Though it feels like the season is just beginning, we’re already looking forward to the end of summer thanks to Made Event’s Electric Zoo. Now in its second year, the festival will once again take place on Randall’s Island on Labor Day Weekend (September 4-5). The final phase of the line-up adds Moby, Boris, Cosmic Gate, Dusty Kid, Glenn Morrison, Sander van Doorn and Savoy to the already massive roster. Like this year’s Ultra, the Electric Zoo has broadened its range of electronic musical styles to include several dubstep and experimental artists like Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Flying Lotus and Rusko, among others.

We’ll be giving away a pair of passes to the festival later this summer. In the meantime, CLICK HERE for tickets and more information.

Moby – “Wait For Me” (Laidback Luke Remix)

With the help of video DJ team Eclectic Method, Outside Lands has announced their 2010 line-up. The annual festival, held in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park, will feature performances by Kings of Leon, The Strokes, Al Green, Gogol Bordello, Nas & Damian Marley, Bassnectar, Chromeo, Pretty Lights, Mayer Hawthorne & The Country and more. A few changes this year: the festival has been moved to the middle of the month, and reduced to two days from the usual three. Tickets go on sale tomorrow (June 2) and are $125 while supplies last (more info HERE). Be sure to check out the video announcement after the jump…

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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.

The steamy oasis known as the Root Society Dome was great new addition to the Ultra landscape this year. The bio-dome structure was accented with palm trees and jungle gyms, which people wasted no time in climbing. Smoke and mood lighting completed the backdrop, making it perfect for when Bassnectar took over on Friday evening. He has a unique ability to borrow from a spectrum of genres and regurgitate them in his unmistakable style. Bassnectar’s set flowed seamlessly through dubstep and drum n bass beats, laced with the vocal stylings of Buju Banton and Pharoahe Monch.

CLICK HERE for more photos and coverage from the Winter Music Conference in Miami.

Last week, the third and final phase of the Ultra Music Festival was posted, adding LMFAO and Sander Kleinenberg (among others) to the already massive line-up that includes Damian Marley and Nas, Passion Pit, Tiesto, A-Trak, Bassnectar, Crookers, The Bloody Beetroots, Major Lazer, and hundreds more.

This year will feature some special collaborations – Florence (from Florence and the Machine) will join Swedish House Mafia on the Ultra Main Stage on Saturday, and Kelis, whose sound as taken a turn towards electro, will team up with Benny Benassi for a few songs.

Four new arenas have been added to the festival grounds – the UMF Ibiza Tent, the UMF Brazil Tent, the Root Society Dome, and the Heineken Dome Experience – bringing the total to a staggering ten (yes, TEN) stages.

Another new addition to Ultra is Sonic Forest, an interactive installation by artist/composer Christopher Janney that will entice festival goers into a unique environment with aural and visual components. Sonic Forest is composed of eight-foot tall aluminum poles that trigger melodic and environmental sounds as people move through the “electronic trees”. Independent drummers will be present in the Forest during various parts of the installation. Sonic Forest has been featured at Bonnaroo, All Points West, and Coachella in the US, and various festivals around the world.

This is shaping up to be the best Ultra to date, and is certainly not to be missed if you’re going to be in Miami for the Winter Music Conference. CLICK HERE to purchase tickets, and be sure to check out The HiFi Cartel Guide to the Winter Music Conference for more events in Miami that week.

Last fall, Nosaj Thing blew us away with his opening set on Bassnectar’s Cozza Frenzy tour. Nosaj Thing, whose real name is Jason Chung (Nosaj is Jason spelled backwards), started dabbling in music production in high school. In the 10+ years since his start, Chung released his debut album, Drift, toured around the world, and has shared the stage with Flying Lotus, Diplo, Bassnectar, and Gaslamp Killer, among others. In 2008, Kid Cudi used Chung’s “Aquarium” (from the Views/Octopus EP) for his song “Man on the Moon”, which first appeared on his breakout mixtape, A Kid Named Cudi, and later became the title track of his debut album, released in 2009. Chung has recently done remixes for The xx (“Islands”) and Drake (“Forever”), both of which are available for download on his official website.

Nosaj Thing will kick off the Magical Properties Tour alongside Daedelus and Jogger this Thursday in Palm Springs. The trio will make a stop at NYC’s Le Poisson Rouge on February 20. We’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to the show next week.

Click through for our full intervew with Nosaj Thing, and check out his remix of Jogger’s “Nice Tights” below…

Jogger – “Nice Tights” (Nosaj Thing Remix)

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After seeing Coachella’s initial line-up, we might just have to add it to our jam-packed spring schedule. Jay-Z, Muse, and Gorillaz are set to headline the three-day festival, now in its 11th year.

The massive line-up of over 130 artists includes Major Lazer, Vampire Weekend, Flying Lotus, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Miike Snow, Matt & Kim, Rusko, Deadmau5, Passion Pit, Phoenix, La Roux, Faith No More, MGMT… we could go on forever.

Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke, who is listed on the flier as “Thom Yorke ????”,  is indeed confirmed for Sunday. The question marks next to his name refer to the backing band he had assembled to play in Los Angeles last fall: Flea from the Red Hot Chilli Peppers, longtime Radiohead producer Nigel Godrich,  and session hands Joey Waronker and Mauro Refosco.

This year, Coachella will offer expanded camping options to include cars and RVs, in addition to traditional tent camping. This is also the first year that the festival will allow in-and-out privileges for all attendees.

Coachella will take place at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, CA from Friday, April 16 – Sunday April 18. Tickets will be available starting Friday, January 22 at 10 AM. For those of us strapped for cash, they are offering a layaway payment plan. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Coachella is also teaming up with Valley Music Travel to provide exclusive deals and packages that include travel, local hotel shuttle transportation, and private home rentals with VIP access to the festival.

Check out the full line-up after the jump…

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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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Bassnectar stopped by NYC last Friday for a sold out, ear-shattering performance at Irving Plaza. Along with opening acts Nosaj Thing and Joro Boro, Bassnectar quenched New York City’s thirst for dubstep… at least for the time being.

Joro Boro kicked things off with his worldly set that drew from a wide range of music. With oriental, indian, and even polka influences, it wasn’t surprising to learn that Joro Boro has toured with gypsy band Gogol Bordello.

Nosaj Thing took over at 11 PM with a more subtle, low-key sound. His set-up was simple – a laptop and a MIDI controller – but his hands were in constant motion. Just when I was beginning to liken him to Flying Lotus, he dropped his own remix of Flying Lotus’ “Camel”, solidifying the comparison. Other highlights included a bass-heavy remix of Busta Rhymes’ “Dangerous” and an interpretation of Kid Cudi’s “Man on the Moon” instrumental.

True to his name, Bassnectar leaned heavily towards dubstep and drum & bass, amplified by the wall of subwoofers lining the front of the stage. While he played genre staples like Emalkay’s “When I Look at You”, “Eastern Jam” by Chase and Status, and his own “Cozza Frenzy”, he also used songs and samples from every genre imaginable, including electro (Justice “Phantom”), reggae (Buju Banton “Walk Like a Champion”) and even rock (Led Zeppelin “Kashmir”). Hip-hop and dubstep have seen a lot of crossover lately, and Bassnectar didn’t shy away from putting in his two cents, dropping reworked versions of The Fugees’ “Ready or Not”, Missy Elliot’s “Work It”, and Pharoahe Monch’s “Simon Says”. Bassnectar’s set, which lasted nearly three hours, was coupled with a wide variety of visuals that included tripped-out animations and seemingly random video clips projected on a large screen behind him.

When he needs a change of pace from the bass-heavy goodness that is Bassnectar, Lorin Ashton turns to his side project, West Coast Lo-Fi, a more downtempo outlet for self-expression. After the jump, check out the West Coast Lo-Fi Remix of Bassnectar’s “Heads Up”.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

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This weekend is getting an early start when Dim Mak celebrates the release of Fischerspooner’s new single, “Supply & Demand”. With an open bar from 11-12 and $5 advanced tickets for the first 100 people to request an access code, there’s no excuse to miss the third installment of Dim Mak’s monthly NYC party “Cloak & Dagger“, especially when you throw in the musical stylings of Fischerspooner, Junior Sanchez, Ninjasonik and Hot Pink Delorean.

For a no-cover option on Thursday night, your best bet is to head over to “Ether” at Happy Endings where The Captain (of the Trouble & Bass Crew) will be playing a special doo-wop DJ set. We’re not exactly sure what that means, but it sounds intriguing.

If you haven’t already heard, Bassnectar is taking over Irving Plaza on Friday night, and we have the hook up on a pair of tickets and a copy of his eighth album, Cozza Frenzy. Click here to enter to win, or if you missed out, get advance tickets here. We caught Bassnectar at Street Scene in San Diego, and trust us, you do not want to miss this.

If you’re in more of a hip-hop mood, Girls & Boys is bringing The Cool Kids to Webster Hall for a special live performance. XXXChange of Spank Rock and David Berrie will also be spinning. Be sure to RSVP for $1 admission and $1 drinks before midnight.

And finally, after 5 years of radness, one party wasn’t enough of a celebration for Fixed, so on Saturday, they’re doing it all again. With a special live performance by british electronic quartet 2020 Soundsystem, JDH and Dave P are showing us just how far they can push the party.

Whew. Better get some rest… Fliers after the jump.

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