Click here to see full photo gallery from Camp Bisco X.

The rolling green hills and bountiful vast fields of upstate New York provide a very rural, laid back lifestyle, the polar opposite of New York City’s over-crowded hustle and bustle mentality. Hosting a music festival here is ideal for a large portion of NYC inhabitants and east coasters alike: it’s accessible via public transportation or car, cheap, and easy to pencil-in around your work schedule. This three day event (Thursday, Friday, Saturday) hosted by the Disco Biscuits was about to be a weekend of musical bliss.  Camp Bisco was on the verge of celebrating its 10th year anniversary with some of the finest artists, producers, and DJ’s our generation has to offer. Luckily, in a few short hours, this festival was about to become my reality.

Thursday

We departed for Mariaville (15 miles outside of Schenectady, NY) around 10 am on Thursday morning. Though the town was only 180 miles away from New York City, it took our crew a lengthy seven hours to make it inside the Bisco gates. To our dismay, the campgrounds were thoroughly flooded with people. Tents were chaotically scattered and assembled so close to one another, it was nearly impossible to find a spot. (For those of you planning to attend next year, get there early- even if you have a media pass, get there early.)  A half hour and eight clueless security guards later, we finally weaseled our way into the Rio de Janeiro campsite and set up our weekend home base.

Just by looking at a map of the grounds, I felt very at ease. In a festival environment it is easy to feel bombarded with excessive stimulation, but there was an attractive intimacy to Bisco’s layout. All of the campsites were named after iconic electronic cities: Ibiza, Rio, Tokyo, Amsterdam, London, Los Angeles, New York, Barcelona, etc. The two main stages were set up right next to each other so it looked like one massive stage with a barrier down the middle, separating the stages into Main Stage A and Main Stage B. As soon as one band finished on stage A, the next band would start on stage B five minutes later. This allowed you to more or less stay in one sport for the majority of your day, without having to sit through half hour set changes. There was one large white tent where the larger electronic acts would play by night called the Grooveshark Tent and a smaller tent titled the Dance Tent. The only other two smaller stages in the whole venue were the Silent Disco Tent and Showcase Stage.

The entire set up was perfect, small, and easy to navigate. But as soon as we started to talking to the people around us, everyone was unanimously baffled by the grandiose crowd, complaining that there were twice as many people at Bisco in 2011 as there were in 2010. This was the first year in history that Camp Bisco had sold out it’s 30,000 tickets. However, compared to Bonnaroo, which holds 100,000 annually, Bisco felt tiny. I also quickly learned that it was inappropriate to call this festival Camp Bisco or just Bisco. Looks of utter disgust would cross attendee’s faces if I ever mentioned those two phrases, they would look at me with wide eyes and respond in a dark condescending tone, “You mean Camp?” (Side note. If you plan on going to Camp Bisco in the future, or if you decide on bringing it up in conversation, just call it Camp. Trust me, just do it.)

The Disco Biscuits were hosting this musical festival and were due to play 6 sets in the three day period. It was only appropriate that we started out this adventure by watching the Biscuits first. We made our way over to Main Stage A to catch the set. Their steady jams and bizarre lyrics took me back to my high school jam-band loving days. The set was smooth, relaxing, and topped off with an incredible lazer show. However, the strobe lights were a bit overbearing and felt as if they were about to burn a hole through my retina. My crew backed away from the stage and moved towards the rear of the field where there was ample room to dance and move about freely. Right after the Biscuits, we headed to the Grooveshark Tent to catch Skirllex. The energy of this show was slightly overwhelming and the tent felt more like a sauna than an open-air space. I broke away from the bass heavy crowd and headed towards Archnemesis, who were playing in the Dance Tent. This show made my night. I had not heard of the DJ duo before I stepped foot in the tent and it seemed like everyone I ran into prior told me to check them out. Their set sampled everything from early 20’s blue and jazz to modern hip-hop and soul. Again, there was space in this tent to move about freely which enhanced the atmosphere. Archnemesis brought their set to a close and we headed back to the Grooveshark Tent for the last show of the evening. Lotus played to an over crowed vivacious group, hitting everyone softly with their melodic electronic grooves.

Bisco X attendee, Sara Finkle, told HiFi, “Lotus absolutely killed it! They catered perfectly to the Camp crowd while keeping their wonderful happy Lotus vibe.”

Once we were back in our tent and tucked into bed, I found it impossible to calm my wired brain. My boyfriend and I decided to walk around and explore the grounds for a little bit, you know, since that’s the sane thing to do at 4 in the morning. We walked into the Silent Disco Tent and  both of our jaws hit the floor, the space was phenomenal. The artwork featured on the stage was very mythical and eerie, but beautiful. Two DJs were standing side by side battling one another in a silent abyss. As you walked into the stage area, staff members were passing out headphones that covered your ears. You could navigate between station 1 and 2, and chose which DJ you wanted to listen to. Your headphones would light up either green or blue depending on what channel you were tuned into. This way you could see what everyone around you was listening to and watch them react with the music. That put the cherry on top of a great evening.

Friday

I awoke to the burning sun forcing me out of tent at ten in the morning. I got up and joined the crew for a very lazy breakfast of milk and frosted mini wheats. Word got out that a few people were going to be leading yoga at Main Stage in a few hours. My friend and I decided that this would be the perfect way to start out the day and stretch out our bodies. Unfortunately, upon arrival, we learned yoga had been held at 10 am. Fortunately, we were greeted by the Easy Star All Stars and happily danced along to their reggae-tastic covers of Radiohead, Pink Floyd, and the Beatles.  RJD2 took over next as he plunged into his hit Ghostwriter. Break Science were right by his side backing him up on keys and drums. Together they performed Smoke & Mirrors and The Horror before RJD2 surrendered the stage to Break Science and Redman.

The next show on my schedule to hit was Four Tet. There is something unique in Kieran Hebden’s touch that makes his knob tweaks sound angelic. The sun was resting low in the cloudy sky and a light summer breeze passed through all of us inside the Grooveshark Tent. Four Tet’s light show was composed of warm pastel tones thats mirrored his tunes. Unfortunately, Shpongle was about to take over the Main Stage and we quickly rushed out of the tent to see what all this Shpongle hype was about.

How do we even begin to put the Shpongletron experience into words? Even if I pulled the most elaborate descriptive words from dictionary and artfully arranged them into picture-esque sentences, something would still be lost. Let’s just say that this was the musical highlight of 2011 . (My whole crew agreed.) Simon Posford and Raja Ram (together they create Shpongle) converted the stage into acid drenched rain forest straight out of the ’60s, filled with musicians and mythical creatures. There were viking cat-women, a slinky human costume that had a torso and 4 legs, and beings I only thought existed in the Beatles, ‘I am the Walrus.’ The crowd was equally as bizarre and freaky. When the music started, everyone responded in unanimous movement. Horns, brass, strings, blue-grass, glitch, ambient, psy-trance, psychedelic downtempo, psybient hand percussion: you name it, it was there.

“I felt like I was peering into the brain of an omnipotent sound being. Or maybe like living the dreams of the God of Music,” stated crowd member Alex Hoffman.

As Shpongle dove into The Stamen of the Shaman, the rain started plummeting out of the sky. We all looked like maniacs, losing our sanity to a crazy looking band in the pouring rain. It was amazing. Nothing can compare to the happenings of Shpongle.

The rain kept beating down on the crowded field for what felt like eternity. If there was one thing I should have brought, it would have been rain gear. Apparently there has not been a single Camp to date that hasn’t witnessed rain. The entire site was oozing mud. At one point it felt like we were all wading through quicksand that was caked up to our shins. My crew tried our hardest to scramble back towards our camp site, and we returned to discover the once lush green hill had been transformed into a gigantic mud slide.

An angry member who’s site was destroyed yelled out, “WHY DO YOU THINK THEY DECIDED TO CALL THIS CAMP SITE RIO DE JANEIRO???”

I laughed hard, but abruptly stopped when I saw our camp site had been equally destroyed by water. Shock. Sadness. Anger. Exhaustion. With no choice left than to embrace the mess, we headed back out to show and ended our night with two unbelievable performances by MSTRKRFT and Ghostland Observatory.

Saturday

After a night like that, we were blessed with about 8 hours of sleep. Our crew awoke late in the afternoon and started packing up our campsite. We knew that we wanted to catch the Disco Biscuits last set and also Bassnectar before we departed. Exhaustion was weighing heavy in all of us, and we slowly trekked back to the Main Stage to see the final two acts. The Biscuits performed a very calming and soothing set which almost put us right to sleep. Basnectar shook us back to consciousness as the invasive wobbling bass lines pierced through our raw skin.

Somehow I managed to sleep the entire ride home and woke up in New York City. The layers of mud caked on my feet shook off the dream-like state I had been lingering in and made me realize I was out of Mariaville and back in Brooklyn. Bisco was a one of a kind experience. It felt great to camp outside and be bombarded with phenomenal electro-talent for three days straight. Though it was exhausting, the times I had and shows I experienced were priceless. I can’t wait to return next year. Thank you to the Biscuits, promoters, and everyone else who made this event possible.

Looking for a June getaway? The electronic dance festival, Electric Daisy Carnival, is moving to Las Vegas for the first time! EDC is not only a music festival but an entertainment experience. Aside from showcasing some of electronic music’s premiere artists, EDC presents several other activities to entertain festival-goers. Attendees can see dancers, clowns, and stilt-walkers as well as six stages of music and several carnival rides. EDC’s incredible created environment completely transforms a venue into musical paradise. This year’s headliners are Tiesto, David Guetta, and Swedish House Mafia. The move to Las Vegas from Los Angeles will allow an even bigger and better event with more attractions and artists. EDC is definitely going to be a weekend to remember!

Las Vegas Motor Speedway

June 24-26, 2011

8 PM – 6 AM

Click Here to purchase tickets

Keep reading for the complete lineup (organized by stage) and top picks for each day!

Friday June 24^th

Kinetic Field: Trent Cantrelle, Manufactured Superstars, Wolfgang Gartner, Dirty South, Tiesto, Steve Angello, Sander Van Doorn

Cosmic Meadow: Joaquin Bamaca, Beats Antique, Royksopp, Plastikman, Sub Focus, Steve Bug

Circuit Grounds:Wippenberg, The Crystal Method (DJ Set), Christopher Lawrence, Roger Sanchez, Cosmic Gate, Calvin Harris, Steve Aoki, TBA

Neon Garden: Kastle, Them Jeans, Dave Nada, DJ Vice, Bloody Beatroots Death Crew 77, Savage Skulls, Bird Peterson, Drop the Lime, Major Lazer

Bass Pod: Crizzly, Marcus Intalex, Roni Size, Friction, Borgore, Excision, Skream & Benga, Dieselboy, Marky, TC

Friday’s Top Picks: Crystal Method (DJ Set), Calvin Harris, Steve Angello, Bloody Beatroots Death Crew 77, Major Lazer, Excision

Saturday June 25^th

Kinetic Field: Hernan Cattaneo, Sidney Samson, Martin Solveig, David Guetta, TBA

Cosmic Meadow: Alesso, The Glitch Mob, Bassnectar, Empire of the Sun, Chuckie, Dada Life, Boys Noize

Circuit Grounds: Droog, Pleasurekraft, Boris, Green Velvet, UMEK, Gaiser, Richie Hawtin, Victor Calderone

Neon Garden: Zedd, Porter Robinson, Feed Me, Hardwell, Bart B More, LA Riots, Jack Beats, Skrillex, MSTRKRFT

Bass Pod: Hive, Bare, Evol Intent, High Contrast, 12^th Planet, Andy C, Rusko, Hype, Zeds Dead, Terravita, LTJ Bukem

Saturday’s Top Picks: Martin Solveig, David Guetta, Bassnectar, Empire of the Sun, Zedd, Porter Robinson, Skrillex, Rusko

Sunday June 26^th:

Kinetic Field: Thomas Gold, Paul OakenFold, Avicii, Alesso, Swedish House Mafia, Laidback Luke, Nicky Romero

Cosmic Meadow: The EC Twins, Bunny, Robbie Rivera, Afrojack, Infected Mushroom, TBA

Circuit Grounds: Moguai, Tritonal, John O’Callaghan, Simon Patterson & Sean Tyas, Ferry Corsten, ATB, Markus Schulz, Dash Berlin, Showtek

Neon Garden: Stanton Warriors, Araabmuzik, Sandro Silva, Harvard Bass, Felix Cartal, Felguk, Dada Life, A-Trak, Wolfgang Gartner

Bass Pod: Fury, Shiftee, Liquid Stranger, J Majik, Mt. Eden, Datsik, Doctor P, Planet of the Drums, Skism, Loadstar, Shimon, Nu:tone

Sunday’s Top Picks: Avicii, Swedish House Mafia, Laidback Luke, Afrojack, A-Trak, Mt. Eden, Doctor P

Excited about EDC? Leave your thoughts on the lineup in the comments section!

*Photo above by Insomniac

Greetings New Yorkers. It’s only the beginning, May 25^th to be exact, and the heat is starting to kick in. Our concrete jungle is slowly morphing into a roasting sauna. However, there are plenty of upsides to this temperature change: the sun is shining, flip-flops are becoming the ideal shoe of choice, the streets are flooded with people, and music is in the air, literally. Everywhere you walk, day and night, night and day, palpable, melodic vibrations are pouring out venue doors, small cafes, and street corners. This concept is refreshing, the winter is far behind us and now it is time to relax and absorb our surroundings.

Come mid-summer, the sudden urge of “I must get out of here” might cross your mind. It happens to the best of us. The relentless sweltering sun becomes too much bear. Your mind longs for rolling green hills and fresh country air. What about the music? If you are an electronic music connoisseur, look no further. We are proud to suggest the perfect solution, Camp Bisco 10.

Camp Bisco is a three-day music and arts festival that is put on by none other than the Disco Biscuits themselves. Over one hundred A-List electronic artists from around the world are bringing the talent. This year, the festival will be held on the sublime Lookout Country Club grounds in Mariaville, New York. Mariaville is a short 3-hour trip from New York City and only a twenty-minute drive from Albany. The grounds are composed of 200 acres of green grass fields. Heaven, and it is so close to the city!

This year, Camp Bisco is celebrating its tenth anniversary! The masterminds behind this event are coming up with new ways to innovate the festival and make it more memorable than the last. The Camp is expanding to accommodate five performance stages, a second main gate for faster entrance purposes, an improved late night dance tent, a larger silent disco, and daily music workshops and seminars. New this year will be the addition of curated label showcase tents. Labels such as DFA Records, Mad Decent, and Damon Dash will be hosting their freshest artists and tracks throughout the entire festival. This is a brilliant way to go catch a favorite act while discovering something new. A few things to look forward to are a SPECIAL DISCO VERSION DJ set featuring James Murphy and Pat Mahony from the DFA tent, a Holy Ghost! DJ set from DFA, and Moobahton style tunes from Mad Decent.

Headliners for this year’s festival will include the Disco Biscuits, Cut Copy, Wiz Khalifa, Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Shpongle Live (first ever US Live appearance!), Ratatat, Death from Above 1979, MSTRKRFT, Ghostland Observatory, Rusko, Wolfgang Gartner, and Skrillex. We also suggest checking out Easy Star All-Stars and Harvard Bass.

Electro Heaven does not seem to do this event justice. We are ecstatic to have the opportunity to cover this event and cannot wait to see you there. If you have any suggestions for artists we should look in to, let us know! Your feed-back is loved and appreciated. Tickets are incredibly well priced so buy your tickets now! We will see you in Mariaville!

For more information about Camp Bisco 10 click here.

To buy tickets click here.

Photo by Dave Van

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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With Electric Zoo Festival only a few days away, we over at The HiFi Cartel are prepping ourselves in every way possible for what promises to be a truly epic weekend brimming with colorful adventures into the world of electronic music – our favorite kind. While constructing outrageous outfits and buying lot’s of sunscreen are definitely high on our list of to-dos, there is nothing more important than ensuring that the most is made of the incredible array of talent that the good people over at Made Event have blessed us with. With the festival featuring two full days of the best DJs and producers from around the world, navigating your way through this delightful beat driven wonderland can be a bit daunting to say the least, and if you’re anything like us, fear of missing out can quickly become crippling paranoia without a little organization. With that in mind, we’ve put together a brief guide featuring our favorite must-see artists to help you maneuver through the madness. Take a deep breath, here we go…

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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.