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!

It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole decade since Armin Van Burren’s weekly radio show A State of Trance first hit the airwaves. Through the years, over 15 million trance listeners across the globe have come together to tune into 500 episodes. To celebrate the tenth birthday of ASOT, Armin put together a five CD box set mixed by 5 of the world’s biggest DJ’s, all with their own character and sound.

They’ve all had their tracks played in A State of Trance, have been invited to play at the ASOT 500 events, and have earned their own marks in trance history. First and foremost; Armin van Buuren, the mastermind behind what’s arguably the most beloved dance radioshow on the planet. Paul Oakenfold, one of the founders of the trance scene who’s still going strong after nearly 20 years of musical involvement. American DJ Markus Schulz, the number 8 DJ in the world and a long time friend of the show. Cosmic Gate, groundbreaking producers that ever explore the possibilities of new sounds. And last but not least, Andy Moor; Grammy-nominated and on top of the scene for more than 15 years.

There’s one thing that unites the mixes of Armin van Buuren, Paul Oakenfold, Markus Schulz, Cosmic Gate and Andy Moor though, and that’s love for music. And that unites all of us A State of Trance lovers.

We want you to be a part of this epic celebration.

We are giving away one 5 CD box set of A State of Trance 500 along with a pair of tickets to see Armin spin an extended set at Roseland Ballroom this Friday. Simply fill out the form below and we will pick one winner at random. You can double your chances of winning on Twitter by sending out this TWEET. You must be following both HiFi Cartel & Made Event to win. Good Luck!

CONTEST IS CLOSED

How do we even begin to describe the magical technoverse that was Electric Zoo’s take over of Randall’s Island this past weekend? How do we communicate the incredible vibe of unity, spirits so high everyone seemed to be floating, and the general sensation that the 50,000 or so people who flocked to the festival grounds were part of one big organism bonded by their common mission to dance and laugh and then dance some more? I suppose we should start at the beginning, when both Saturday and Sunday dawned warm and clear, and thousands of brightly colored revelers donned their face paint, grabbed their dancing shoes, and boarded the bus or ferry to the island, which had been transformed throughout the past week into something akin to Alice’s Wonderland – had she been a raver child. Four massive tents were strategically placed across a field of lush grass, making up the four different stages of the festival: the Main Stage, Redbull Music Academy Riverside Stage, Hilltop Arena, and Sunday School Grove.  In addition to these were the VIP and Media tent, as well as multiple bars, food outlets, and art installations, all set against the magnificent backdrop of the skyline in the distance. Over the span of two days, the festival featured over 60 DJs and producers from all corners of the globe, each of whom brought something unique and extraordinary when they stepped behind the DJ booth. Due to this overabundance of talent, we’ve pulled out our favorites from the bunch, as well as provided you with a glimpse into the minds of a few select artists that The HiFi Cartel was lucky enough to chat with during the course of the festival.

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You have roughly six hours left to purchase discounted Electric Zoo tickets at $107, and given the most recent additions to the line-up, you’d have to be out of town, out of cash, or out of your mind to miss New York City’s biggest annual music event.

While last year’s line-up was almost all house, this year, Made Event is expanding the festival to include more sectors of electronic music, adding dubstep, electro, experimental, and more. In addition to the previously announced headliners, Flying Lotus, Bassnectar, Boys Noize, A-Trak, Major Lazer, Rusko, Wolfgang Gartner, Diplo, Steve Aoki, Aeroplane and Afrojack are among those that will grace Randall’s Island with their musical touch this Labor Day Weekend. Keep checking the official website (and The HiFi Cartel, of course) for the latest updates on the line-up – and trust us, there is plenty more to come.

CLICK HERE to purchase your early bird passes, and don’t forget, the prices will go up TONIGHT at midnight. Check out photos of Day 1 and Day 2 of the inaugural Electric Zoo by Oliver Correa and Kenroy George, and check in with us later this summer for your chance to win tickets to this massive blow-out.

Last year, Made Event debuted the Electric Zoo, New York’s first electronic music festival, at Randall’s Island. The Electric Zoo will return this Labor Day weekend (September 4-5) with a line-up that includes Paul van Dyk, Benny Benassi, ATB, Above & Beyond, John Digweed and Fedde Le Grand. The Chemical Brothers and Armin van Buuren will headline.

Click here to purchase early bird tickets, which are just $107 for two-day passes. VIP upgrade options will be added soon.

On Friday night, Armin van Buuren played the first of two shows at Roseland Ballroom in celebration of the 450th edition of A State of Trance (ASOT). Made Event didn’t hold back on the production, with a massive LED backdrop and a DJ booth to match. There was also a “shoutwall” where fans could record messages to be played during ASOT 450.

The crowd reciprocated Armin van Buuren’s constant jubilant energy, mimicking his movements. Armin’s stage presence is unparalleled; he was constantly jumping, clapping or moving his arms to encourage the crowd’s excitement. Highlights included “On a Good Day” by Above & Beyond, “Ashley” by Filo and Peri, and the Cosmic Gate Remix of “I See You”, the theme from Avatar. He closed the set with the Jorn van Deynhoven remix of “Never Cry Again” by Dash Berlin.

Armin van Buuren will headline the second day of the Electric Zoo, CLICK HERE to see the initial line-up, and click through for photo galleries of the two-day extravaganza…

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This weekend, Armin Van Buuren will celebrate the 450th edition of his acclaimed podcast, A State of Trance. The acclaimed DJ will travel to two continents, four countries, and five clubs for the occasion, including two massive shows at NYC’s own Roseland Ballroom. Saturday night’s show is already sold out, but you’re in luck – we’re giving away a pair of tickets for Friday’s performance. Enter the contest by filling out the form below. The contest will close at midnight tonight, and the winner will be notified tomorrow morning. CLICK HERE for tickets and event info.

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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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If you missed the Electric Zoo Festival last weekend, here’s your shot at redemption: Armin van Buuren will be spinning a free show on Saturday at Governor’s Island from 1-5 PM.

Armin’s show is part of the New Island Festival, which will be taking over Governor’s Island from September 10-12 and again from September 17-20. The festival celebrates the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s voyage from Amsterdam to New York, and will include DJ sets, theater, visual arts and more, all by Dutch artists.

While the party is free, you need to purchase a Water Taxi ticket to get there. Roundtrip tickets are $10 – a bargain considering tickets were over $50 for his April show at Roseland Ballroom. Click here for more information about the event or to purchase Water Taxi tickets in advance.

Check out photos of Armin van Buuren and other performers from The Electric Zoo festival this past weekend.

AvB feat. Cathy Burton – Rain [Cosmic Gate Remix]

If you’re looking for one last hurrah this summer, look no further than the Electric Zoo, New York’s biggest electronic music festival happening this labor day weekend. The massive line-up of over 50 artists includes Armin Van Buuren, Steve Aoki, Danny Tenaglia, Ben Watt and Deadmau5 on Saturday; David Guetta, Richie Hawtin, ATB, Steve Bug and Markus Schulz are playing on Sunday.

The festival, which will take place at NYC’s own Randall’s Island Park, is easily accessible by public transportation. Tickets are still available, $70 for single day passes and $130 for both days. For more information or to view the set times, visit the Electric Zoo’s official website.