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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After a successful debut last month, Hard has announced the line-up for their next New York City outing, which will once again take place at Terminal 5 on April 3rd, 2010. Hard NYC’s first event leaned heavily towards dubstep, with a line-up that included genre heavyweights Crookers and Rusko. While Destructo and Major Lazer will make repeat appearances, Hard is diversifying, adding German electro sensation Boys Noize, Portuguese quartet Buraka Som Sistema, and the US debut of Russian DJ Proxy. Like Major Lazer, Buraka Som Sistema bridges a musical and cultural gap by mixing familiar sounds with their worldly musical style.

Speaking of Major Lazer, they recently embarked on an international tour, with Jillionaire (aka Trini Chris) taking over for Skerrit Bwoy as the resident MC. Chris recently sent us this remix of Major Lazer’s “Jump Up”, which, apart from the vocals, is a totally different track with more of an electro-house vibe, done by Trinidad-based Razorshop Productions. Check it out below or download it here, and look out for more remixes and releases in the coming months from Chris’ fledgling label, Feel Up Recordings.

Major Lazer – “Jump Up” (Razorshop Funky Sax Dub Mix)

Click here to buy tickets and check out photos from Hard NYC’s debut in October.

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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With the recent closings of the Virgin Megastore and Circuit City, the music scene in Union Square has been looking pretty dismal. Enter Club Beats, Best Buy’s answer to declining in-store music sales. Along with Monster and Beats by Dr. Dre, Best Buy aims to revive the in-store music shopping experience by encouraging customer interaction with the latest in music, audio, entertainment and technology products. “Club Beats is a very exciting proposition, says Noel Lee, head of Monster, “it will allow people to explore the world of high-performance audio, while at the same time discovering ways to get close to the music and artists they love”.

True to their word, Best Buy is launching the Club Beats experience with massive music events across the country. The New York launch will be held this Thursday at the brand-new Union Square location, with a live performance by Major Lazer and Diplo, a DJ set by David Guetta, and in-store appearances by Dr. Dre, Will.I.Am, and Jimmy Iovine.

The event kicks off at 4 PM on Thursday, click here to learn more about Club Beats and how you can attend their upcoming events.

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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Hold on to your hats, this weekend is shaping up to be quite the party marathon, with some of the biggest DJs in the world hitting our fair city.

GBH will be kicking things off tonight with Steve Aoki, Classix and Destructo at Webster Hall. Last time Steve Aoki spun at Webster Hall, it was pure mayhem, and we’re expecting tonight to be no different. Girls & Boys residents Alex English, Kids with Snakes, Gavin Royce, and Rekles will also be in the house

Saturday brings about a tougher decision: Hard is bringing the wobble wobble to Terminal 5, with a massive dubstep line-up; Crookers, Major Lazer, Rusko, Jack Beats and Destructo are all ready to bring some bass-heavy beats to NYC.

Saturday is also the one-year anniversary of Flashing Lights, brought to you by the good folks at MeanRed. Nick Catchdubs, DJ Ayres and Jubilee’s monthly party will be back at 88 Palace, and will feature a guest DJ set by Toddlat.

Decisions, decisions… but then again, we think we can cram it all in.

Be sure to check out previous photo galleries of Steve Aoki, Classix, Major Lazer, and Flashing Lights.

Last Saturday, the Trouble and Bass crew got down and dirty for their epic three-year anniversary celebration at Le Poisson Rouge. The night was off to a great start, with Drop the Lime, AC Slater, Star Eyes and The Captain alternating on the decks for the ultimate tag team set. The party heated up when 77Klash (whom we last saw with Major Lazer in June) jumped on the mic for a live performance, which included a version of Major Lazer’s “Pon De Floor” and a few songs from his upcoming EP, which will be released on T&B’s label.

The club was packed to capacity by the time Skream and Benga came on at 1:30. They kept their energy-packed set decidedly old-school, opting for CDJs and vinyl instead of a laptop. Highlights included Skream’s version of “In For The Kill” by La Roux and his official remix of Chromeo’s “Night by Night”. Ever the rock stars, Skream and Benga capped off the night by jumping into the audience for some crowd surfing.

Click here to check out Oliver Correa’s photos from the night. If you missed out on the party on Saturday, fret not – you can get your fill of dubstep when Caspa takes over Le Poisson Rouge this Wednesday.

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)

Today, MTV announced the nominees for the Video Music Awards, to be held in New York City on September 13. As expected, big-name pop divas like Lady Gaga, Beyonce and Britney Spears lead the pack with multiple nominations, but in a surprising twist, some of our favorite artists were recognized in the “Breakthrough Video” category. Aside from Major Lazer (whose video for “Hold the Line” is streamed above), Cold War Kids, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Passion Pit were also nominated. Click here for a the full list and to vote for your favorite video.