What’s left to say about Major Lazer? After attending every single NYC appearance, I thought I’d tire of seeing them live. Not so. Diplo and Skerrit Bwoy took over Øya’s Vika stage with lazers blazing for one of the most explosive sets of the week. Though there were familiar elements I’d come to expect from a Major Lazer show – Skerrit Bwoy’s “Pon De Floor” moves, girls dancing on stage, and a touch of Ace of Base – there were definitely some surprises in store.

Assigned the sunset time slot, Major Lazer ushered in the night with a full-blown party, transforming the stage into outdoor dancehall. Flaming Lips lead singer Wayne Coyne joined us in the photo pit to take some choice shots of his own, a testament to Major Lazer’s growing popularity. Coyne wasn’t the only one who made a guest appearance – Die Antwoord joined the action and clearly had a blast on stage, wearing Pokemon and Stitch onesies, no less. Unpredictable as always, Skerrit Bwoy took advantage of the scenic atmosphere, disappearing for a moment only to emerge in one of the trees surrounding the stage.

All in all, it was one of my favorite Major Lazer performances to date. I had to take off a little early to catch Robyn, but given their recent collaboration, I have to wonder if La Roux made a cameo after I left.

Catch some snaps of Major Lazer’s set after the jump… and CLICK HERE for more photos from the festival.

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Øya’s Friday line-up was by far the most popular – single day passes sold out less than 20 minutes after their release. Stacked with MVPs like Die Antwoord, Flaming Lips, La Roux, Major Lazer and Robyn, the line-up was not only  good on paper, each artist delivered solid performances that collectively made the third day of the festival Øya’s best overall.

Check in throughout the week for highlights of individual performances…

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

With vocals by M.I.A. and Collie Buddz, and remixes from Thom Yorke, Buraka Som Sistema, Kicks Like a Mule (KLAM) and others, the latest EP from Major Lazer, Lazers Never Die, highlights the great dynamics between DJs/producers Switch and Diplo. Five tracks in all, these songs are busy and unlike the riddim vibes of their 2009 release, Guns Don’t Kill People, Lazers Do. For $4.95 we’d say Lazers Never Die is a pretty good deal, but nothing beats a free sample - click here to stream the EP on Myspace.

Click through for the track list and a video-teaser for the album.

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We were already amped about the massive line-up for Øya Festival in Norway, but after seeing the list of artists scheduled to perform at Nighttime Øya, our anticipation has gone through the roof. Øya has teamed up with some of the best clubs in Oslo to keep the music going after the park closes at 11 PM. Diplo, Caribou, Four Tet, Jamie XX are among those who will illuminate the nightlife scene in the nation’s capital each night after the festival.

As for the festival itself, Yeasayer, Die Antwood, and the Flaming Lips have been added to the roster, which was finalized last week. They will join the list of previously announced artists that includes M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, Robyn, La Roux, The xx, Sleigh Bells, Miike Snow, Major Lazer and many, many more.

Tickets for Øya Nighttime events will be available at the venue and in advance at the festival. Discounts will be given to those who hold a festival pass, which costs around $330 for five-days. CLICK HERE for tickets and info.

In a surprising union, Major Lazer (Diplo + Switch) has teamed up with La Roux to create Lazerproof, a mixtape that combines Major Lazer’s electro-dancehall bangers with tracks from La Roux’s eponymous debut album. No stranger to the realm of mixtapes, Diplo has collaborated with M.I.A. on Piracy Funds Terrorism and Santigold on Top Ranking, creating mixtapes that fuse the respective artists’ debut albums with a selection of hip hop, dubstep and reggae beats. La Roux’s songs have seen their share of dubstep remixes, making her collaboration with Major Lazer a little less surprising (bonus: check out tradehooks compilation of the best La Roux remixes HERE).

Lazerproof balances the familiar with the unfamiliar, while delivering surprise after surprise. Some songs are close derrivatives of their respective archetypes  - the Costra Nostra Edit of “Cover My Eyes” adds a ska beat while keeping the melody and vocals intact. “In For The Kill” gets reworked twice, first in “Independent Kill”, where Candi Redd raps over the original melody, then again in ”In 4 The Kill Pon de Skream”, which takes Skream’s pervasive remix  and laces it with a stripped-down beat from “Pon de Floor” for a curiously subtle result.

“Magic (Falling Soldiers Dub)”, a less obvious interpretation of “As If By Magic”, takes the vocals from its poppy predecessor and lays it over a reggae dub. Stripped of its synth undertones, the song takes on a completely different mood. The two closing tracks – “I Said It (Major Lazer Dubplate)” featuring Opal and “Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate)” featuring Gyptian – left us mystified. Although there are two La Roux songs that didn’t get the mixtape treatment (“Saviour” and “Reflections Are Protection”), neither resembles the tracks in question.

CLICK HERE to download Lazerproof from the Mad Decent blog, a free download if you get it today (Wednesday, May 26). Last we checked, the server was having some issues, so if you need it right this second (as we did), head over to the Stockholm Beat Connection for an alternate download link.

We leave you with two samples from Lazerproof: “In 4 The Kill Pon de Skream” and the mysterious “Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate)”. If you can figure out its origins, by all means, enlighten us in the comments section below.

Major Lazer & La Roux – “In 4 The Kill Pon de Skream”

Major Lazer & La Roux featuring Gyptian – “Hold Yuh (Double Dubplate)”

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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 summer just got a little more exciting. The initial line-up for Oslo’s annual Øya Festival is so huge, there’s no way we can pass this one up. Robyn, M.I.A., LCD Soundsystem, Miike Snow, Major Lazer, The xx and Raekwon are just some of the artists on the initial line-up, along with several local Norwegian acts. With both Diplo (Major Lazer) and Robyn on the bill, we’re hoping that their recent studio collaboration will manifest itself onstage.

The five-day festival will be held from August 10-14 in Middelalderparken, a picturesque medieval park surrounded by sandy beaches, the Oslo Fjords and the Oslo skyline. Those who are environmentally conscious will be happy to learn that Øya has been officially named the greenest festival in Europe.

A five-day pass will set you back roughly $330 and are available HERE. Single-day tickets are also available.

Last Saturday, Hard brought their signature party back to the east coast for a blowout that drew a sold-out crowd to Terminal 5. The unstoppable line-up of Destructo, Proxy, Buraka Som Sistema, Major Lazer and Boys Noize delivered five straight hours of pulsating electro that made Hard’s second outing in New York City a raging success.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

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Hard Fest recently announced that M.I.A. will headline shows in both Los Angeles and in New York City this summer. The dates are particularly well-timed, given that M.I.A.’s third studio album is tentatively slated for a June release. Last January, M.I.A. took to Twitter to leak a new track, “There’s Space For Ol Dat I See”, produced by Rusko (listen to it below). We’re hoping that this new collaboration will manifest itself on stage this summer, which isn’t too farfetched – Diplo was M.I.A.’s official DJ on the People vs. Money tour in 2008.

M.I.A. + Rusko – “There’s Space For Ol Dat I See”

Hard NYC will take place on July 24 on Governor’s Island. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 26 at noon. There will be a limited number of $40 tickets available.

Don’t forget, Hard will be hosting a pool party this Thursday in Miami, and will hit NYC on April 3 with Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Buraka Som Sistema, Proxy, and Destructo.

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.