As winter in New York City slowly melts away around us, festival season looms larger and larger on the horizon, with events increasing in frequency all around the world along with the rising temperatures. One such event that is particularly noteworthy is Sonar Festival of Advanced Music and Technology, which takes place in the heart of Barcelona, Spain. Sonar was without a doubt one of the highlights of last summer’s musical adventures, and we cannot wait to see what the extraordinary festival has to offer this June 16, 17, and 18, 2011.

There could not be a more perfect setting than Barcelona for such a festival celebrating new, primarily electronic based, music and accompanying technology. The city itself is warm, friendly, and free, containing the perfect combination of historical nostalgia and modern evolution. Sonar by Day takes place in the heart of downtown, with performances primarily centered around the MACBA and the CCCB. Surrounding the festival location are narrow winding streets, welcoming tapas bars and cafes, and lively watering holes brimming with Catalan spirit. As the sun sets and the energy builds, partygoers flock to Sonar by Night, which is located in an enormous warehouse space located on the outskirts of the city near L’Hospitalet. The nighttime festivities carry on far into the morning, with big name DJs, producers, and live bands keeping everyone dancing across three massive stages.

Festival passes for all 3 days can be purchased HERE, along with passes to individual days and nights. Visit Sonar’s WEBSITE for more information and for continued updates as the June draws closer.

See our coverage of DAY 1, DAY 2, and DAY 3 of last year’s Sonar and get a feel for what the event has to offer, and click HERE to go straight to the photo galleries of all Sonar by Day, Sonar by Night, and Off-Sonar events from 2010.

Check out the incredible full line-up of artists below!

Nicolas Jaar, Toro Y Moi, Tyondai Braxton, Little Dragon, Floating Points, Raime, Denseland, Open Reel Ensemble, Daito Manabe, Shuttle, Dels, Offshore, Eskmo, Astrud + Col·lectiu Brossa, Agoria, Hauschka, Atmosphere, Dominique Young Unique, Oy, Xesús Valle, Facto y los Amigos del Norte, How To Dress Well, Holy Other, Actress, Apparat, Global Communication, Hype Williams, Gilles Peterson, Shangaan Electro, No Surrender, Filewile, EVOL, Edredón, Judah, DJ Sith & David M, Downliners Sekt, C156, Steve Reich + bcn216 + Synergy Vocals, M.I.A., Aphex Twin, The Human League, Cut Copy, Boys Noize, Die Antwoord, Trentemøller, A-Trak, Scuba , Steve Aoki, Munchi, Djedjotronic, Schlachthofbronx, Annie Mac + Katy B, Benji B + Pearson Sound, Toddla T + Redlight feat. Ms Dynamite & Dread MC, Mujuice, DZA, Diskjokke, Annie, Bjorn Torske, Underworld, Magnetic Man, Janelle Monáe, Chris Cunningham, Shackleton, James Holden, The Gaslamp Killer, Surgeon, Buraka Som Sistema, Africa Hitech, Paul Kalkbrenner, Mary Anne Hobbs, Yelle, Silent Servant, Noaipre, L-Vis 1990 b2b Bok Bok, Egyptrixx, Deadboy, Jackmaster, Lory D, Redinho, Spencer, Jessie Ware, Rone, Arandel, Clara Moto, Alva Noto + Ryuichi Sakamoto, Katy B, Zinc, Tiger & Woods, B. Bravo, Brandt Brauer Frick, Daisuke Tanabe, Discodeine, Illum Sphere, kidkanevil, Juan Son, Jullian Gomes, Poirier feat. Boogat, Teebs, Venice

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.

After moving around for most of the second day, we settled at the Bayfront Stage for a back-to-back trifecta of Boys Noize vs. Erol Alkan, Crookers, and the Bloody Beetroots.

We arrived just in time for “Waves”, Boys Noize and Erol Alkan’s first release as a duo, which they played in its entirety. Later, they took sample from the Boys Noize’s own remix of “My Moon My Man” by Feist and repackaged it into a completely different mix.

Crookers destroyed their set, drawing a tremendous audience that was ready to dance. They started with “We Love Animals”, the opening track from their debut album Tons of Friends, then proceeded to rework the song. The Italian duo rocked the crowd with remixes of “Milkshake” by Kelis, “Gimme Some More” by Busta Rhymes, “How Low” by Ludacris, and a superb rendition of their own “Cooler Couleur” by AC Slater. The audience went crazy when Crookers slowed things down with the intro of “Circle of Life” from The Lion King, then fashioned an electro beat using samples from the song. Towards the end, they remixed their breakthrough remix of Kid Cudi’s “Day n Night”.

The Bloody Beetroots was an act to see, but not for the faint-hearted. Their heavy electro-rock had the crowd going wild, fueled by the live instrumentals of Bobby Rifo on guitar, keyboard and vocals and Edward Grinch on drums, rounded out by Tommy Tea behind the decks. Steve Aoki joined the group on stage for an explosive finale.

CLICK HERE for more photos and coverage from the Winter Music Conference in Miami… we’ll be adding more coverage daily, so stay tuned.

This past Thursday, Dim Mak presented a showcase hosted by Roxy Cottontail that included Ninjasonik, Japanther, Team Facelift, The Auctioneers,  DJs Gina Turner, Jonathan Famous, Fashen and “(not so) secret European guests” DJ Mehdi, Justice, Uffie and others in town for Ed Banger Record’s seven year anniversary party. The roller-coaster-of-a-night fueled moments of beers in the air, crowd surfing and a party with enough noise and bass to render 96 Lafayette Street on the richter scale as a minuscule earthquake. Fat Jew of Team Facelift summed it up best when he remarked, “its time to make mistakes… let’s have some fun.” And indeed, they did – bringing along rapper Buckshot for the festivities.

Back from their European tour, Ninjasonik rocked the crowd…as usual. DJ Fasheen followed with a combination of mixes that added to the reverberation on the riveting and busy dance floor. The toast of the night, DJ Mehdi surprised the audience with a set that packed the dance floor well into the night. Displaying a great variety of talent and acts (mainly from New York), Cloak and Dagger vivified  a cold Winter night with fun indoors. The event seeks to “provide the best in electro” and “solidify dominance over the dance floor” as a part of a new monthly series at Santos Party House with Steve Aoki’s Dim  Mak label.

Check out photos from the revelry of Cloak and Dagger by Oliver Correa.

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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As co-creator and weekly resident DJ of Girls & Boys, Webster Hall’s acclaimed Friday party, Alex English has shared the stage with some of the biggest names in the DJ world. In the past year alone, Girls & Boys has played host to Xavier de Rosnay, A-Trak, Boys Noize, Crookers, Steve Aoki, The Bloody Beetroots, MSTRKRFT, Deadmau5 and Chromeo, among others.

With over 20 years of DJ experience under his belt, Alex English has become a fixture in the electro scene in New York City. Apart from his residencies at Thom Bar on Thursdays, Webster Hall on Fridays, and the Tribeca Grand Hotel on Saturdays, Alex also deals with booking the all-star DJ line-up for GBH parties at Webster Hall, Tribeca Grand, and North 8th in Williamsburg.

Tonight, Alex English and Dan Physics will make their debut as Disko Dali when they open for Justice’s sold-out DJ set at Webster Hall. Though Alex came up with Disko Dali back in 2001, he and Dan didn’t start working together until this past summer. The duo writes and produces original dance music and has done remixes of artists like the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s, Dragonette, and Depeche Mode (check out some of their remixes on their MySpace page, or listen to their remix of “Plastic Caramelo” below).

Over the last few weeks, we traded emails with Alex to discuss his DJ career, influences, and upcoming projects. After the jump, read an excerpt of the interview that transpired.

We compiled photos documenting some of Alex’s exploits around New York City to celebrate The HiFi Cartel’s 100th Photo Gallery… click here to check it out. Be sure to listen to the Disko Dali remix of Plastic Caramelo’s self-titled track, streamed below, and check back soon for the Alex English edition of HiFi Essentials.

Plastic Caramelo – “Plastic Caramelo” (Disko Dali Mix)

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Featuring Steve Aoki, Classixx, Destructo, Alex English, Kids with Snakes, Gavin Royce, Rekles

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

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.

Its been over a week and we still haven’t recovered from the Electric Zoo music festival. For the first electronic music festival in New York City, we would say it was a success. With a great selection of music from DJs in house and dance, The Electric Zoo proved to be more than a festival. It was an event that gathered a dance and music culture from the tri-state area, and bringing along its taste-makers from parts of the world - including New York’s own Danny Tenaglia and Roger Sanchez. With four stages, there wasn’t a moment where a stage was empty, yet the crowds were manageable and one could move about with ease. With some sun, it seemed like an oasis on a playing field for dance and music lovers – made more apparent as the night fell and draped the sun underneath the city skyline to massive lighting effects on the stages.

Packed with an audience that knew their music, the DJs met them in return with their A-game – hooking the crowd along with every notch of beat thrown their way. Roger Sanchez, the Queens native, sent the audience into a frenzy with his rendition of Fat Boy Slim’s “Right Here Right Now.”  With a remarkable set list, English DJ, Ben Watt created some excitement with his take on MGMT’s “Kids” and Kaskade’s “Move for me”. Always a crowd favorite, Steve Aoki delivered by keeping the crowd on their toes and jumping throughout his set. Like the Rockstar-DJ he is, Steve commanded from the stage and fueled the audience with a barrage of beats combined with his touch of sound effects – all while making use of the great sound system in place by playing with the channels. With a vocal break in his hard set to The Bloody Beetroot’s “Warp”, Steve hopped on his table, and with extremity, screamed in tune with the track.

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In case you missed it, the masked Italian duo, The Bloody Beetroots recently unleashed their first LP, Romborama, a 20-track melting pot of arduous beats and synth. Artists featured on the LP include The Cool Kids, Steve Aoki, Lisa Kekaula (of the BellRays), Cécile and others. So, what does shrimp, lobster, shark and craw fish have to do with the Beetroots? It is simply a line from their track “Awesome” – which can single-handedly describe the album.

Hard Fest describes them as the love child of the Misfits and Daft Punk, but the Bloody Beetroots are nothing short of “bloody” fantastic. Perhaps its the Venom masks and their subtle play with the Comedy of Art of Venice, but there is a mad brilliance underneath the noise and mask that conjures a contemporary orchestration of music -  dramatic with so many layers of sounds, the album could be the work of a musical ensemble. Artfully influenced by opera and infused with electronic media, their collaboration with the featured artists takes this vacillating album (in a good eclectic way) and makes it a titillating experience.

Check out the “Awesome” track below and click through for the video to another recommended track from the album, “Butter.”

Click here for photos from our last encounter with the Bloody Beetroots at Webster Hall by Oliver Correa.

Bloody Beetroots featuring The Cool Kids – “Awesome“

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