Wednesday, November 30th – Tiesto @ Pacha - Advance Tickets
Part 1 of the Pacha NYC 6-Year Anniversary Celebration! Whether it be the 250,000 revelers coming together at Ipanema Beach in Rio De Janeiro, the adoring clubbers who descend upon Privilege in Ibiza on a Monday night every summer, or the 25,000 fans en masse at Victoria Park in London, all are in attendance for the same reason: they have come to see Tiësto, the world’s biggest DJ/Producer! Tiesto is also performing on Thursday, December 1st at Lavo. For more info: click here

Thursday, December 1st – DARKSIDE Debut @ Music Hall of Williamsburg - Advance Tickets
DARKSIDE (Nicolas Jaar + Dave Harrington) began when a converter plug exploded in Nicolas Jaar and Dave Harrington’s Berlin hotel room during their summer tour. When the smoke cleared, they knew their twin, white Genelec speakers were fried. But rather than retire for the night, they both plugged into a computer and merged sounds, forming DARKSIDE. For more info: click here

Thursday, December 1st – BESPOKE + Mano Le Tough @ 4 Vandam St - Free with RSVP
Bespoke launches next Thursday, December 1st at the brand new art gallery, nightclub + lounge located at 34 Vandam St., aka Work in Progress.  Admission is free all night, simply RSVP to be placed on the guestlist. Expect exceptional electronic music-an aural and visual feast featuring some of the most forward-thinking DJs/producers at one of the most interesting and exciting new venues to come to New York in years. For more info: click here

Friday, December 2nd – Verboten Presents Rebel Rave @ Good Units - Advance Tickets
Damian Lazarus and the infamous Rebel Rave Tour descend upon New York for one night only, and Verboten’s got em. Join the Crosstown Rebels head and his gang, including Lee Curtiss (Visionquest), Clive Henry (Circoloco, Peace Division), Culprit’s Droog, and the New York debut of Subb-an, for an incredible throw down of epic proportions. For more info: click here

Friday, December 2nd – BLKMARKET with KOZE & Robag Wruhme @ TBA - Advance Tickets
On Friday 2nd December, we celebrate co-founder and resident DJ Fahad Haider’s Birthday Bash! For this night we have invited some close friends of ours to share the decks for the celebration. DJ Koze and Robag Wruhme have both been invited to play extended sets for the party. Also joining the lineup is Shadi Megallaa with residents Taimur & Fahad. If that’s not enough this event is also DJ Koze’s first record label night in the U.S. Ladies and gentlemen lets get ready for the Pampa records showcase! For more info: click here

Friday, December 2nd – Loco Dice @ Pacha - Advance Tickets
Part 2 of the Pacha NYC 6-Year Anniversary Celebration! Loco Dice is someone who can puzzle together intangible moods with a direct approach. Via his DJ sets or his productions on labels like M_nus, Cadenza, Ovum, Four Twenty and Cocoon, he merges perspectives in his delicate sense for sounds and reflective atmospheres, underpinned with solid, physical grooves inspired by the hip hop that was his early sonic stomping ground in the mid- to late ‘90s. There’s something there for the dreamers, as well as for the 9-to-5ers who just want to lose everything in a moment of abandon on the dancefloor. For more info: click here

Friday, Dember 2nd – Digitalism (Live) @ Webster Hall – Advance Tickets 19+
Digitalism have been responsible for some of the most outstanding tracks of the genre. ‘Zdarlight’, ‘Idealistic’, ‘Digitalism In Cairo’ (an amazing Cure remix), ‘Jupiter Room’, ‘Pogo’ among others, helped Digitalism stand out from the crowd. Recent tracks like ‘Circles’ from their new album ‘I Love You Dude’ just press the point further; these guys are awesome. They will be playing for us this Friday at our Girls and Boys party at Webster Hall with Nadastrom and Data Romance. We are looking forward to this one.

Saturday, December 3rd – Jeff Mills @ LPR - Advance Tickets
The Axis visionary and techno icon JEFF MILLS returns to New York for a very special night at (le) Poisson Rouge! Basic NYC is excited and honored to welcome Jeff to LPR for his long-awaited return set, where he’ll be featuring his latest spellbinding music – his new score of the 60′s Sci-Fi film classic “Fantastic Voyage”, his brand-new double album on his own Axis Records label. We’re bringing in extra sound and visuals for this night, which will feature an extended set from the always-amazing Jeff. Don’t miss out on this intimate performance from one of the world’s most important artists. For more info: click here

Saturday, December 3rd – Octave @ National Underground - Advance Tickets
Dasha Rush [ Fullpanda | Sonic Groove | Berlin ] Mike Parker [ Prologue | Mote Evolver | Buffalo ] Jeff Derringer [ Perc Trax | Chicago ] 11 PM – 6 AM, For more info: click here

Sunday, December 4th – Mark Verbos, Jacques Renault, Walker & Royce @ Brooklyn Terrace -  Advance Tickets
Nurvous Records and Benny Soto present three of the top dj’s in the evolving nu-disco genre. We are giving away two lists spots to anyone who gives us a shout on our Facebook page.

I can vividly pinpoint the period in my life when I started to make the transition from being an avid, raw instrumental jam band (Phish) loving teenager towards the foreign genre, dominated by machines, synthesizers, and Europeans. The electronic album I purchased that bridged this gap (in CD form of course) was Fatboy Slim’s You’ve Come a Long Way Baby. Thanks to MTV, I had already been exposed to the album’s two poppy earworms, Rockafeller Skank and Praise You. Though the album had been released six years prior, I could not have made this purchase at a better time in my life. I raced home to an empty house with Fatboy’s gold in my hand. I remember placing the CD into my parents sound system, turning the volume up to a teenager friendly, deafening level, laying down and pressing play. When the ambient noises of Acid 8000 came to a close, I went back to track one, and pressed play again. I was hooked.

Shockingly, I realized that these two genres had a fair amount in common, structurally and emotionally. Every member in Phish is a master of his instrument. When the band jams they abandon spoken word and create a monolithic wall of emotion through sound.  These jams take the listener on a symphonic journey to another place and time far away from where their feet are planted. (The same aberration can come when listening to jazz or classical music.) All of these ingredients are present in electronic music. As soon as I understood the symmetry within these principles, I began branching out to other electronic artist such as Fischerspooner, Aphex Twin, Squarepusher, and Calvin Harris.

As the sun was setting on Saturday, July 2nd, we began our voyage over to Governor’s Island. Upon arrival, my heart skipped a beat when I saw the venue sign, Water Taxi Beach. For years I have been hearing how phenomenal this place is, and now I knew why. The space transports you to a beach in Europe. We were right on water, staring out upon the illuminated skylines of New Jersey, New York City, and Brooklyn. Neon palm trees lined the space where the water met the sand, and yes, the sand encouraged your feet to be bare. To the right was a large white tent with a state of the art sound system. Water Taxi Beach was filled with the perfect amount of people. No matter where you were (tent, beach, drink line, front row) there was ample space to dance and breathe. Talk about venue paradise.

James Zabiela had just taken the stage as we entered the venue. This man was high on his own energy and sported a gigantic smile on face. His set was one giant transition that succeeded in consistency: balance, BPM, volume, and symmetry.  His music was full of soul. So much of his set was dependant on the bass. The bass created melodic lines, driving four to the floor beats, mixed meter measures, and you could hear the melodic lines in the bass, with delicate overtones lightly sounding. James was also running music programs and controlling the lights through an iPad he had plugged into his sea of machines. At the end of his set he held up his MacBook Pro, turned it towards the crowd to show off the message Thank you : ).The audience roared with approval. The next message he displayed was Fatboy Slim : ) and again the audience screamed. Those two ending gestures had me smiling and clapping for a long while.

Within minutes the legendary track, Praise You, was vibrating through the crowd. Fatboy Slim took the stage sporting a Tommy Bahama, aqua blue shirt, massive grey cargo shorts, bare feet, and spiked grey hair. He looked like a character alright. Praise You faded into Put Your Hands Up in the Air and then Fatboy Slim is Fucking in Heaven. His lights and background videos were very simple yet complimentary to his tunes.

Something that had stuck out to me upon arrival was the crowd. About half of the attendees were between 18-24, while the other half were between 30-25. This took me back to your typical Phish crowd. At Phish shows, you could feel the crowd’s devotion, respect, appreciation, and love for the band and the art they were creating and sharing. Lately, as electronic music has been infiltrating the mainstream, the crowds have gotten younger, more obliterated, and are present because it’s ‘the cool thing to do.’ Fatboy Slim’s audience made me feel like I was part of something musically and culturally authentic.

However, as his set progressed, I became heavily displeased. The sounds pouring out of his speakers were sounding less original. He began to sample L.M.F.A.O’s I’m in Manhattan Bitch and Cee Lo Green’s Fuck You. I remember thinking, “Is this what You want to play? Or do you think this is what the audience wants to hear?” It was very bizarre. Then, out of the blue, his set switched over to a very Tiesto-esque sound and Fatboy sounded a disgustingly loud airhorn. It was loud for louds sake. Gross. His set was not consistent. It jumped between 5 different genres the whole evening: original tracks, pop, tech-house, classic rock, and pop-electro. Towards the end of his set he sampled the Prodigy’s Smack My Bitch Up. For his encore, he performed I Can’t Get No Rockafeller Skank, mashing up the Rolling Stones I Can’t Get No Satisfaction and his own track Rockafeller Skank. As much as I enjoyed the beginning and ending of the set, I was very disappointed in its entirety. The crowd had also visibly diminished and emptied out by the end of the eve. We made our way back to the ferry with Mozart blasting in the background. As much as I love Mozart and classical music, I thought this outro was random and poorly placed.

Overall, I am glad that I got to see one of my idol’s perform live even if it wasn’t a mind-blowing set. James Zabiela rocked my world and I highly suggest listening to a few of his tracks if you are not familiar with him. Dance. Here. Now. produced an amazing evening and we can’t wait to see what they come out with next. Thank you again to the promoters and venue for making this event possible and we hope this tradition carries on through next year!

Photos by Cecilia Doreng-Stearns

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

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.

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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