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 June, Major Lazer exploded on the international music scene with their debut album, Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do.  2009 was a big year for Major Lazer – they were nominated for two MTV awards, headlined multiple tours (including a star-studded performance at Hard NYC), and brought their reggae-tinged sound to dance floors around the world.

Their third single, “Pon de Floor” enjoyed quite a bit of club play at all of our favorite parties, and even crossed over to the mainstream when it was used on the season finale of So You Think You Can Dance. Skerrit Bwoy’s graphic reenactment of the NSFW music video (directed by Eric Wareheim of the comedy duo Tim and Eric) at the Best Buy Club Beats event last November ruffled a few corporate feathers, resulting in an abrupt end to their set and a hasty exit. Considering that the Jamaican government instilled a nationwide ban on all music and videos relating to “daggering” last February, we’d say that Major Lazer got off easy here in the states.

After Dances With White Girls equated “Pon de Floor” to Reel 2 Reel’s 1994 hit “I Like to Move It” via Twitter, “Pon de Floor” secured its position as The HiFi Cartel’s song of the year.

We trust that as HiFi Cartel readers you’ve heard the original song, so we’ve included Laidback Luke’s remix below for your listening pleasure. Be sure to check out photos from Major Lazer’s NYC debut at S.O.B.’s, Hard NYC at Terminal 5, and Club Beats at Best Buy, and in case you’ve been sleeping, watch the video for “Pon de Floor” after the jump. Major Lazer will once again play Hard NYC when it returns to Terminal 5 on April 3. Get your tickets here.

Major Lazer – “Pon de Floor” (Laidback Luke Remix)

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Last week, Kelis took to her Twitter account to leak “Acapella”, the lead single off her upcoming album. The album, which is “pretty much finished“, will include tracks produced by David Guetta (“Acapella”), Boys Noize and Major Lazer (aka Diplo and Switch).

The singer was recently featured on “Scars”, the title track from Bassment Jaxx’s latest album, and also collaborated with Crookers on the track “No Security” for their upcoming release, Tons of Friends. With that top-notch roster of producers, it’s safe to say that Kelis is going in a more electro-dance direction for her upcoming album. The record is set for a spring release through Geffen Records via Will.I.Am Music Group.

Check out “Acapella” below, click through to listen to Basement Jaxx’s “Scars” and the video for Crookers’ “No Security”.

Kelis – “Acapella”

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Featuring Diplo, DJ Drama, Roxy Cottontail, and a live performance by Maluca, with special appearances by Skerrit Bwoy and Amanda Blank.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

This weekend, the Pepsi DJ Collective is kicking things off a little early with a party at Roxy’s Playhouse (a.k.a. BK Space, N8, The Space on 8th, etc.) on Thursday. Diplo, Roxy Cottontail, DJ Drama and Eli Escobar will take turns manning the decks, with a special live performance by Mad Decent’s own Maluca.

In support of his latest album, The Boy Who Knew Too Much, Mika will perform at the United Palace Theater on Friday night. We saw Mika on his last tour, and the boy definitely knows how to put on a show. Also on Friday, Chromeo will be doing double duty, with a live performance at Irvinig Plaza, followed by a DJ set at Webster Hall for the official after party.

Saturday night brings two legends of house music to town: Erick Morillo is back from Ibiza and will be spinning at Pacha, while Jeff Mills and his signature Detroit techno will be at The Sullivan Room.

Be sure to check out photos from Dave 1’s DJ set at Webster Hall last June and Diplo’s appearances at Hard NYC and Flashing Lights last Saturday.

Don’t forget, CMJ’s annual Music Marathon is taking over NYC next week. Click here to customize your own CMJ schedule, or check in with us on Monday for our top picks.

Hard has been putting on music events in LA for years, but it wasn’t until last Saturday that they brought the party to the east coast. With an unbeatable line-up of Destructo, Jack Beats, Rusko, Major Lazer and Crookers, Hard proved that dubstep has indeed arrived in New York City.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE PHOTO GALLERY

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Featuring Toddla T, Nick Catchdubs, DJ Ayres, Jubilee

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

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)

After all of the trash talk on Twitter (especially between the Mad Decent and Fool’s Gold families), we just had to check out the Converse Band of Ballers 3-on-3 basketball tournament last Wednesday. We were too late to catch the Fool’s Gold vs. Mad Decent smackdown (Fool’s Gold won), but we did get there just in time to see the Jim Jones Family dominate Mad Decent in what co-host Peter Rosenberg called “the easiest win so far”.

In the semi-finals, the Jim Jones Family took another victory against the Brooklyn Crew, which included Theophilus London and Matt & Kim. Next up, Fool’s Gold took on Pac Div in the closest game of the day. MVP definitely goes to Dan Solomito, who scored most (if not all) of the baskets for Fool’s Gold. Despite A-Trak’s supreme coaching skills and amusing victory dances, Fool’s Gold lost 11-10 in sudden-death overtime. To no one’s surprise, the Jim Jones Family prevailed once again over Pac Div, earning them the tournament trophy.

Big ups to Converse for planning a great event and bringing the NYC music community together in a fun, relaxed and unique way. The players’ uniforms were styling and of course, the sneakers matched.

Photo courtesy of The Village Voice

This weekend’s Essential Mix features two of the world’s top producers, Diplo & Switch as Major Lazer. They just released their debut album Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do and have embraked on a global dancehall zombie war. Be prepared for 120 minutes of a dubby, dance rhythm infestation.

Major Lazer – Essential Mix

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