So much for a relaxing weekend. With everything that’s going on for New Year’s Eve, some of you might be planning to take the weekend off. For all you die-hards out there, here’s what’s on the menu for the first weekend in 2010:

On Friday, GBH and Girls & Boys are getting right back into the swing of things with a special New Year’s Day Party at Webster Hall. Andy Butler of Hercules and Love Affair will be spinning, and admission is only $1 before midnight if you RSVP.

This Saturday, The xx, one of 2009’s top breakout acts, are doing a special DJ set at Le Poisson Rouge. Given the laid-back nature of their music, we’re curious to hear what they’ll bring behind the decks. VHSorBETA will also be spinning, tickets are $5 in advance or $8 on the day of the show. Be sure to catch The xx when they tour with Hot Chip this spring. Click here for tickets and info.

Over at the Mercury Lounge, Brooklyn-based trio Ninjasonik will take the stage for one of their signature high-energy performances. DJ Cobra Krames will open. Click here to purchase tickets, which are $12.

Last Friday, GBH decked out Webster Hall to celebrate the holidays. Mark Ronson headlined the event with support from Aaron LaCrate and Girls & Boys residents Alex English, Rekles, Gavin Royce and Kids with Snakes. The evening had a great turnout that included Theophilus London, Spank Rock, Prince Terrence (of HEARTSREVOLUTION), DJ Treats, Dances with White Girls and The Chainsmokers.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW THE FULL ALBUM

We hope you’ve recovered from Halloween, because this weekend is brimming with parties you don’t want to miss…

On Friday, the Guggenheim Museum is hosting their monthly Art After Dark party, which pairs the musical stylings of Holy Ghost! with the art of Kandinsky. The party only goes from 9 PM-1 AM, so with proper planning and motivation, you can continue your night at Webster Hall, where Girls & Boys is jumping off with Jazzy Jeff and Viking . We last saw Jazzy Jeff at the Bacardi B-Live party at M2 in June, where he hit the spot with an eclectic set that included well-chosen hip-hop favorites.

If you’re more into the house scene, Sasha is heading up the bill at Blk|Market Membership’s epic 14-hour party. The Brooklyn location is kept under wraps, but you can get in on the action if you RSVP.

Saturday brings about a tougher decision, with two heavy hitting european duos going head to head. Read more about Modeselektor, Basement Jaxx, and your other Saturday night options after the jump…

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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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Planning your Halloween can be quite daunting – with so many great events to choose from, where do you begin? Fear not, The HiFi Cartel is here to help you narrow down your options. We’ve already told you about Above & Beyond at Roseland Ballroom, Danny Tenaglia at Pacha and Paco Osuna at Love. Here are some of the other happenings you might want to check out:

We’ll be at the FIXED Halloween Bash at Santos Party House, where German DJ sensation Boys Noize will be gracing the speakers with his signature funky electro. Fixed’s own JDH and Dave P will also be spinning. Boys Noize recently dropped a BBC Essential Mix, which you can check out here to gear up for this weekend’s festivities.

Fool’s Gold and Trouble & Bass are teaming up for what is sure to an epic night at Europa in Brooklyn. Kingdom, XXXChange and Nick Catchdubs from Fool’s Gold will face off against the Trouble & Bass Crew, Supra 1 and 77 Klash. Make sure you RSVP for reduced admission at the door.

After passport issues forced The Very Best to cancel their CMJ appearances, they will surely redeem themselves with a live performance at the Gods and Heroes Party presented by FlavorPill and MeanRed. The party will be held at a secret Brooklyn location. Tickets are well worth the $35 price tag, considering they include an open bar all night. 100% of the proceeds will go to Charity: Water to help bring clean drinking water to a school in Ethiopia.

The Park is also hosting quite the soiree, with a line-up that’s too long to list in its entirety. Headlined by Paul Sevigny, the event will also feature music by The Chainsmokers and B-Roc. Get advance tickets here, and be sure to arrive early to capitalize on the open bar from 9:00 – 10:30 PM.

Finally, Girls & Boys residents Gavin Royce and Stephen Pandolfi (a.k.a. Kids with Snakes) will spin at Dokebi’s Fourth Annual Halloween Party in Brooklyn, which promises to be “an excellent dark and sweaty dance experience”. If you love music but are short on cash, this is a great option since there’s no cover. As an added bonus, they’ll be serving Tacos to help you keep your energy going all night long. In preparation for the revelry, be sure to check out the Futureshock Mix Tape that Gavin Royce and Stephen Pandolfi did for Nicky Digital.

Halloween can be pretty hectic, so we highly recommend that you get advance tickets where available. And if you’re looking to get the party started early, Webster Hall has you covered, with a DJ Set by Justice on Thursday (with Jackson and Disko Dali) and live performances by Simian Mobile Disco and Phenomenal Handclap Band on Friday.

Rest up – it’s going to be a long weekend.

Check out the fliers for the events after the jump…

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On Friday, Chromeo packed not one, but two venues in a single night, with a live performance at Irving Plaza followed by a DJ set at Webster Hall.

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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.

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.

Last Wednesday, Amstel Light brought their national touring event series, Amsterdam Live, to Webster Hall. The event concept is inspired by “Melkweg”, a private nightclub in Amsterdam featuring five different types of art. Amstel definitely delivered, bringing in local artists from Ad Hoc Art to create free t-shirts and The Bravery, Mr. Hudson and DJ Clinton Sparks to provide musical entertainment.

Mr. Hudson’s name has been coming up a lot in the blogosphere, but all I’d heard about him was that he was a protégé of Kanye West, and that he was featured on the final track of Jay-Z’s new album. Naturally, I was expecting a hip-hop performance, so imagine my surprise when a well-dressed Brit took the stage and started spouting reggae-tinged tunes. Mr. Hudson comes across as a modern-day Sting, not just in his voice, but also in his eclectic music, which featured steel drums on a few songs, and also had a hint of country. Just when I thought Mr. Hudson had stolen the show, The Bravery proved to be a worthy headliner, delivering a high-energy performance that oozed with charisma.

Click here to check out photos by Alan Mulligan.