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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This Friday, Bassnectar stops by The Fillmore to dose our fragile nervous systems with bass wobbling adventures. Fresh off the release of his eighth album Cozza Frenzy, Lorin Ashton continues delivering quality concoctions laced with dubstep, electro and hip-hop madness.

As HiFi Cartel readers, you have the chance to score a pair of tickets to see this mad-scientist in action along with a free copy of Cozza Frenzy. Click through to find out how you can win. Continue Reading

Back in the 1990’s, Lorin Ashton began experimenting with freeform electronic music as a way to fuse youth culture and social action. This exploration grew into the being known as Bassnectar, a reverberation whose structure attacks every genre imaginable. He defines his sound as “omnitempo maximalism” where the dubs stretch across all rhythms, tempos, and time signatures.

Be sure to catch Bassnectar next week as he tears up the Casbah Stage at the San Diego Street Scene, Saturday August 29th. If you can’t make it out west, he is coming to Irving Plaza on November 13th.

Check out his latest EP, Cozza Frenzy, on iTunes here and have a listen to his live mix for KISS FM below.

Bassnectar – KISS FM Live Mix