverage of the CMJ Music Marathon.

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On Friday, Chromeo packed not one, but two venues in a single night, with a live performance at Irving Plaza followed by a DJ set at Webster Hall.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

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Last night at Street Scene, we finally saw Chromeo in all their glory. While we’ve been to several of their DJ sets and seen both Dave 1 and P-Thugg out at different events throughout the year, this was the first time that we actually saw them perform, and to say that they delivered is a vast understatement. Dave 1’s stage personality was the biggest surprise for me – his rockstar persona was reflected not just in his movements, but also in his outfit, which was a rockier version of his usual pants-and-vest combination.

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I’ve attended a few parties in dodgy locations before, but finding a bit of revelry in a Chinatown mall was a first. Enter Flashing Lights: your no-nonsense solution to realizing a sublime NYC evening. Spearheaded by DJs Ayres (The Rub), Jubilee (Nightshifters), and Nick Catchdubs (Fool’s Gold), these tastemakers bring a genuine dance party to life without the pretentious attitude found in clubs across the apple.

The NYC debut of Toadally Krossed Out begged a comparison to Dim Mak’s Bloody Beetroots as the two DJs donned green toad masks while rocking the dim sum restaurant. What stood out for me was the attendance from label heads, Diplo and A-Trak, who both came out to support their artists and partake in the action. In return, the DJs played their respective remixes of tracks by Switch, A-Trak, and Major Lazer. Their presence exemplifies a certain kinship that exists amongst labels like Fool’s Gold and Mad Decent and the artists they represent. All this juicy party goodness is wrapped together with big help from MeanRed Productions and Good Peoples.

We look forward to what artists and collaborations Flashing Lights will be offering in the future. In the mean time check out the site www.flashinglightslightslights.com and be sure to catch their next party at Glasslands September 4th! Also check out some photos from the evening debauchery as well as the M.R.I. Lightpainting blog.

Major Lazer – Hold The Line (Toadally Krossed Out Remix)