Armani Exchange Styletraxx

The highly anticipated 2009 debut album from Elly Jackson (AKA La Roux), who has everyone from Franz Ferdinand to Daft Punk hailing her as a talent to watch. This self-titled album is a mix of emotions, touching on everything from heartbreak to disappointment to invincibility. Ranging from the high crystal-clean falsettos of `Fascination' to the brooding lulls of ballad `Cover My Eyes' (that features London Community Gospel Choir), the breadth of the album and La Roux's diversity is clear. For Elly and co-producer/ writer Ben Langmaid, La Roux has never been about producing disposable dancefloor fodder. Since meeting four years ago the talented duo's goal was clear - they wanted to bring classic songwriting back into the clubs and charts, and with this album they've accomplished that and far more. You can get your copy when the album hits US stores July 7, 2009.

Electro-dance pioneer Moby publishes one of his most melancholic and majestic soundscape CDs of his career.

Born Richard Melville Hall, 11 September 1965 in Harlem, New York City, nowadays Moby is well known around the world and a leading figure in the commercialization of techno music. In 1991 Moby took the Twin Peaks theme, under the guise of "Go", into the UK Top 10. He is an all around talent and has composed profoundly yearning and lush songs that make you want to cry in joy, sorrow, lament and angst. He's truly a techno master who creates songs inducing mania to sounds that will arouse feelings of pity, compassion, sympathy and sorrow.

His new Album "Wait For Me" is a tender, refined and predominantly ambient CD of electronic music. With help from some adept female vocalists, Moby recorded the whole album from home -in his bedroom, in fact.

We recommend listening closely to some of the great tracks like “Division” laden with vintage synthetic strings. Also, “Hope is gone," which is a balled replete with pathos. "Pale Horses" is a brilliant song that is emotive and grievous. The list goes on…

Check out a recent interview with Moby, here:

Moby DJ Set

Wait For Me can be purchased here (iTunes).

Check out the track listing, after the jump...

On Friday, July 3rd Dutch DJ/Producer Joris Voorn will bring fire into New York's number one house club ‘CIELO” in New York City.
Recently releasing a brand new compilation album titled, Balance 014, Mr. Voorn has has commented that he's 'pushed [his] own boundaries in a technical...musical and artistic way.'

A|X highly recommends that you check out the new release of his stunning 2xCD Balance 014 compilation from EQ Recordings.

With the release of his magnificent Balance 014 compilation, DJ/Producer Joris is hotly tipped as the next big thing. Across two discs and using, rather remarkably, over 100 tracks, Joris constructs a complex, layered and seamless mix of some of the best tech house, minimal and electronic dance music. An epic mix in the very best sense of the word, Joris achieves the rare feat of combining variety and consistency, both on the album and on dancefloors alike.

On his new CD you will find 100 tracks work together in 2 continuous mixes; Joris Voorn draws on a depth of talent unlikely to be repeated on a mix CD compilation. It takes a visionary DJ to combine tracks from Radiohead to Goldie, Leftfield, Jimpster, Aphex Twin, Dubfire, System 7, Minilogue, Cobblestone Jazz, etc.
This CD is definitely not one to skip through...in some cases one track includes 6 different tracks from various artists.

If you are unable to attend Voorn's upcoming Cielo performance, you will get another chance to see the Dutch star on Labor Day weekend when sparks will likely fly as he returns to NYCs Electric Zoo Festival.

To check him out live at Cielo, please be prompt -doors open at 10pm.
$15 Advance Tickets while supplies last at www.made-event.com
Tickets also available at Rebel Rebel, 319 Bleecker St NYC 212.989.0770
Event Info 917.723.9381

www.made-event.com
www.myspace.com/jorisvoorn
www.cieloclub.com

Made Event NYC Upcoming Dates
July 3 Joris Voorn @ Cielo
July 5 Save the Cannibals: D'Julz @ Rebel
July 9 John O’Callaghan @ Cielo
July 17 Matt Darey @ Cielo
Aug 7 D. Ramirez @ Cielo
Sept 5&6 Electric Zoo: New York's Electronic Music Festival @ Randall's Island Park

Joris Voorn - Balance 014 Midori album sampler

Cobra Starship front man Gabe Saporta is hunched over the craps table, a wad of cash in his sweaty hand, while Leighton Meester of "Gossip Girl" hovers above him on perilously high heels. Around them, the smoky nightclub pulsated in full party mode, as pretty people jammed to the music and guzzled bottles of beer. Leighton Meester is fierce the moment she steps into Cobra Starship’s new “Good Girls Go Bad” music video.

The concept of the video is that Meester runs an underground speakeasy, complete with shelves of booze, gambling tables and a dance floor. The band is in charge of the above-ground deli that acts as a front operation to hide the debauchery within. To gain access to the illegal club, patrons must order the correct sandwich and proceed down a staircase. "And if you don't look good, I'm not gonna let you in!" Saporta told MTV News during some downtime on the set, tucked into the Lower East Side.

The infectiously dancey "Good Girls" was produced by "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi, and Saporta was initially put off by the fact that the busy producer only had two hours to spend with the band in the studio. Saporta says he gave her a "stinky beat" and popped off a list of foul-mouthed song titles. "She didn't even flinch!" said an impressed Saporta. "She's a New York girl." Together, they dropped the song's hook in no time, and 15 minutes later the entire track was done. "It's, like, the best song on our album," he said of the upcoming August release, Hot Mess.

By the time Cobra and DioGuardi recorded the song, the band had already decided to collaborate with Meester. "I had heard that Leighton was working on a record and I really, really, really wanted to do a song with her, because I'm a big superfan of hers," Saporta said. He recalled thinking, "['Good Girls'] would be perfect for Leighton because it's already kind of her character in 'Gossip Girl,' like the perfect girl with the bad streak." They'd been working together on another track, but Saporta quickly sent her the new song, and Meester took an immediate liking to it. "I thought, 'I need to get on that!' " she told MTV News. "It totally is my sound too. Really fun to dance to it. Very edgy and cool."

The video was directed by Kai Regan and shot on Sunday, May 3 in New York City. Cobra Starship consists of Gabe Saporta, Ryland Blackinton, Alex Suarez, Victoria Asher and Nate Novarro. Check out the video below:

Gossip Girl and IMG model, Taylor Momsen, rocked out with her band, The Pretty Reckless, at the Henry Fonda Theater in Hollywood in Tuesday night (June 23). Taylor's band The Pretty Reckless is currently touring as the opening act for The Veronicas. This is the ultimate young, stylish girl tour this summer.

Although the 15-year-old actress’ band may just be the warm up act for the Australian band, The Veronicas T.P.R. seems to be charming a crowd that wildly cheered her and the rest of the band on. Despite the fact that Taylor Momsen is only 15 going on 16, its been rumored that her vocals last night projected as mature and as loud as a Joan Jett performance

Gossip Girl fans have a lot to look forward to with both Taylor and Leighton Meester making music until Season 3 of Gossip Girl comes back next Fall. Another thing to anticipate in the fall is The Pretty Reckless plan to release their very first album.

If you missed the performance, The Pretty Reckless comes through Los Angeles next, check out the remaining tour dates for The Pretty Reckless on tour with The Veronicas below:

June 18 Houston, TX Meridian
June 20 Kansas City, MO Capitol Fed Park
June 21 San Francisco, CA Golden Gate Park
June 23 Los Angeles, CA Henry Fonda Theater
June 24 San Francisco, CA Six Flags
June 26 Portland, OR Hawthorne Theatre
June 27 Vancouver, BC Richards on Richards
June 28 Seattle, WA Neumos

On Wednesday, June 24th Norman Cook, aka Fatboy Slim is bringing “The Big Beach Boutique Party” to New York's Terminal 5.
A|X recommends that you check him out because this will be his only East Coast performance, according to Mr. Slim's upcoming schedule.

The event’s “Big Beach” theme began back in 2000 and is still going strong nine years later. However, this will be the first time the beach will be brought indoors.

The Japanese electro house artist Shinich Osawa, signed to the Rhythm Zone label, will join Fatboy Slim that night as a special guest.

Terminal 5 is located at 610 W. 56th Street at 11th Ave. Doors will open at 8PM. Advance tickets are available now at the discounted rate of $40. The price will increase to $45 if purchased at the door.

If you can’t catch him live, Cook had some recent US television appearances. Cook, along with BPA partner-in-crime Iggy Pop, took the sounds of the BPA to New York institution The Late Show with David Letterman on June 22nd and Late Night with Jimmy Fallon the following day, June 23rd.

Check out Fatboy Slim's performance in Brighton 2008 below:

Check out his tour dates for the summer, AFTER THE JUMP:

Robbie Rivera’s “Juicy Ibiza 2009” is your chance for a sonic escape to the hottest Party Island on earth. A|X Music alum, DJ Robbie Rivera released the new Summer 2xCD JUICY IBIZA. It’s a mix of magical upfront tunes with an impressive roll call featuring Deadmau5, Joachim Garraud, Jaimy & Kenny D, Keven Maroda, Dero, DMS 12, Dean Newton, a host of exclusive tracks from Rivera himself, and many more.

Robbie’s residency, Juicy Ibiza, held weekly at Privilege (the world’s largest club), attracts thousands of clubbers to its dancefloor. Alongside Robbie and a faithful band of residents, you can expect major international names including Kaskade, Inpetto, Vandalism, Joachim Garraud, Stonebridge, and more.

A frequent hit-maker and remixer, Robbie’s been the first on the list for artists such as Felix Da Housecat, Madonna, Kylie Minogue, Moloko, Bob Sinclar, Sinead O'Connor, Ferry Corsten, Santana, Steve Angello, Pink, Basement Jaxx, and many more.

His music has regularly packed the dancefloors of Ibiza, Barcelona, Brazil, Poland, Puerto Rico, NYC, and of course, his hometown of Miami.

Robbie’s jewel is his label, Juicy Music. Recognized for quality house, progressive and electro music releases, and a roster that includes world star house music artists like Antoine Clamaran, Coburn Superchumbo, Mark Knight, David Guetta, Steve Angello, Sebastian Ingrosso, Stonebridge and emerging talent such as Willie Morales, Paul Harris, Louie Padilla, and Rooster & Peralta.

A|X highly recommends to check out Mr. Rivera’s new CD now available on iTunes.

The worlds best known French house music DJ-artist, David Guetta, scores his first U.K. No. 1 single with “When Love Takes Over”, featuring Kelly Rowland.

“Kasabian” is the band’s third released Album and already leads the way ahead of its predecessor at the Chart summit, Paolo Nutini’s “Sunny Side Up”.

The new single is definitely another chart success, making it Guetta’s third U.K. top ten single and creating big buzz for the U.K . release of his new album, “One Love” on August 24th. For further information check out:
http://www.itunes.com

Also, the new single "When Love Takes Over" is officially the new #1 club anthem in the U.S. On top of that, the single is really catching fire at pop and dance radio, with airplay on Z100/NYC, WKTU/NYC, Pulse 87/NYC, B96/Chicago, Movin'/SF and others!

“When Love Takes Over" ringtones are now available in the U.S. from your favorite Mobile Service Provider.

A|X highly recommends to check out his new video:
http://http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zudbz4hOcbc

The daddy of the electro-techno scene is back once again, with yet another new album for his fans ie all of us. This time it's called He Was King, it's out on Monday 25th August on Nettwerk, and it features yet another about turn, style-wise…well, you can never tell what a Housecat's gonna do next.

Felix really goes back within the scene - he's been around long enough that people like DJ Hell consider him a godfather, and that's saying something. But it was back in 2001 that he really made himself known to the electro generation, when his Kittenz And Thee Glitz album virtually invented electroclash, and he was introduced to a whole new generation who'd never heard his tougher trax before.

So it's no surprise to us that Felix has decided to change the game once again: indeed, that's business as usual with him, as he's always changed his tempo, from album to album, mix CD to mix CD. However, we reckon it's fair to say that this is his most obvious attempt to crossover to a pop audience. Indeed, he admits himself, 'Whereas Kittenz & The Glitz was straight up electro, He Was King is straight Felix Da Housecat pop with a nice electronic feel.

Summer is finally here and so is Hed Kandi …with another tasty 14 songs to wet your appetite on "The Singles". The Disco Kandi label is a collection of the hottest tracks from Hed Kandi's global dancefloors; the ultimate buzz in the world of dance music.



Launched in 1999, Hed Kandi has evolved from humble beginnings as a compilation brand into the global phenomenon it is today. A release of over 60 albums, a number of artist projects, three UK Top Ten singles and a host of Top 40 hits to date, Hed Kandi is now a globally respected brand in the house music scene.

On this Disco-house CD, heavyweights Lucien Foort pres. LFCC, eSquire feat. Soraya Vivian, The Barflyz, Jonni Black & Shena, produce an all-around glittering selection of feel-good summer gems. This remix will certainly get you dancing.

This album has it all: beach house grooves, sparkling vocals, disco-fueled hooks and basslines that will bring the summer right to you!

Wave goodbye to rainy days…

Check it out
!!

NYC icon, world-renown DJ/Producer and Subliminal Label totem Erick Morillo is publishing this years’ edition in the acclaimed Subliminal Sessions Summer Series. The newest edition contains 30 of Subliminal’s best cuts of the year, reflecting the sound of Pacha NYC / Ibiza.

Erick says about his new compilation, “the tracks featured on this mix will be the tracks I will be playing throughout my set this summer. I don't think anyone will be disappointed with this mix”.
Erick Morillo owns the record label, Subliminal, which is one of the most equitable brand names in house music.

Subliminal Sessions Summer 09 has become a genuine reflection of Erick's Subliminal sound: groovy, sexy, glamorous combined with seismic floor-fillers by Dr Kucho!, Deadmau5, Wippenberg and Who da Funk among many others. We highly recommend the new album, as it is unquestionably one of the hottest compilations to get you through the summer!

Subliminal Sessions Summer 09 is released today (15 June) on Subliminal as 2xCD and digital. Keep an eye on 365Mag for an exclusive interview with Erick Morillo!

Subliminal Sessions Summer 09 track-list:

The wait is over -- Whitney Houston is finally making her comeback on Sept.1 with an as-yet-untitled album on Arista Records. For her return, the label has set up a countdown on the New Jersey-bred artist's official site.

Top producers and song writers to the likes of will.i.am, Sean Garrett and Akon,have all been confirmed to aid with her album. "The voice is there; I don't think anyone could ever take that from her. As long as we apply that voice to hit records, she'll be right back where she left off," Akon told Billboard.com back in 2007.

Houston made her first high-profile public appearance at her mentor Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy gala back in February, where she performed a four-song set that included brief renditions of "I Will Always Love You" and "I Believe in You and Me" plus a tent revival-style take on "I'm Every Woman."

Houston has had a rough few years plagued by drug and health issues -including rehab stints in 2004 and 2005 -- a legal dispute with her father, John Houston, rumored financial problems and a troubled marriage to fellow singer Bobby Brown that ended in divorce.

Houston's last album was 2002's "Just Whitney," sold 737,000 copies here in the US.

Check out the making of a legend....

The new album by The Black Eyed Peas drops today and has been off to a blazing start! The first single from The E.N.D. (Energy Never Dies), BOOM BOOM POW was also the Peas' very first #1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.

With The E.N.D., The Peas are poised to continue with the success of Elephunk and their fourth release Monkey Business - they have had multiple hit anthems, such as "My Humps" "Pump It" and "Let's Get It Started" along with "Don't Phunk With My Heart" "Where is the Love?" and "Don't Lie".

In the midst of the success of the Black Eyed Peas, FERGIE released her debut solo album, The Dutchess, in 2006. To date the album has sold over six million copies worldwide and spanned five Top 5 hits. Moreover, Fergie became the first female artist in history to have four consecutive #1 singles (Billboard).

Will.i.am is also a Grammy nominated producer - nominated for the Producer of The Year Award in 2007 and nominated again at the 2009 Grammy's. He has lent his services to some of the biggest superstars in the business; Fergie, The Pussycat Dolls, John Legend, Mary J. Blige, Ricky Martin, Justin Timberlake, Diddy, Nas, Michael Jackson, Usher, Mariah Carey, Whitney Houston, and U2. Besides his music endeavors, will.i.am is committed to social activism and is an outspoken advocate of progressive political initiatives. His "Yes We Can" video won an EMMY and a Webby Award and has over 19 million views on YouTube to date.

The Black Eyed Peas have sold over 20 million albums worldwide, have won three Grammy awards and have been nominated for 11 total as well as awards won at Teen Choice, MTV, American Music Awards, among many others from around the world!

Preview and purchase The E.N.D. here. (iTunes US)

And check out the video for their latest single, "I Gotta Feeling" below.

Bat For Lashes aka Natasha Khan, has released the video for “Pearl’s Dream” from her new album - Two Suns.

The video features Khan running around in a blond wig, as Pearl. Rumor has it that the track was inspired by Khan’s time spent living in Brooklyn (on and off since 2007), where she sometimes dressed up as “Pearl” and went out bars as a destructive, self-absorbed, blonde femme fatale.

Check it out…

Madonna has released a new video for her track "Miles Away" off the "Hard Candy" album. 
The vid is a compilation of performances to the track from the icon's worldwide "Sticky & Sweet Tour".

Next up for the superSTAR will be her sold-out tour dates overseas this summer, followed by the release a greatest hits album which is rumored to include new tracks, her last Warner Bros. release, in September.

Thanks to youtuber “richeemusic” you can check it out here…

Kanye West releases his “Paranoid” video starring Rihanna on his own blog, after yet another unfinished version leaks online, the high school drop out rapper put his foot down and decided to share the much more polished version than the incomplete version that leaked last week. Kanye had been devastated that fans had been exposed to a “video" that was not up to my standards.” The early version of the "Paranoid" video by director Nabil Elderkin described the leaked clip to MTV News last week as a "rough cut." So West took to his own site to post the completed final version, which he revealed was set to debut Thursday.

Kanye had written, “It hurts me to see the old and very wrong version of the ‘Paranoid’ video get leaked all over the net while I was on an 11-hour flight and couldn’t do anything about it. It’s just frustrating when this stuff happens because I really care about the product and, since videos never get played anyway, you might as well tweak them”.

In "Paranoid," an ominous West is featured only sparingly in the clip and takes a backseat to a sexy Rihanna. The "Umbrella" star is introduced in a bedroom scene, as the camera pans over her before a number of shadow-like hands pull the covers away from her. Rihanna later appears in a noir-style car chase. Kanye is in a darker role in the clip, never appearing onscreen for longer than a few seconds. The rapper's characteristics are enhanced at times and appear wolf-like. His eyes flash to reveal narrow, beady pupils, and fangs flash onscreen several times. By the end of the clip, Rihanna returns to bed, tossing and turning, but doesn't wake up. The three-minute video appears to be a bad dream. The director said the clip matches the song's premise. "It's fantasy meets paranoid, when you get into that frame of mind and get trapped into your thoughts," Elderkin explained. "It starts out subtle, but then it just builds. So I wanted to get that into the video, to build that into her dream sequence and get her into that paranoid state of mind."

Check it out for yourself in the clip below:

The Dutch house man Martijn ten Velden recently mixed the seventh episode of the Defected’s Clubland Adventures series. To make the Album unique and to celebrate the 10th anniversary, Martijn himself re-edited almost every single track in the mix.

In an interview he says that in the new episode will be house music with a little bit more techy touch. He says:” I really like some of the new sounds, when a new kind of production style comes out, that’s what really interests me. So I always try to come up with fresh sounds that are really now.” Further he announced that the intro is quite techy, but than it will go into a big house anthem. So it will be a good mix between techy and house styles.

As it’s Defected’s 10th Anniversary, ten Velden tried to keep a bit of that signature Defected sound in there, but also tried to mix some of his personal old favorites along with new ones to make the mix. This herculean effort led to essentially a
re-edit of every single track, putting extra drums over the top, putting acapellas over the top. Ten Velden adds, "I just couldn’t stop because there are so many great acapellas on Defected, so I ended putting a lot of work into it to keep it really interesting, like putting lots of little snippets of old tracks in there from five, six or even eight years ago and tried to make it all sound modern and make it sound now. That was the aim of the mix."

We like what he did with the mix. A clubland adventure indeed. Check out the edits, out today on iTunes US.

It's done! Today, Paul van Dyk released his “best of” album, aptly titled "VOLUME". The East German-born, Grammy-nominated artist is now celebrating over 15 years of musical achievements.

His new album “Volume”, will be available in-store on June 9th, but is currently available digitally via iTunes.

VOLUME showcases van Dyk's talents, both as a DJ and producer. Among the tracks, you will find studio cuts like, "45 RPM" (1994), “Seven Ways" (1996), "Out There And Back" (2000), "Reflections" (2003), and "In Between" (2007). The Album also includes the brand new song, “Home” featuring vocals by Johnny McDaid of Vega 4 who also cooperated with van Dyk on the single “For an Angel” and on the remixed classic “Time Of Our Lives” from Reflections.

To promote "Volume", Mr. Van Dyk will be touring North America in early June as well appearing in a handful of festivals throughout the summer months. Check out his tour page for more dates in your area.

If you haven't seen it already, here's Paul's recent interview at the A|X Music Lounge during Winter Music Conference 2009.

Oscar G, one-half of the legendary production team known as Murk, and current resident at Club Space in Miami is releasing his 2CD + DVD set today, aptly titled DJ (dē'jā'). The release features brand new Original Artist Album, DJ Mix and DVD – captures the artist raw and completely of the moment -so of the moment, that it was recorded and filmed live from Space Terrace during one of his infamous Sunday morning after-hour sessions.

At a time when most dance labels are cutting costs, stripping back and going digital only, Nervous Records has their own idea of how to do business in a rough climate – offer more! That's the rationale behind Oscar G's whopping new three-disc effort, DJ (dē'jā'). But it's not only offering more, it's offering more of a good thing. Oscar's project comes without the influence or suggestions of his record company. This is 100% from the mind of Oscar G and offers a comprehensive and honest look at what's made this artist a sensation at home in Miami and via the global dance charts.

Disc 1 features 10 brand new Oscar G original productions. Those familiar with Oscar's chart topping work with Murk partner Ralph Falcon will be surprised by Oscar's new direction. While tracks like "Stuck On You (featuring Stryke)" and "Your Love (Featuring Tamara Wallace)" will appeal to fans of solid vocal house, there's also a surprise in store for those into dance's music minimal side. "Innosence" is a solid piece of minimal 4/4 electronic music wound tightly with all sorts of lovely bleepy things and gorgeous melodies. It's beautiful stuff and the product of Oscar G's recent shift from analog to digital gear.

Disc 2 offers a look into Oscar G "The DJ." This mix was recorded live and represents Oscar G's DJ set on the Space Miami Terrace at 7AM on @ Sunday morning – peak time. A Space resident DJ for nine years, this mix CD offers a look into what this world renowned residency is all about. The disc is programmed with tracks that can only be described as "the Miami sound." Oscar chose tracks from many friends and fellow Miami producers including Christian Falero, Ralph Falcon, Lazaro Casanova and more. If the artist album and DJ mix doesn't give you enough of a picture, then flip over to Disc 3 for a video documentation of an evening of music conducted by Oscar G at Space Miami.

Purchase and download the 2CD (no dvd) set here (iTunes US).

The physical 2CD & DVD can be purchased here (Amazon US).

And check out our recent interview with Oscar G at the A|X Music Lounge during Winter Music Conference 2009 in Miami.

Earlier this week, it was rumored that Cobra Starship is working with "American Idol" judge Kara DioGuardi on their new album. Well, now it turns out that this rumor is even bigger, they're actually working with Gossip Girl starlet Leighton Meester.

Cobra Starship’s new single “Good Girls Go Bad” just premiered this AM on Ryan Seacrest’s radio show. The song features actress turned recording artist Leighton Meester and was co-written by DioGuardi.

On Thursday, Cobra Starship lead singer Gabe Saporta, Meester and DioGuardi jammed in a Los Angeles studio working on a remix of the song. The single was originally written for CS's new album but Saporta is an declared "Gossip Girl" fan, mentioning the show back in December, when he was asked to name his favorites of 2008. But the idea came when he heard Meester was working on an album, he thought "Girls" would be perfect for her. "CAN YOU BELIEVE I GET TO DO A SONG WITH BLAIR WALDORF?! It's no secret that I am a HUGE Gossip Girl fan. (On tour, our fans bring me copies of the episodes I am missing so I can stay caught up)," Saporta wrote. "A couple months ago, I heard a rumor that Leighton was working on a record, and I went to sleep that night dreaming of what it would be like to do a song with her. Next morning (afternoon, actually) I wake up to find out my dreams are coming true! Some people made phone calls to some other people, then, shazam! I'm on a plane to LA to record with my boo. I knew I had the perfect song for her too: 'I Make Good Girls Go Bad.' "

It's not confirmed if the song will end up on Meester's album, but the gossip girl will be finding time in her busy recording schedule to appear at 102.7 KIIS-FM's annual summer concert Wango Tango Music Festival tomorrow Saturday may 9th at the Verizon Wireless Amphitheater-Irvine in CA.

Check out “Good Girl Go Bad” single below:

Today, May 5th, electro-pop music superstar Merrill Beth Nisker, better known simply as Peaches releases her new album 'I Feel Cream,' her full-length follow-up to 2006's 'Impeach My Bush.' No stranger to controversy, Peaches' 'Cream' goes in a more mellow direction.

It seems that these days, Peaches prefers to keep a little bit back, maintain an air of mystery, and these songs are less obvious and more interesting as a result. The overall tone of the album is suggestive, rather than confrontational and the beats are more VIP room in a uber-cool Berlin club instead of in-your-face stripper club music.

It's definitely a new lesson in the teaches of Peaches.

Click here to preview|purchase I feel Cream by Peaches (iTunes).

Lisa Shaw’s signature sultry, soulful vocals glide and caress all over her new album, Free. Take, for example, her graceful, lounge tunes such as “I’m Okay” and the unique reggae/dub/downtempo vibes of “Inside my Love.” Lisa teamed up with Dave Warrin to write and produce Free, together with guest producers Miguel Migs, Ethan White of Tortured Soul and Tim Kvasnosky. There’s a gradual, mellow R&B/acid jazz comfort zone in the opener, “Better Days.” But on “Find A Way,” Lisa gets down to business with the first house track to reveal itself among the album’s 13 songs, gently picking up the pace on one of the sexiest cuts in the lineup. Funk-filled, electro vibrations seep through your speakers as harmonies overflow on “Like I Want To,” making you know that you’ve just arrived at the red carpet entrance to Lisa’s nightclub experience.

Listen to the album here:
http://www.saltedmusic.com/lisashaw/free.html

Little Boots, aka Victoria Hesketh (born 1984), is a British electronica musician. She sings, plays synthesizers, Japanese electronic instrument the Tenori-on and the stylophone. Formerly the lead singer/synth player in Dead Disco, Little Boots makes and electronic pop pearl with her new track “New In Town”.

Filmed during a trip to Los Angeles, the video tells the story of Little Boots being new to Tinseltown. “New in Town” captures the illuminating beauty against a backdrop of a gray highway passover and dancing, strung out homeless people. Directed by Jake Nava (who has also directed videos for Kylie Minogue, Pink, Mariah Carey, Beyonce, Britney Spears, Shakira, Leona Lewis).

Check out the new video by LITTLE BOOTS for the track NEW IN TOWN.

Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and the Beastie Boys will make their Austin City Limits Music Festival debut as headliners of the eighth edition of the event in Austin's Zilker Park on Oct. 2-4 2009. Kings of Leon, Ben Harper and Relentless7, Thievery Corporation, John Legend, The Dead Weather, The Levon Helm Band and hometown favorites Ghostland Observatory are among the 130 bands and musicians who will play the annual festival.

Sonic Youth, Mos Def, Toadies, Flogging Molly, the B-52's, Lily Allen, Citizen Cope, Arctic Monkeys, the Decemberists, Coheed and Cambria, Andrew Bird, Girl Talk, Phoenix, Poi Dog Pondering, Los Amigos Invisibles and dozens of other pop, rock, country, hip hop, blues, reggae and indie rock acts will fill eight stages for three days on the vast Zilker Park lawn.

Three days festival passes are available for the regular price of $185 (with no service fees), as well as VIP packages, at aclfestival.com.

Pearl Jam have long been courted by festival producers, C3 Presents, for the Austin event, especially after the promoters convinced the band to play the Lollapalooza festival in Chicago in 2007 - its first large festival show in the U.S. since the mid-1990s. Pearl Jam is also planning to tape an appearance on the Austin City Limits television show, the beloved public television series that is the festival's inspiration.

Last year, ACL was the fifth highest-grossing festival reported to Billboard Boxscore at $11.8 million, with an aggregate attendance of 218,000. For a complete line up click here:/2009.aclfestival.com

You can of course jump into the whole social media thing by connecting with the festival on Facebook, MySpace, email and mobile. They'll of course be tweeting their hearts out on Twitter because everyone is doing it, and ACL doesn't want to be left out.

Already hailed as one of Paste Magazine's ''Four To Watch,'' Paper Route has earned acclaim for their ingenious Electronica-based Rock and intensely intimate lyricism. The Nashville-based band's 2009 debut album, Absence, (released today) is an ambitious and impassioned collection of widescreen modern music, rich with shimmering textures and intricately crafted sonics. Think of the fresh, aggressive sound of The Killers first album, and you're on the right track with Paper Route's 'Absence'.

The album features the stand out 'Carousel' that was chosen to be a full two minute music bed for MTV's The City trailer. Up until now, it was next to impossible to find Carousel anywhere, as Paper Route had not included it in any of their pre-album release EPs. Sonically, and musically, it's been worth the wait.

Preview and Purchase Paper Route's 'Absence' here (iTunes)

And to refresh your memory on where you first heard Paper Route's Carousel, check out the trailer for MTV's The City.

Empire of the Sun are one of the most eccentric pop acts to come along in years. Their costume theatrics are reminiscent of Ziggy Stardust era David Bowie and most sci-fi movies. With no relation to the 80's movie of the same title, their music is dreamy psychedelic dance pop, that brings near constant comparisons to MGMT. The debut album from this pair of Aussies, Walking on a Dream, drops in US Markets today and has already gone platinum in their home country.

Check out Walking on a Dream here. (iTunes)

This weekend kicked off the tenth west coast festival coachella in Indio, California. Taking place over three days from April 17-19 2009, Coachella attracted a huge star-studded turn out both on and off the stage at the Coachella Music Festival 2009.

Performances from over 100 top artists took place on Friday, Saturday and Sunday included Paul McCartney, The Cure, M.I.A, Joss Stone, Public Enemy, Silversun Pickups, M. Ward, Leonard Cohen, Jenny Lewis, Lykke Li, Okkervil River, My Bloody Valentine, The Gaslight Anthem, Noah and the Whale, Genghis Tron, Crystal Castles and The Ting Tings. Nearly 65,000 people came out over the three days and many are saying is fast becoming the musical equivalent of Cannes Film Festival.

In the mix was plenty of celebrities as well inlcuding Reese Witherspoon, Jake Gyllenhall, DJ AM, David Hasselhoff, Tara Reid, Kirsten Dunst, Kate Bosworth, Paris Hilton, Nicky Hilton, Brittany Snow, Dita Von Teese, Zach Braff, Kristin Cavallari , scott speedman, Chloe Sevigny, Kimberly Stewart. David Katzenberg, David Hasselhoff, Joss Stone, Audrina Patridge and Tara Reid.

The New York Times reports that the festival was a financial success despite our slumping economy, good news for the upcoming summer festivals, of which Coachella is the first biggie of the year. Proving once again that music, heat and celebrity sightings can still exist in these harsh economic times.

In the world of electronic music, 2009 might be remembered as the Year of the Quirky|Pretty Girl. First there was Lykke Li, then Ladyhawke and Little Boots, now there's Elly Jackson of super-hot La Roux.

La Roux are an English electropop “synth duo” band made up of singer and synth player Elly Jackson (above) and co-writer, co-producer, and rarely photographed Ben Langmaid. Elly found a book of baby names in a bin. Within the book was the name “La Roux”. ‘La Roux’ comes from the French for ‘red-haired one’, referring to Elly’s distinctive hair color. Her floppy hairstyle is all the buzz in fashion circles. Expect to see it on many a trendy girl very soon.

La Roux's music is largely influenced by 1980s pop music including Eurythmics, Depeche Mode, The Human League, Yazoo and Prince. Get the Quicksand EP here (iTunes).

Check out the video for Quicksand here (YouTube).

Check out the video for Peaches “Talk To Me,” the first single (and video) off her new album, 'I Feel Cream' out on May 5th.

For 'Cream', Peaches collaborated with Simian Mobile Disco, Drums of Death, Soulwax and Digitalism for a CD that is sure to reach climactic heights. To support the release, Peaches is hitting the road...check out the tour dates after the jump.

This year's White Party in Palm Springs was themed “Legion of Superheroes” and the Supergirl of Pop was the perfect addition to the night. The Lady G took to the stage around 1:45 a.m. (on Sunday) and performed for about an hour, bringing fans her best combination of raunchy craziness and the songs she's most known for– such as “Poker Face” and “Just Dance.” Her performance lasted well over an hour. While Gaga did perform at the White Party in '08, this year she was the headliner, a considerable sign of her success in the music industry.

Lady GaGa recently spoke to the press about her “sudden” claim to FAME: "I'm really ready. I know what I want; I know how to get it. I've sown my oats in every nightclub, every theater, community club from here to Ibiza. I became a pop artist the way rock bands become rock bands."

When developing a track or performance, she sometimes writes songs at the piano or she'll take a more conceptual approach to song or the performance. GaGa said: "Other times I have a vision for the performance art element and I write the song based on the dress or the technology or the stage prop. It's more of the approach to it the way someone might write a libretto for a musical.”

"The actual performance itself, it's like a musical, its rehearsed and practiced and designed down to the zipper on my sleeve," she said.

She has written songs for other big name pop stars, including the Pussycat Dolls. Her songs "Just Dance" and "Poker Face" became big hits in 2008.

She likes blowing people away with the visual component of her live show and her performance at the White Party was no exception. During the show she thanked her gay fans, and expressed support for same-sex marriage in California. At one point she drew wild screams from the crowd asking that people “Kill Prop. 8.”

Proposition 8 is the measure which was narrowly approved by California voters on the November ballot. Its fate is now in the hands of the California Supreme Court, which has until June 5 to decide if it is Constitutional.

Check out the provocative performance of Lady GaGa @ White Party 2009.

The new and improved pop princess Britney Spears lets fans know she isn’t a fan of cigarette smoke (or any other kind of smoke for that matter) while she is performing. Last night, fifteen minutes into her Vancouver show, Ms. Spears left the stage for more than a half hour apparently because of smoke in the audience.

According to The Vancouver Sun, Spears' concert was halted about 15 minutes into her performance and was followed by an announcement to the crowd that stated, “The building is awfully smoky. It is uncomfortable for everyone on stage, including Ms. Spears. Please extinguish all cigarettes – this is a non-smoking building, and the show will resume when the smoke on the stage is cleared.” Some audience members grew impatient while waiting for Spears and her troupe to return to the stage, the Sun reported.

Many boos later, Spears returned, performed her ballad "Everytime" and once again left the stage more than a minute before the song was finished. Finally, she ended the show with “Womanizer,” telling the crowd, “Vancouver, don’t smoke weed.”

Spears' publicist, Holly Shakoor, issued a statement apologizing to fans about the delay. The statement said "crew members above the stage became ill due to a ventilation issue." Spears began her "Circus" tour of the United States, Canada and England on March 3 in New Orleans. Her father and attorneys are exploring the possibility of expanding the tour to include more shows in Europe and Australia.

Oscar-nominated Sri Lankan rapper, songwriter, producer, vocalist and artist M.I.A. will return to the California desert, when she'll perform Saturday night (April 18) just before the Killers at the Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival. M.I.A.'s two previous Coachella appearances featured electrifying sets and drew huge crowds.

The Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, better known as Coachella, will take place at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California from April 17th through April 19th, 2009. The 3-day festival, which will be broadcasted live on the web, will feature acts from various genres including rock, hip-hop, and electronic music.

This year, the Oscar and Grammy-nominated artist joins a line-up that includes Paul McCartney, The Killers, The Cure, Morrissey, Franz Ferdinand, My Bloody Valentine, Leonard Cohen, The Chemical Brothers, Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band, Thievery Corporation, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Devendra Banhart, Etienne De Crecy, Groove Armada, Felix da Housecat, and more than 125 acts for the annual festival. 



For the full 2009 line-up and updated information on Coachella, please visit coachella.com

Last week during Winter Music Conference in Miami, attendees of David Guetta's set at the Ultra Music Festival were introduced to an amazing yet-to-be-released track. Appearing live with Guetta was none other than Destiny's Child star Kelly Rowland, who with Guetta, took the festival to new heights with their amazing new track "When Love Takes Over." Occasionally stepping out of her R&B genre, Kelly's beautiful style and booming voice are always the perfect addition to the dance music arena.

There's still no official release date on this track, but word is that it will drop at the end of this month. In the mean time, check out this clip of Guetta and Rowland's performance from the Ultra Music Festival last week. Thanks to youtuber TheRealMrRyan, who posted this video of the performance, shot from backstage.

We can’t get enough of LadyHawke. Her latest single “My Delirium'” is a retro sound round-up of the 80s with it’s thumping pop swirl, big reverby drums, bubbling synths, and arena sized chorus influences.

And now there's a video that bring it into vision with animated watercolour/desert drive mash-up, reminiscent of a-ha's 1985 hot “Take On Me”. The video features billowing supernovas, paintings and escapism illustrations by Sarah Larnach. Directed by Frater [Benjie Davies and Jim Field].

New Zealander Ladyhawke, aka Pip Brown, grew up in a very musical family and is heavily influenced by the stars of her 80’s childhood. She adores Stevie Nicks, Deep Purple and David Bowie, but adds her modern twist to retro edge beats.

Ladyhawke has a busy year of touring the globe ahead, but has found her place in pop consciousness.

Check out the video to “My Delirium”.

NY dance-pop queen Lady Gaga will be teaming up with Wale on his next his debut album “Attention: Deficit”. Lady G sings a sample from Steam's 1969 song "Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye" on Wale's recently released first single "Chillin'" from Attention: Deficit.

Wale, known for his slick flow to his intelligent lyrics, has teamed up with some A-list producers like: Cool and Dre, Mark Ronson, Glitch Mob and David Sitek to make this one a monster hit when it drops this June.

To listen to the ultimate party jam, "Chillin'", produced by Cool and Dre click here

Last year, we introduced you to Lady GaGa as she performed at the A|X Music Lounge before taking over the world one sequin at a time. This year we are bringing you rapper Ryeisha Berrain aka Rye Rye.

Miss Rye Rye, 18, hails from Baltimore, Maryland and is a protege of British import M.I.A. Rye Rye is the first artist signed to M.I.A.'s Interscope imprint label, N.E.E.T. Rye Rye, the reigning princess of Club Hop, with a new album “Go! Pop! Bang!” dropping this summer and a major world tour under her belt, this Hip Hop teen is poised to take over the music scene one beat at a time.

Rye Rye sits down with Armani Exchange at the A|X Music Lounge at Winter Music Conference.

Check out the interview…

On Friday, Fergie celebrated her birthday with an incredible set on the main stage at the Ultra Music Festival. Fergalicious reunited with her bandmates from the Black Eyed Peas at the Bicentennial Park for their first live performance since they parted ways in 2007. Most of the set from the Peas' were songs from their multiplatinum-selling album Monkey Business but they did reveal a new song "Boom Boom Pow" from their upcoming fifth studio album “The E.N.D.”, available June 9th.

Later that night, Fergie (looking amazing in a shimmering cocktail mini-dress with silver pumps) celebrate B-Day 34, with husband Josh Duhamel, at the Fontainebleau Resort's Liv Nightclub in Miami Beach. Fergie and Duhamel sat in the secluded upper deck VIP room, but was later joined by members of the Black Eyed Peas for the celebration as she blew out the candles on her cake, kissed her husband and departed around 2 a.m.

Check out the Black Eyed Peas Ultra performance

Today, Lady GaGa turned 23 – join us in wishing Lady G a BIG Discolicious Happy Birthday!!!

Last year, Armani Exchange introduced Lady GaGa to the dance world at the A|X Music Lounge (pictured above) in South Beach, at the WMC 2008. What a difference a year can make. This year, Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (Lady GaGa) is one of the most sought after singer-songwriter and musician in play.

Check out the vid of the audience at the Bronson Centre singing ‘Happy Birthday’ to Lady GaGa at her Ottawa show on Friday (March 27), the eve of her 23rd birthday. The singer then performed a piano version of ‘Poker Face’, with a few tears. Thanks youtuber Matty for the awesome vid.

Music Magazine, Blender, is officially closing its doors. The current April issue with American Idol’s Kelly Clarkson will be its last. Blender’s owner, the Alpha Media Group, announced on Thursday. The music and entertainment magazine’s Web site, blender.com, will continue however. “We went as far as we could in a difficult environment,” said an Alpha Media spokeswoman, Nora Haynes. About 30 people will leave the company as a result of the magazine’s closing, she confirmed.

The decision was told to staff this morning. Alpha Media Group’s last remaining magazine is Maxim, which will have its editorial staff integrated for its print and digital employees. CEO Stephen Duggan commented, “Since 2001, Blender has provided unmatched music coverage and entertainment news in its unique voice to a profoundly dedicated audience of music enthusiasts. We are particularly grateful to the sales team and to the tremendously talented editorial staff for their hard work and commitment to Blender.” Blender has featured music reviews, recurring features like “greatest songs ever,” and stories on Ludacris and Radiohead. It was aimed at young men and its covers tended to feature comely female singers, like Fergie and The Pussycat Dolls’ Nicole Scherzinger, in come-hither poses.

Ciara’s new video for her smash hit single “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake defiantly lives up to its name with Ciara and Justin giving fans a ton of sexy dance moves and near make out sessions. This scorching video was directed by Diane Martel and Ciara herself. The singer shared that "It's all about showing another side of me with this video. I'm basically giving you a show you'd see in Vegas — and it's my love, sex and magic show. He's the voyeur and I play with him a little bit. I got my inspiration from the Crazy Horse [Cabaret] show and just from the shows [in Vegas], period. It's giving you the elements of love and sex and magic." Timberlake added that, "I just kind of wanted to create a song for a female that was along the same lines as a male who could have swagga on an album," he said of the duet. "She just fit the song so perfectly."

The pair really pushed the envelope for the video as Ciara is scantily clad in several different bodysuits while grinding and dancing with Timberlake, as well as on a metal beam. It was an experience Ciara said she didn't mind at all. "Working with Justin as an artist and producer was really fun for me," she said. "[He's] very cool, very humble. I have a lot of respect for him." Check out Ciara new video below for her smash hit single “Love Sex Magic” featuring Justin Timberlake from her album Fantasy Ride, in stores May 5th 2009.

One of the major projects that brought M.I.A. out of her "retirement" last year was her work on Baltimore native Rye Rye's debut album, due to drop this year on M.I.A.'s N.E.E.T. imprint. Rye Rye is streaming a bunch of tracks from her upcoming album at her MySpace page, the highlight being "Bang" which features M.I.A. on the bangs, and Rye Rye on the (pretty dirty) rhymes. Rye is quickly establishing herself in the M.I.A. mold with syncopated vocal patterns and blaring Diplo-esque beats.

Download it at:
www.myspace.com/tharealryerye

Kelly Clarkson has learned from her past album mistakes and used the raw emotions that she expressed in her last album but added in a wide variety of pop styles to bring back her loyal fans. Reclaiming her place atop the charts, the first American Idol champ just landed her latest, All I Ever Wanted, at No. 1, selling 255,000 copies for the week ended Sunday. Though the new album falls short of the first-week figures of "December," which debuted with 291,000 copies, "All I Ever Wanted" is more in line with Clarkson's first-week sales history, hopefully showing that fans weren't permanently turned off by the rough publicity surrounding her previous work and canceled 2007 tour dates.

"All I Ever Wanted" has been positively received by critics. Many noted it represented a return to lighter pop-rock after the harder, more serious "December", which Clarkson released after a public dispute with her record label, RCA, over its direction". Clarkson's fans, were eager for the album's lead single, "My Life Would Suck Without You," which sold more than 1.15 million digital downloads and hit No. 1 when it was released in January.

Next week's Billboard 200 albums chart should find Kelly Clarkson's "All I Ever Wanted" holding on for a second week at No. 1. Tom Corson, general manager of Sony BMG's RCA Music Group commented that "As long as someone like Kelly comes back with great material . . . the story's a good story. She's proud of this record and focused on it, and that's the news -- not what happened a few years ago."

Hear it for yourself. Check out Kelly Clarkson's No 1. billboard hit below:

Britney Spears has just released her new video for the controversial track “If U seek Amy”. Many radio stations are reluctant to play this subliminal-laced track, but Brit Brit has gone ahead and made a video for Circus’s third single.

The video depicts Spears as two very different personas, from a sexy party girl to a preppy, Stepford-esque housewife. The video is set at some sort of suburban house party where a wild Britney, clad in a black bustier and wild extensions, roams around the house with her sexy friends. She then flips to a wholesome Spears with an iconic Marilyn bob, and sweater set combo, carrying a fresh baked pie to a picket fence family. The track was co-written and produced by famed producer Max Martin, who also wrote previous hits for Brit, including “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again”.

In other Spears news, the pop star performed at Nassau Coliseum in New York Wednesday night to a packed house, including one very special V.I.P., Madonna. If you missed her stealer performance in LI, don’t worry she’s performing tonight at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ.

Can’t get enough of Britney? Watch the brand new video here and judge for yourself:

The eagerly anticipated new album 'All I Ever Wanted' by Kelly Clarkson hits US store shelves and iTunes today. The album arrives weeks after iTunes Norway mistakenly released it early, giving some lucky Norwegians a chance to hear the tracks before the rest of the world. Buzz about Clarkson's new release has been great, and the new single 'My Life Would Suck Without You' rests currently in the lofty #10 position on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles Chart after 7 weeks on the chart including a well deserved spot at #1.

'Suck' is a prime example of Clarkson getting back on her pop game, and is one of many guitar driven catchy tracks on 'All I Ever Wanted'. Co-writing two of the tracks on the album is none other than girl-kissing Katy Perry with "I Do Not Hook Up" and "Long Shot." Expect to hear some amazing ballads as well, including "Cry" and the kick drum-driven "Already Gone."

The iTunes deluxe version of 'All I Ever Wanted' includes the following tracks and videos:

Tip of My Tongue
The Day We Fell Apart

My Life Would Suck Without You (Video)
Making of the Video (Video)
Making of the Album (Video)

Other releases this week include:

Armin van Buuren - Imagine (The Remixes)
David Bowie - Live in Santa Monica '72
Erick "More" Morillo - Strictly
Starsailor - All the Plans
Hed Kandi - Twisted Disco '87
Ministry of Sound - Saturday Night Club Classics
Yeah Yeah Yeahs - It's Bliss

Now here's an invention we've all been waiting for: a headphone for your portable music player that actually saves your ears instead of deafening them. The Audio Bone, as it is called, lets you listen to music in a rather unorthodox way.... through your bones!

It's a known fact that listening to music via your ordinary headphones can cause serious ear damage, but the Japanese company Golden Dance claims to have the ultimate solution. Their Audio Bone device looks like normal headphones, with the main difference being that it's not to be placed on your ears, but on a specific bone part right next to them. This causes the vibrations of the music to be directed to the brain without causing any physical damage. Quite nifty eh? Golden Dance claims that there will be absolutely no danger to your ears, even when playing your music at max volume.

A release date for the product has not yet been announced, although it has been revealed that the suggested retail price will be approximately EUR 100. The Audio Bone will be made available in black and white and doesn't require batteries.

Britney Spears took the stage at the New Orleans Arena in in her home state of Louisiana on Tuesday night, to reclaim her role as the Princess of Pop. The Pussycat Dolls opened for Brit putting on a 40-minute set. Then Briney kicked off the show by descending from the ceiling on a trapeze and singing her recent track, “Circus”; directing a colorful cast that included jugglers, acrobats and martial arts dancers, Britney Spears delivered a tightly choreographed performance.

The singer put another notch in her comeback belt by powering through the nearly two-hour show flawlessly. This show kicked off her first concert tour in five years marking the pop star’s long-awaited return to the stage. The show’s four acts included Circus, House of Fun - Anything Goes, Freakshow/Peepshow, and Electo Circ. Which all featured a extreme amount of outfit changes that ranged from revealing to very revealing. Spears donned a naughty policewoman’s outfit for closers “Womanizer” and “Circus,” a Madonna-esque swirl bra for “Radar” which included a pole dance, and an Indian-inspired look for her Bollywood remix of “Me Against the Music”.

Spears only let the tempo drop for the ballad “Everytime,” which she sang while sitting in the nook of a giant umbrella suspended from the ceiling. The emotional track from In the Zone was not on the set list Spears released two days ago, when she gave fans a sneak peek at Circus rehearsals. As promised, though, she only dipped into her early catalog for a remix of "Baby One More Time”.

The nearly sold out audience and wild applause sealed the final stamp of approval that brit brit is back. The "Circus" tour is another strong step in the right direction for the singer. Although Spears didn't interact much with the crowd — the only thing she uttered to the audience was "Thank you, New Orleans" at the end of the show. But fans didn't seem to care, screaming wildly at the first sight of Spears, who descended from the ceiling on hoops suspended by wires, wearing a short red and black ringmaster ensemble.

The tour continues on with 39 more dates and concludes in London on June 14th.

Multi-platinum singer Ciara teamed up with Justin Timberlake on her newest single, “Love Sex Magic.” The single is a spare dance beat bathed in funky, retro 70's style R&B guitar and is a great foundation for the two stars to play off each other. Co-written by Timberlake and produced by The Y’s, “Love Sex Magic” is a duet that will be featured on Ciara’s forthcoming third album, Fantasy Ride.

The music video was directed by Diane Martel. In addition to Justin Timberlake, Ciara is collaborating with other top producers and artists on Fantasy Ride including Tricky Stewart, Danja and T-Pain. The album drops early April.

The IDMAs is the premier awards show for the dance and electronic music industry worldwide. Over 10,000 ballots are cast to vote each year in over 50 categories for the most pioneering and elite artists, technology and professionals in the business. The IDMAs is the pinnacle of the WMC week in Miami Beach, where the industry gathers to celebrate and pay tribute to exceptional achievements and innovation throughout the year.

Have you voted for your favorite?
Fans can cast their vote now at www.wintermusicconference.com

Below are some of this year's nominees

Best Break-Through DJ

Kyau & Albert
DJ Shah
Laidback Luke
Deadmau5
Aly & Fila
 
Best European DJ

ATB
Tiësto
Paul van Dyk
Armin van Buuren
Above & Beyond
David Guetta
Axwell
Ferry Corsten
 
Best American DJ

Kaskade
Markus Schulz
Roger Sanchez
Oscar G
Dubfire
Gabriel & Dresden
Danny Tenaglia
Erick Morillo
 
Best Global DJ

Ferry Corsten
Armin van Buuren
Tiësto
Deadmau5
ATB
Paul van Dyk
Carl Cox
Above & Beyond

Despite having just given birth to a baby, UK singer M.I.A. plans to perform at this year's Oscar Awards in Hollywood, USA on February 22nd.

Whereas most mothers would prefer to take it slow for a while, M.I.A. has been cooking up innovative ways to play at the award show. But how? "That's the million dollar question," says AR Rahman, composer of the Slumdog Millionaire soundtrack which features M.I.A. chart breaking hit single Paper Planes. "Having a baby is such an important thing in your life... more important than winning an Oscar. "

M.I.A went into labour only a few hours after her performance at the Grammy Awards on February 8th. She posted a new blog on her MySpace page shortly after giving birth to a baby boy, saying (quoted): “Sunday nite I came home from the Grammy's Still In The Mood To Party, I coulda easily gone out but I went home instead, lucky I did!! Coz my early stage labour kicked in around 2 AM. My baby was born Wednesday, he is healthy, fine, beautiful and the most amazing thing ever on this planet, of course I'm his mum!!!

Maybe after this performance M.I.A. will just take it easy!

Last night the 51st Grammy Awards "music's biggest night," were held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. With performances from Lil Wayne, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Radiohead, Jonas Brothers, T.I. with Justin Timberlake, Kanye West, Jennifer Hudson, Coldplay, Paul McCartney with Dave Grohl, Katy Perry and many more. The 51st Grammy Award Ceremony was loaded with hot performances, warm moments and surprises. 


One surprise was that both Chris Brown and Rihanna pulled out of the award show. Brown was arrested on assault charges as the show was going on for felony assault on an unidentified female, rumored (and not confirmed) to be fellow nominee and girlfriend Rihanna, the night before in swanky Hancock Park.

Justin Timberlake, Al Green, Keith Urban and Boyz II Men filled in the missing timeslots and no mention of Brown was made onstage. Top nominee Lil Wayne with eight chances came through with four wins, including rap album of the year.

Special guests Radiohead, whose members include: Thom Yorke, Jonny Greenwood, Colin Greenwood, Ed O’Brien, and Phil Selway performed LIVE. The performance was the band's first live US television performance since 2000. Radiohead's album In Rainbows was nominated for five awards, including Album of the Year and Best Alternative Music Album. Radiohead performed the songs "15 Step" from In Rainbows accompanied by the USC Marching Band. This unique and stimulating performance had all things good: alternative rock, electronica, and/or experimental rock. Radiohead took home the award for Best Alternative Music Album: Radiohead, In Rainbows.

An emotional moment came when Jennifer Hudson accepted the Grammy for best R&B album from Whitney Houston. Without directly mentioning her family tragedy, Hudson, 27, made it clear in her acceptance remarks and performance that her family was foremost on her mind.

"I first would like to thank God who has brought me through," said Hudson, also an Oscar winner, as she accepted her award. "I would like to thank my family in heaven and those who are with me today”.

Hudson later performed "You Pulled Me Through," a typically strong vocal performance that ended in tears. Watch the performance below.

In dance / electronic news, Daft Punk took home the awards for Best Electronic/Dance Album: Daft Punk, Alive 2007, and Best Dance Recording: Daft Punk, “Harder Better Faster Stronger”.

From Coldplay to Duffy and newcomer Adele: the complete list of winners at the 51st Annual Grammy Awards, after the jump.

Blackhole Recordings artist JES, has made it to the top of Billboard’s Hot Dance Airplay chart. Fueled by radio support and fan response, JES’s third single, “Imagination” from her critically acclaimed debut album DISCONNECT, has been on a steady course for the top since it’s official US release nine weeks ago.

With amazing remixes from Tiesto, Kaskade, and Michael Moog. “Imagination” showcases Jes’s celestial voice which has made her one of the most recognized artists in Electronic Dance Music today. JES's video for “Imagination,” inspired by her rock-tronica style, incorporates a stunning visual performance piece, as well as, live footage shot during her opening stint during Tiesto’s, “Elements of Life” show, in Copenhagen.

Check it.

With her first single Just Dance still burning hot on the Billboard charts and her second single Poker Face steadily climbing, you’d think Lady GaGa would be taking a break. So not her style - the Joseph Kahn directed video for her epic track Eh Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say) has just been released. 

"Eh, Eh (Nothing Else I Can Say)" was written by Lady GaGa with Martin Kierszenbaum for her debut album “The Fame”.

The 22-year-old New Yorker has been hailed as the "future of pop" for her "can't get you out of my head" dance tracks and ultra outrageous stage attire Lady GaGa (real name: Stefani Germanotta) is quickly becoming a dance music GaGaGoddess!

Check it!

In her first performance since her family murder tragedy last year, Jennifer Hudson showed she's ready to return to the spotlight after the slayings of three family members. Hudson sang her heart out of the National Anthem at Super Bowl XLIII in Tampa on Sunday evening.

Dressed in a cropped jacket, skinny pants, and a white top, Hudson, 27, stepped onto a round dais at Raymond James Stadium for her pre-game performance. Hudson then took a deep breath and surveyed the field before launching into her rendition of the National Anthem. She ended the song with her head tossed back and a clenched fist raised to deafening applause as military planes flew overhead.

Hudson's performance followed a tribute to the crew of U.S. Airways Flight 1549 – hero pilot Chesley Sullenberger was on hand – and a performance of "America the Beautiful" by Faith Hill.

Hudson also is slated to sing at the MusiCares Person of the Year Gala on Feb. 6 and the Grammy Awards on Feb. 8, both in Los Angeles.

In case you missed it...

Twice In A Blue Moon is the highly anticipated third artist album by trance heavyweight Ferry Corsten. The Dutch superstar has consistently shown his electronic talent through slick production and epic DJ sets, with his success being illustrated in the DJ Top 100 poll where Ferry has had top ten residency for the past five years.

After the massive 2006-artist album L.E.F and 2003's Right Of Way, Ferry Corsten has been anything but quiet. This year alone saw this Dutch dance export remixing U2, Nelly Furtado and the new anthemic single 'Human' by The Killers. Then there's the touring schedule with events like the MASSIVE 12,000 capacity/8-hour set appropriately titled Full On Ferry, plus touring at mega raves around the world.

Now back with artist album Twice In A Blue Moon, Ferry Corsten presents 12 upfront electronic cuts with appeal to dance fans and clubbers alike. The album includes uplifting trance tracks such as 'Radio Crash' (the first single), 'Shanti,' and 'Twice In A Blue Moon,' as well as that big electro sound of 'Brain Box' that we all know Ferry for. A little wink to the 80s can be found in 'We Belong'. 'Visions of Blue' and 'Gabriella’s Sky,' (an ode to his newborn daughter) are beautiful in their fragility. The vocal productions 'Black Velvet,' 'Feel You' and Made Of Love are soulful melodic creations that will soon be Corsten classics.

Twice In A Blue Moon gives a fine impression of the DJ sets Ferry Corsten plays today and perfectly illustrates his creative skills and abilities, showing why his sound really does appeal to all. Evolving his skills to match his signature style, this album shows why he deserves to be titled one of the best DJ-producers in the world.

TWICE IN A BLUE MOON TRACK LISTING:

Shelter Me

Black Velvet

We Belong

Gabriella’s Sky

Made Of Love

Radio Crash

Twice In A Blue Moon

Feel You

Life

Brain Box

Shanti

Visions Of Blue

http://www.ferrycorsten.com/

English pop/ R&B singer and songwriter Leona Lewis has premiered her latest “I Will Be” Music Video.

Gossip Guy, Chace Crawford, appears in the video as Leona’s lover and helps intro the story of smooth criminals as she protects him from being caught by the police.

The music video was shot back in mid December 2008 in NYC and was directed by Melina Matsoukas, who also directed the international version of Leona’s “Bleeding Love” music video.

As reported on styletraxx, the song was an Avril Lavigne 2006 school-crush anthem of the same title. It now serves as the third U.S. single from Leona's debut album "Spirit". The deluxe version of Leona’s chart-topping debut album Spirit entitled “Spirit - The Deluxe Edition” hits stores February 3, 2009.

Check it out below!

Veteran trance maniac Judge Jules, loved and respected by many a clubber, is preparing for the release of his second artist album, due for release next month. Bring The Noise has become an unmistakable Judge Jules album with a truckload of dance floor-destroying tuneage.

The Judge is without a doubt one of the most recognizable jockeys the trance scene has ever brought forward. With a highly successful career that spans two decades, Jules has become one of the most popular faces in the scene, with sold out gigs at many clubs and festivals across the globe. The seasoned UK jock has made a name for himself by unleashing only the most energetic music in trance and hardtrance upon the crowd, something which is reflected on his high grossing compilations as well. His second album Bring The Noise (to be released on the Maelstrom imprint) presents Judge Jules in full effects with 11 bombs that vary from good ol' trance to electro-fueled productions, each carrying that signature Judge stamp. This album will undoubtedly be well received by those who are in for some viciously rocking electronic frenzy...

Track-list:
1. Gotta Be Heard
2. Guide You
3. Train Wreck
4. You Know What
5. Diversion
6. Electronic Snare
7.Master Breaker
8. Could Be Love
9. Judgement Theme
10.Laid Bare
11.The Skip 08

The world's biggest resource for dance music downloads, Beatport, will launch a completely rebuilt and remastered website on January 21st. The new portal is said to include a bunch of new features in order to "enhance promotion of music and greatly improve the user experience for both avid fans and professional DJs using the site."

The primary goal was to improve usability, and it seems the crew has done the utmost to present an even more dynamic portal. Enhancements include a fully redesigned and optimized user interface, MP3 embedded album artwork, playback track queue and several improved sections. Next to that, the crew claims to have managed to make the website work faster, an issue among Beatport users for several years.

Ever since its launch in 2005, Beatport has held the number one spot when it comes to purchasing sound files on-line in the best possible quality . All thinkable labels have been incorporated in the website's database, which now includes over 8000 imprints. Check it out for yourself on 1.21.09 at www.beatport.com

The pop princess Rihanna is set to release "Good Girl Gone Bad" for the third time on January 27th. The new album "Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes" features remixed versions of 12 tracks from the album's first and second releases including hits "Disturbia", "Take A Bow" and "Umbrella".

The original Good Girl Gone Bad which was released June 5th, 2007 was Rhinna's third album release in less than two years. The CD followed up the 2006’s RIAA platinum A Girl Like Me, containing the smash singles, “S.O.S.” and “Unfaithful”; and her RIAA gold debut from 2005, Music Of the Sun, featuring the worldwide hit, “Pon De Replay”.

The new remixed album Good Girl Gone Bad: The Remixes" will hit stores on Jan. 27. Can’t wait till then check out the track list below:

1 Umbrella featuring JAY-Z - Seamus Haji & Paul Emanuel
2 Disturbia - Jody den Broeder
3 Shut Up and Drive - The Wideboys
4 Don't Stop The Music - Jody den Broeder
5 Take A Bow - Tony Moran & Warren Riggs
6 Breakin' Dishes - Soul Seekerz
7 Hate That I Love You featuring Ne-Yo - K-Klassic
8 Question Existing - The Wideboys
9 Push Up On Me - Moto Blanco
10 Good Girl Gone Bad - Soul Seekerz
11 Say It - Soul Seekerz
12 Umbrella featuring JAY-Z - Lindbergh Palaceih

Defected Records celebrates their 10th Birthday in February with the release of ‘10 years of Clubland Adventures,’ a 5 x CD package with over 60 of Defected’s best known and loved releases from the past decade as well as a fully LIVE gig with some of its most legendary musicians and vocalists.

From humble beginnings in a small office in Soho, London, Defected Records has gone on to become a major player in the business, attracting some of the greatest talents working in the global music industry. They regularly trump the majors with crossover hits and media attention, and are never far from the boxes of the world’s best DJs. In Feb 09, they reach the tender age of TEN.

Over the past decade, their constant output of quality dance music records has showcased the talents of international artists roster including Masters at Work, Bob Sinclair, Dimitri from Paris, Sandy Rivera and DJ Gregory.

First set up in 1999 by label head Simon Dunmore, Defected has gone on to have many huge records including UK No.1 ‘Another Chance’ by Roger Sanchez, KOT's ‘Finally,’ Bob Sinclar’s 2007 No.3 hit ‘Rock This Party’ as well as the million selling Defected In The House Compilation series . You will also find them hosting residencies at the world best clubs including London, Ibiza and New York.

To celebrate this dance music milestone, the label has announced a special 10-date world tour that will commence on Jan 24th at The Ministry of Sound, London. It features an all-star LIVE line-up.

Defected Records will bring to life many of it’s classic records with a five piece band and the original vocalists. Expect to hear Julie McKnight sing KOT ‘Finally’ and Louie Vega’s ‘Diamond Life’, Brian Chambers singing ‘All I do’ as well as performances from Marc Evans, Immani and new signing Yasmeen.

Made Events presents Sebastien Leger French house DJ, producer. Check out him out at Cielo, 18 Little W 12th Street NYC on January 9, 2009. Doors Open at 10pm. Buy your tickets www.ticketweb.com

Leona Lewis filmed an arresting new video for her upcoming single "I Will Be,” and it sure looked like things were unlawful as the British Pop/R&B singer was seen getting handcuffed by 'police' in Brooklyn, New York late Friday night.

The beautiful ballad was co-written by rock princess Avril Lavigne and the video features Gossip Girl’s Chace Crawford. Even though he doesn't appear to be in the arrest scene, it is rumored that GGs resident gigolo, Chace, has more than just the standard cameo; the leading man is speaking lines in the video as well.

Crawford met Lewis at a party in London during the promotion of his CW series. The two (both 23) immediately hit it off, talking every once in a while and have thus become fast friends - prompting Leona to ask him to appear in her music video.

"I Will Be" was originally a pop-rock ballad produced by Dr. Luke and written by Lavigne, Max Martin (Britney's magic maestro), and Lukasz Gottwald. The original version was recorded by Lavigne in 2006, and is included on the Limited Edition version of her third studio album, “The Best Damn Thing.”

For reasons undisclosed, the track was later covered by British singer Leona Lewis in 2007, for her debut album, “Spirit,” and will serve as Lewis' third single in the U.S. only. Lewis turns Lavignes’ track from schoolgirl crush anthem to bleeding love-type ballad. The single and video are scheduled for release on January 6, 2009.

To support the release of her new CD “I Am...Sasha Fierce”
Beyonce has announced the European dates of her upcoming world tour.
On her MySpace Page, it's stated that the forthcoming show will showcase music and film superstars along with Beyonce's all-female band. In a newly-created high-tech state-of-the-art concert environment, she will be performing musical hits, classics, and surprises for concertgoers' enjoyment. 


"I Am...Sasha Fierce" is B’s third solo studio album. Released in November on the Columbia Records label, it reached the top spot both on Billboard Hot 200 Albums chart and on Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, selling more than 894,000 copies.

Check out the European dates after the jump.

A brand new cut, from Ciara's 'Fantasy Ride' LP (due early 2009), has surfaced earlier this week. The collaboration with singer/song-writer The Dream titled “Keep Dancing” has ia sensual, airy, laidback feel but we can expect remixes to be a little more uptempo and hard-hitting.

Check it out…

Britney Spears' latest CD, "Circus," has landed her back at No. 1. For the first time in more than five years, Britney topped the album charts on Billboard 200. Though Nielsen SoundScan has not released its official figures, estimates have the record selling as many as 500,000 copies in its first week of release. This gives Spears the second biggest female bow of the year, topping debut weeks by Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, Madonna, Janet Jackson and Beyoncé . Once the final retail receipts are counted, the album should claim the seventh biggest bow of 2008.

The career comeback strategy for Britney Spears appears to be working. "This is going to reinforce her icon status," said Barry Weiss, chairman and CEO of the BMG Label Group, which includes Spears' label. "It's not just a No. 1 album." For Spears, who has rebounded after a disastrous year that included rehab, a custody battle for her two sons and court-ordered supervision by her father, it is another step forward in her climb to reclaim her status among pop's elite. "At the end of the day, I think she is America's pop princess, and the world's pop princess, and this just reconfirms it to everyone who doubted it," said her manager, Larry Rudolph.

"Circus," which debuted to mainly positive reviews, was released on the singer's 27th birthday, Dec. 2. The CD's first single, "Womanizer," was a No. 1 hit, and her latest single, "Circus," was the most added song at pop radio, her label said.

It's been a busy time lately for Grace Jones. The Jamaica-born über-model, actress and disco queen is releasing her new album Hurricane, due out early in 2009, and taking nightlife by storm.

In her prime of the late Seventies / early Eighties, Ms. Jones was the undisputed queen of gay discos, the center of attention in Manhattan nightlife. And in 2008 she does not disappoint – the legendary singer wowed a celeb-filled crowd last week at the Delano Hotel, including actor Benicio Del Toro, painter turned director Julian Schnabel; actress Kirsten Dunst; Mary Kate Olsen and boyfriend Nate Lowman; Ivana Trump (with Ocean Drive publisher Jason Binn); and a very solo New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.

Grace looked and sounded like perfection and at 60 she can still work a microphone and continues to set her own on-stage style, wearing a black velvet corset, a succession of fantastic headpieces -- including a gold fringed hood and glittering black mask -- and black rubber leggings as she demanded attention through a set that included such hits as Pull Up To The Bumper, Warm Leatherette, Slave to the Rhythm, and "La Vie En Rose" which brought tears to her eyes.

Grace in your face….

Lady Gaga, alongside current dance pop heavyweights Madonna and Rihanna each scored Grammy nominations at yesterday's The Grammy Nominations Concert Live!!

The countdown to Music's Biggest Night, hosted by Taylor Swift and LL Cool J, blended star-studded performances with the announcement of a handful of nominees for the 51st Grammy Awards to be announced on February 8, 2009.

Broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, across the street from the Staples Center, where the 51st annual Grammy awards will be doled out on February 8, the evening was a welcome change of pace from the usual early morning press conference, and also served to highlight the opening of the new Grammy Museum.

Mariah Carey opened the show with a festive Christmas tune 'Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)' while the other artists took turns providing fresh takes on songs inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

Other acts that graced the stage included: Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, the Foo Fighters (with a grunged-up rendition of Carly Simon's You're So Vain - amazing), B.B. King and John Mayer.

But it's the multitude of fresh faces littering the list of award hopefuls this year that's most worth celebrating. Lil' Wayne topped the nominations with eight, Coldplay garnered seven, and Jay-Z, Neyo and Kanye West each earning six nods. Alison Krauss, John Mayer, Robert Plant, Radiohead each received five nominations and Adele, Danger Mouse, The Eagles, Lupe Fiasco, T.I. each received four nominations.

Long-serving French electro robots Daft Punk have been given a run in the Best Dance Recording category for Harder Better Faster Stronger... a mere 7 years after it was initially released! In the Best Remixed Recording field standouts include Justice’s rework of MGMT, and the Deadmau5 remix of Morgan Page. Check out the full list of nominations after the jump.

Reigning dance queen, Lady Gaga, has teamed up with MC Space Cowboy for a very Gaga Yuletide tune just in time for the Holidays. The track, “Christmas Tree”, may not be your typical Holiday song, but Gaga gets you in the Holiday spirit with her retrosexual spin on classic Christmas. Totally spaced out but the best Holiday track EVER!

Check out Lady Gaga’s Yuletide tune, "Christmas Tree," featuring MC Space Cowboy.

If dance music is the soundtrack to your soul then here is your chance to be heard. Preliminary voting is now open for the 24th Annual International Dance Music Awards. Nominate your favorite dance records, CDs, DJs, website, producers, promoters for an International Dance Music Award.

The International Dance Music Awards are the highlight of the week at every Winter Music Conference in Miami Beach, where the industry gathers to celebrate and pay tribute to the exceptional achievements and innovations throughout the year.

The International Dance Music Awards, the premiere awards show for the dance and electronic music industry - recognizes the annual achievements of the best and most innovative artists, DJs, professionals and new technology in 50 different award categories.

Armani Exchange is proud to support the dance and electronic music industry through the A|X Music label. This year, the A|X Music Series has released three incredible CDs: “Twilight” mixed by Robbie Rivera, “Hypnotic” 2CD set mixed by Markus Schulz, and the exclusive 3CDset of Tiësto’s “In Search of Sunrise 7 – Asia”. In addition, Armani Exchange sponsored Grammy nominated and electronic music pioneer, Tiësto’s 2008 North America "In Search of Sunrise Tour", with a legendary performance at the A|X SoHo store back in June, 2008.

Vote for the best of 2008. Nominee voting ends Tuesday, December 30, 2008. Remember it’s only one ballot-per-person; multiple ballot submissions will be disqualified.

Nominees and the final ballot for the 24th Annual International Dance Music Awards will be posted in January 2009.

Remix the future and vote here

Sober, the second single off P!nk's fifth studio album, Funhouse. The mini film-video was shot last month in Sweden, and takes you on a gritty Goth journey of depression, obsession, and redemption. Sober proves P!nk is one of the most relevant artists today.

Check out the video -

Last night on ABC, the 2008 American Music Awards aired live from the NOKIA Theatre in L.A. Late-night talk show host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel returned to host marking Kimmel's fifth time as the MC. "The AMAs reflect pop culture through music, while at the same time celebrating the fans and audiences." said Orly Adelson, president of Dick Clark Productions. "We are delighted that Jimmy Kimmel will be joining us once again to MC the AMAs. Jimmy is a masterful host with incredible spontaneity and wit; audiences can expect a great night."

The performances last night were the real highlight of the awards show. The favorite of the night was Miss Alicia Keys, who showed everyone that she is indeed the 'Superwoman' of music. Alicia Keys arrived looking stunning wearing an asymmetrical blue dress by Armani Prive.

The multi-talented Grammy Award-winner, who took home two of the night's awards including 'Favorite Soul/R&B Album' and 'Favorite Pop/Rock Album,' concluded this year's show with a stunning performance of 'Superwoman'. Keys was also joined by singer-actress Queen Latifah and renowned opera singer Kathleen Battle while her backup singers/dancers each wore the black fringe dress from Armani Exchange.

Other performance included:
Pirate-inspired Rihanna singing “Rehab”, Beyonce doing her anthem “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, Christina Aguilera, belting out a 7-minute medley including: “Beautiful”, “Keeps Getting Better”, “Dirrty”, “Fighter” and “Genie in a Bottle”, Kanye West, the Jonas Brothers, Mariah Carey, Miley Cyrus, New Kids on the Block, Coldplay, Leona Lewis, Sarah McLachlan, Taylor Swift, Pink, Ne-Yo and Annie Lennox.

To check out Alicia Keys performance, just click below:

Stand Back - Stevie Nicks inspired goodness from Ladyhawke release "Back Of The Van" (produced by Michael De Francesco from Van She Tech) is smokin’ HOT!

We are obessed with Ladyhawke - you may remember we debuted her video “Paris is Burning” a few months ago and we still can’t get enough. Ladyhawke is the alter ego of New Zealander Pip Brown. After spending time in Sydney in various bands, she has upped sticks even further still, and now resides in London.

Her sound infuses everything from the 70's and 80's - from Stevie Nicks and Joan Jett to Nirvana and Hole with Van Halen and Deep Purple in between.
The result is a refreshing blend of rock, dance and pop. As well as writing "Back Of The Van" Pip also plays the drums, guitar and synth on the track. Ladyhawke is already gaining fans such as Courtney Love and electro-queen Peaches, look out for upcoming US Tour dates soon.

Until then, watch the “Back of the Van” video...

Pop princess Rihanna has just released the music video for her seventh single “Rehab”.

The video features Justin Timberlake who wrote the single for Rihanna and was produced by Timberland who also contributed some vocals in the track. The video was directed by Anthony Mandler and shot last month in Vasquez Rocks Park, outside of Los Angeles

The single “Rehab” is off Rihanna’s third album Good Girl Gone Bad in stores now.

Check out the video below:

Proving it takes two to make a thing go right, Pioneer has launched two new pieces in ultimate DJ gear.

The first is the MEP-7000, described as a “Professional Multi-Entertainment Player”, a compact, easy-to-transport system picking up where the CDJ-series players left off. This player inherits the basic functions and operability of the popular Pioneer CDJ- series turntables. In addition to the standard digital disc playback, there is now an option for playback of digital files from various media formats. The easily transportable dual-player system is extremely convenient for DJs performing in an environment where space is limited and flexible media playback is a must.

Lastly this spectacular system also enables DJs to easily create and set up pre-programmed playlists for events at such times as a dinner hour set or a break. Other features include a 4.3 inch color LCD interface, an Area-Color Organic Electroluminescence (OEL) display, enhanced scratch features and automatic mixing capability.

The second miracle gadget is the SEP-C1 Professional Software Entertainment Controller is a dual MP3 music controller which allows the user to manage and control playback of audio files stored on a PC. It emulates the full-scale DJ performance of the CDJ series operability without the need of a mouse or keyboard. Additional features for the SEP-C1 include a 4.3 inch color LCD interface, an Area-Color Organic Electroluminescence (OEL) display, an automatic mixing function and effects enhancements.

The MEP-7000 and SEP-C1 will be available in June with a manufacturers suggested retail price of $2,299 and $1,199 respectively.

Tom Novy feat. Abigail Bailey - Runaway



Tom Novy and Abigail Bailey are bringing you a fresh release on our Armada label. Even though the summer season has ended, you may still need of dose of that sunny feeling, with ‘Runaway’ as your back up.

Top German DJ and Producer Tom Novy brings his unique, dance orientated tracks that always contain his trademark blend of dance, house and funk that can be felt on dance floors around the world. With this exceedingly strong vocal house track, which most likely will be stuck in your head, Tom Novy teamed up with Abigail Bailey, will bring summer spirit to all.

Check it out here

Madonna is known for constantly pushing the envelope and making music history time and again. And in an unprecedented concert event, the Material Girl, Justin Timberlake, and Britney Spears will all appear on stage together in Los Angeles at Dodgers Stadium tonight as part of Madonna's Sticky and Sweet tour.

This will be the first time Britney Spears has been seen with former beau Justin Timberlake in years. Also it will be the first time Britney has appeared on stage with Madonna since their controversial kiss in the opening act of the 2003 MTV Video Music Awards.

Britney Spears just released the official album cover and track-list for her upcoming album “Circus” on the Pop star's official website BritneySpears.com today.

Circus hits stores on December 2nd with 12 songs plus a bonus song.

Check out the track-listing for the set:

1. Womanizer

2. Circus

3. Out From Under

4. Kill The Lights

5. Shattered Glass

6. If U Seek Amy

7. Unusual You

8. Blur

9. Mmm Papi

10. Mannequin

11. Lace and Leather

12. My Baby

Rap's latest bad boy teams up with the princess of R&B Rhianna in an epic-looking music video titled "Live your Life". T.I. claimed the top two spots on Billboard’s Hot 100 singles chart with “Whatever You Like” and “Live Your Life” this week. His latest album, Paper Trail, is in stores now

According to Us Weekly, Chris Brown cuddled up to Rihanna between takes. And during a dance scene, T.I. accidentally hit Rihanna but she was a trooper about it. “She just laughed, rubbed her face and rejoined the singing,” an onlooker reports.

Tune in to BET’s Access Granted tonight, October 28 @ 7:30pm ET/PT for an exclusive behind-the-scenes look on set and the world premiere of the video directed by Anthony Mandler.

Check out this sneak peek preview of Christina Aguilera’s “Keeps Gettin’ Better” music video. The song is the first single off her upcoming greatest hits album Keeps Gettin’ Better - A Decade of Hits. The video was shot last month by director Peter Berg, the same director of the movie Hancock.

Be the first to watch behind-the-scenes interviews and sneak peeks of Christina’s brand new “Keeps Gettin’ Better” video by paying a visit to Christina’s official profile on iLike, at iLike.com/christina, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday, to watch 3 exclusive preview clips each day. All leading up to the world premiere of the “Keeps Gettin’ Better” video on Monday, October 27th.

From March 24 to the 28th 2009 WMC will hold it's 24th Annual Conference in Miami Beach, FL. The conference is a a platform for the advancement of the music industry. The WMC program includes seminars, meetings, receptions and parties throughout the week with personalities and innovators from all aspects of the business worldwide. Q&As and technical hardware/software demonstrations are also highlighted each day

Last year, 2,211 artists and DJs participated in over 537 total events presented across the greater Miami area during WMC week. The program featured 227 panelists and speakers participating in more than 80 meetings, seminars, workshops and demonstrations. Overall more than 62,000 participants and 3,726 delegates from 70 countries attended, making it the largest industry program of its kind in the world.

An even larger turnout is expected for 2009. Highlights of the 2009 program will include the International Dance Music Awards, also in its 24th consecutive year, where the music business converges to honor the achievements of industry, artists and innovators in 50 categories.

WMC will also present the 2nd edition of South Beach Sessions, a bold new perspective on the traditional WMC panel program. Founded on the principles that make music compelling individual expression, empowerment, creative thinking and collaboration, the programs' mission is to create greater exposure for artists and ideas. South Beach Sessions explores new in-roads where music and art are flourishing and making a courageous difference in the world. Pioneers in music, art, fashion, technology, business, education, the environment and more convene for one of the most inspiring and epic programs of the week.

WMC 2009 will also play host the 3rd edition of the Record Collector's Show, an international hub for buyers, sellers, and traders of rare and collectible vinyl, tapes, and music memorabilia which assembles the best record dealers and features some of the rarest music in the country.

Don't miss out on a legendary Winter Music Conference week in Miami Beach.

Ladyhawke debits release of "Paris is Burning" to the US on October 14th. Paris is Burning is the debut single from NewZer Ladyhawke. Ladyhawke is a 26 year-old Australian singer who was signed to Modular records late 2007.

"Paris Is Burning" is the swinging, electric ode to the city of love. The track is an outrageously fun, footloose hit that mixes tumbling drum fills, melodic piano, vocal interplay, and an uplifting, whimsical chorus to euphoric effect. It's a poptastic melody over a thick and filthy bass line, with Ladyhawke warning that “Paris is screaming all night long” in totally smoldering electro-pop perfect pitch.

Directed by Casper Balslev, the video is a visually arresting, energetic romp around the streets featuring a lone wolf, feathers, and fireworks. The CD includes remixes by Cut Copy, Chicken Lips, Alex Gopher, Peaches, Kid Gloves, as well as a French language version. Ooh la la:

1 Paris Is Burning
2 Paris Is Burning [Alex Gopher Remix]
3 Paris Is Burning [Peaches Remix]
4 Paris Is Burning [Paris S'Enflamme]
5 Paris Is Burning [Cut Copy Remix]
6 Paris Is Burning [Kid Gloves CDG Chi Remix]
7 Paris Is Burning [A Chicken Lips Malfunction]

Check out this new video for single "Paris Is Burning" below

Beyonce releases one of the two lead singles from her upcoming solo CD I Am… on music world/Sony this week. The single is titled “Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)” and Beyonce is one sexy lady in the new music video.

The video is in black and white and turns out, “Single Ladies” isn’t Beyonce at all, but rather her oft-mentioned musical alter ego, Sasha. Unlike Beyonce, who thinks diamond-studded engagement bands are the epitome of tackiness, quick-stomping Sacha's all about getting a ring on her finger.

“Single Ladies” made its MTV debut on Monday night as the credits roll on the 9:30 ET/PT episode of The Hills. The episode was appropriately themed, as it involves an old flame that regrets ending a relationship.

So check out the new video from Beyonce’s upcoming release, I Am.

The duo Jack White and Alicia Keys have just premiered their brand new video that will be the theme song to the New Bond movie; Quantum of Solace. starring Daniel Craig, opening in theaters everywhere on Friday, Nov. 7.

The video for Jack White and Alicia Keys’ Quantum of Solace theme “Another Way To Die” hit the internet yesterday. The song was written by White, featuring Keys on piano, White on guitar, and both artists strutting through a computer-generated desert in fashions fit for espionage.

White, 33, and Keys, 28 announced their collaboration in July as the first duet in Bond history. The song – which will play over the movie's opening credits – hit the airwaves on Sept. 18.

Furthermore, the song is confirmed to appear in the soundtrack album which will contain music from composer David Arnold who has scored the last four 007 movies "Tomorrow Never Dies", "The World Is Not Enough", "Die Another Day" and "Casino Royale". The soundtrack is set to be released on October 28.

The most anticipated single, probably of the year has just hit the airwaves. Britney Spears has finally released her new song “Womanizer”. It’s the first single off her sixth studio album Circus, which will officially drop on her birthday, December 2nd.

To check out "Womanizer" for yourself just click herehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-vNZs39NUI

Singer and songwriter Lady Gaga just released her new e-single, "Poker Face", from her debut album The Fame. The single is now available on iTunes and Amazon. This is Lady Gaga's second officaial U.S. single. LG releases her debut album The Fame in stores and online October 28th in the U.S.

Gaga's “Fame-o-licious” album will include the leading energetic single that has been burning up the charts “Just Dance” and now her latest single from the album “Poker Face". Also included on the album is the single “Beautiful, Dirty, Rich” which you may have heard on The Hills a few weeks ago.

In just one day Poker Face has jumped to #68 on the U.S. iTunes! To hear it for yourself download the song today on Itunes or Amazon now.

British by way of Sri Lanka music star M.I.A. will be making another album!

She proclaimed retirement at the Bonaroo Music Festival earlier this year. However, since the festival, her song Paper Planes found a new audience, thanks in big part to the Pineapple Express trailer it was featured in.

There's now a huge demand for more M.I.A. music!

She told Entertainment Weekly:
"Well, Bonaroo it was my last ever show. And it still is. I stopped touring after that and I didn’t want to make music again. I was quite happy to just leave it all behind. I was happy with what I had achieved. Now, with the success of “Paper Planes,” there’s pull for me to make another record".

We're looking forward to her new stuff!

After the huge success of their 10th release last spring and with the summer in full swing, Housexy just had to release another seamless mix by Richard Murray – Housexy Ibiza!

Housexy Ibiza is sexier, sassier, and even funkier than Housexy 10 if you can believe it, and whether you’re anxiously anticipating a pending trip to the Balearic Islands, or reminiscing on good times already spent, this sassy double pack mix CD will undoubtedly put you in the summer party mood.

Featuring some of the finest artists who fill the most discerning of dance floors around the world such as Roger Sanchez, Deadmau5, De’Lacy, Seamus Haji, Mac Project and many more, this album is set to be a winner full of that feel good Housexy sound, and sums up perfectly everything Housexy is about this summer.

Both discs are packed full of classics – with a new twist. For example DJ Spen and Tommy Davis’s ‘Voodoo Ray’ kick off CD 1 – instantly setting the tone making you want to get up on your feet. Other classics are seamlessly inserted throughout the mix including the Soulshaker mix of Robin S’ ‘Show Me Love’, Paul Johnson’s ‘Get Down’ [Laidback Luke remix], and The Jungle Brothers’ ‘I'll House You’. The mood builds nicely throughout the compilation offering something for everybody – dirty basslines from Emanuel + Mc call – ‘Gotta Get through’, big piano rifts from Seamus Haji – ‘Take me away’, and edgy electro tracks such as Deadmau5 ‘Alone with you’. CD 2 takes it a little deeper, building throughout with BIG basslines, and throwing down a nice balance of vocal and electro tracks you’d expect to hear peak time on a Saturday night, the perfect musical journey.

Made Event brings their legendary party style from Miami's Pawn Shop patio to Brooklyn's Studio B, with the very first Sunday School For Degenerates in New York City on August 31st through September 1st, 2008.

Sunday School For Degenerates comes to New York this Labor Day weekend for a three party/24-hour bender of epic proportions. The Labor Day festivities kicks off with the four-hour boat cruise main event by the Overboard Boat Party, held at the Paddlewheel Queen, featuring Steve Bug and Adultnapper. This is being dubbed pre-school for the main event, Sunday School for Degenerates, which moves the action over to Brooklyn's Studio B, for an all-day open air celebration at the aptly named Afterschool Special at The Yard, located on the Gowanus Canal, Brooklyn.

A special Sunday School For Degenerates party package is available. This includes admission to Overboard, Sunday School for Degenerates at Studio B, Afterschool Special at The Yard, and bus transportation between venues. Degenerate passholders will receive a wristband that will allow them re-entry at Studio B and The Yard. There is no re-entry for non passholders. The bus leaves the Paddlewheel Queen at 10:15pm and the bus from Studio B leaves at 9:15am.

When: Sunday, August 31 2008, 5:00pm
Where: Paddlewheel Queen
23rd St & East River NYC
New York, NY
SUNDAY, AUGUST 31st
SUNDAY SCHOOL FOR DEGENERATES NYC
Labor Day Weekend

Matter/:form and Made Event present

OVERBOARD BOAT PARTY

STEVE BUG // ADULTNAPPER

Advance tickets $40 while supplies last a
Aboard the Paddlewheel Queen
23rd St & East River NYC
5pm-6pm Boarding/Open Bar
6pm-10pm Sail
Rain or Shine

For more information or to get tickets click here

Martijn ten Velden brings his eclectic house tastes to NYC tonight with a gig a Cielo (10pm-4am).

Ten Velden got his career started in the Dutch hip-hop scene in the early '90s, but soon made his way over to the UK and the sounds of house music. His innovative, altering productions and remixes have been topping dance charts for years, earning him the respect from fellow DJs like Roger Sanchez, Deep Dish and Steve Lawler.

However this is definitely not the first time you have heard of him. Armani Exchange used the Ten Velden track "I Wish You Would" as the soundtrack to their Fall 2007 "behind the scenes" advertising campaign video.

Since his mid-'90s transition, Martijn hooked up with David James to form the duo Audio Drive. The pair quickly found success with pop-house remixes of Ms. Dynamite, The Sugababes, and Kylie Minogue.

Martijn teamed up with Mark Knight, to pumped out over fifty remixes over a short 3 year period for everyone from Steve Lawler, Shapeshifters, Natasha Bedingfield, and many more - leading to his mixing of the first disc of Toolroom Knights Vol. 1 last year.

If you don't catch Martijn ten Velden turn this up in NYC with his funky electro set you can check him out Saturday August 23 at CIRCA, Toronto

Check out the official video to Martijn's track "I Wish You Would": - thanks djfherdj07

As the season there draws to a close, the votes are being counted in this year's DJ Awards Ibiza 2008. The winners will be announced at the special awards ceremony, taking place on the White Isle at the incomparable Pacha, on Thursday 25th September.

Now in its 11th year, the categories in this year's DJ Awards Ibiza have undergone a recalibration to reflect changes in the ever-shifting dance scene.

Nominees in the minimal category include Anja Schneider and Loco Dice, while Deadmau5 and Mark Knight are flying high in the electro-house category. Elsewhere, Brazil is being celebrated as the Dance Nation of the Year, with major DJs in the running for the prize including Gui Boratto and Marky.

Each of the winners will receive the distinctive green Kryptonite award, and with former winners including everyone from Pete Tong, to Erick Morillo, Roger Sanchez, Sven Väth, Tiësto, Paul Oakenfold, Danny Tenaglia, Ferry Corsten and Carl Cox, you can bet this will be a star-studded affair!

More details at djawards.com

SASHA INVOL2VER has been the most anticipated sequel in electronic music and the wait is almost over.

Invol2ver features 13 tracks creating a mix and artist album in which a world class Sasha takes diverse collection of tracks and pushes his creativity to its very limits. Sasha was influenced by the city sounds New York City, where he held a residency there in 1994 and where the album was predominately recorded at the peak of his powers, mixing you the future.

SASHA INVOL2VER Tracklisting:
1. Intro - Badger
2. You Are The Worst Thing In The World – Telefon Tel Aviv
3. Flesh – Rone
4. Eclipse – Sasha Vs Ray La Montagne
5. Lowlife – Sasha Vs Adam Parker
6. Midnight – Charlie May
7. Arcadia – Apparat
8. That You Might – Home Video
9. Destroy Everything You Touch – Ladytron
10. Couleurs – M83
11. The Eraser – Thom Yorke
12. 3 Little Piggys - Sasha
13. Sometimes I Realise – Engineers

Global Underground will release Invol2ver on September 9th (US) Sasha will tour the US this October

The worth of Sasha gold, the standard edition features Sasha's unique re-workings of musical giants such as Radiohead's Thom Yorke and American folk singer Ray LaMontagne as well as formidable electronic artists Apparat and Ladytron, while the limited edition comes equipped with a second CD of Sasha remix exclusives.

“We are really excited to release the continuance of the Involver series,” says Andy Horsfield, owner of Global Underground. He adds, “Invol2ver will be made available digitally worldwide where fans from Pakistan to Portland can purchase this great release. It is a testament to Sasha’s popularity around the world we are able to make this happen.”

The first Involver was Sasha’s experiment - the redefinition of a creative process keeping Sasha’s craft in line with the ever-changing world of electronic music and technology. Since then Sasha has introduced a new way of mixing live through the use of Ableton Live software. Now every Sasha DJ set you hear is unique, its own live Involver.

Can't get enough Sasha, check out his upcoming tour dates.

Tour schedule:

2 Aug Loch Lomond Festival Ballock, Scotland

8 Aug Global Gathering Istanbul, Turkey

9 Aug Cavo Paradiso Mykonos, Greece

14 Aug Romeo & Juliet Corfu, Greece

15 Aug Prison Halkidiki, Greece

19 Aug Városligeti tó Budapest, Hungary

16 Aug Creamfields Polska Wroclaw, Poland

23 Aug Creamfields Liverpool, UK

29 Aug Green Beat @ Kalamegdan Fort Belgrade, Serbia

30 Aug Ministry of Sound London, UK

5 Sep Noxx Antwerp, Belgium

7 Sep We Love @ Space Ibiza, Spain

Alicia Keys and Jack White have teamed up to record the theme song for the new James Bond film "Quantum of Solace". The first duet to be selected as the Bond theme song is titled "Another way to Die".

White has written and produced the song, and also plays drums as well as lending his vocals to harmonize with the grammy winning Keys. The song marks the first time in Bond history that the film’s theme will be a duet.

Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli said they were "delighted and pleased to have two such exciting artists as Jack and Alicia, who were inspired by our film to join together their extraordinary talents in creating a unique sound for 'Quantum of Solace.'"

"Quantum of Solace," starring Daniel Craig and directed by Marc Forster, will be released in North American theaters on November 7. While the soundtrack for Quantum isn’t due out until October 28th.

Aliana "Ali" Lohan is getting ready to release her first single "All The Way Around" which was recorded at the Maloof Music recording studio at The Palms Hotel, Las Vegas.

The song was produced by Emanuel "Eman" Kiriakou who's worked with Nick Lachey and Jordin Sparks. It was co-written by Kara DioGuardi, who was named BMI's Pop Songwriter of the Year in 2007.

Ali, like Lindsay, have compared their music style to Rihanna, and when asked about a possible duet with big sis Lindsay, Ali replied: "I think that would be awesome."

Ali Lohan is managed by "momager" Dina Lohan and her track "All The Way Around" will be available on i.tunes next Tuesday, July 14.

Pop princess darling, Rihanna set things off last night at the BET Awards singing her hit “Take a Bow”, once again showing why she is unstoppable. The girl of sound and style showed off her glamorous good looks and cutting-edge style from the red carpet arrivals to her sizzling on stage performance.

The night was full of explosive moments from the start with Usher setting the first spark on the Shrine Auditorium stage performing "Love in this Club" from his latest album, "Here I Stand." The “man with moves”, Usher, didn’t disappoint with his highly choreographed set, of gyrating and grooving his way across the stage.

Another highlight to the night Alicia Keys accompanying girl group faves SWV, En Vogue and TLC on several of their hits. Keys' won as best female R&B artist, and Missy Elliott took home best female hip-hop artist. Chris Brown, who was seated next to sweetheart Rihanna, won the night's first award: best male R&B artist.

And don’t call it a come back singer Maxwell returned to the national stage for the first time in five years, joining Jill Scott in a moving tribute to lifetime achievement honoree Al Green. And proving why was Green, bringing the house to their feet with a fascinating performance of "Let's Stay Together" and "Love and Happiness." Social activist, industry icon, and legend Quincy Jones was presented with the humanitarian award.

Last night Rihanna turned on NYC at the lighting event at the city’s famous Empire State Building.
Rihanna was promoting on hand to “Declare Your Love Day” and flick the switch to illuminate the city in the color of love – red of course.
The singer then wowed fans in New York earlier this morning (June 19th) with a performance on the Today Show, becoming the latest artist to grace the shows annual Summer Concert Series stage at the Rockefeller Centre.

Rihanna continues to impress by mixing it up again with "Disturbia"-her latest work off of piping-hot album Good Girl Gone Bad. "Disturbia" has a strong club beat, edgy drums, and vocals to match-guaranteed to make you dance and sing along when you hear it. The single hits shelves June 17 on the re-released edition of Rihanna's latest album: Good Girl Gone Bad: Reloaded.

What do you get when you put Rihanna and Maroon 5 together? You get a even hotter than hot duo. Maroon 5 has teamed up with Rihanna to re-release the remixed music video of “If I Never See Your Face”. The track will appear on reissues of both artists' albums. Rhianna told MTV news this is the only collaboration on her re release, she went on to say that Maroon 5 is one of Rihanna’s favorite bands and was honored when they approached her with the opportunity. Rihanna’s album will drop June 17th. Can’t wait that long, then check it out below.

The 49-year-old Powerhouse is busy while preparing for her 27 date world tour, as part of her new deal with Live Nation.
"Sticky and Sweet" is the name that Madonna has given to her recently announced summer tour, which is scheduled as the promotional tour for her new CD "Hard Candy".

The kick off of the Sticky and Sweet tour will take place in Cardiff, U.K.

For a complete list of dates go to livenation.com

Rihanna ‘s “Take a Bow” music video was just released and it’s the lead single from the re-release of her platinum-selling album, Good Girl Gone Bad. The video was shot earlier this month in Venice, California.

The melancholy ballad, written by label-mate Ne-Yo, will be featured on a re-released edition of her platinum-selling third album, which has already generated the singles “Umbrella,” “Shut Up and Drive” and “Hate That I Love You.” The hyped-up version of Good Girl Gone Bad is due May 27.

Britain's "The X-Factor" is like America's "Idol," and after Leona Lewis, was crowned champion in the UK, she hasn't slowed down. The 23 year old is appearing this week on several morning talk showsand has also topped the Bilboard Hot 100 with her new single "Bleeding Love.

Armani Exchange campaign model, Nicholas Lemons makes Leona's love bleed in the hot Official US "Bleeding Love" video.

Armani Exchange presents the A|X Music Lounge in the Penthouse of the Raleigh Hotel in Miami, Florida.

The Penthouse was designed and decorated into a chic and stylish lounge exclusive to artists, talent, celebrities and VIP’s to recharge and relax during Winter Music Conference.

On Wednesday March 26th, internationally acclaimed DJs including Paul van Dyk (photo), Sasha & Digweed, Bob Sinclar, Carl Cox, Dubfire and Tracy Young where all there to take in all the VIP amenities “chill bar’ sponsored by including Belvedere Vodka.

Check back for more exclusive content from WMC 2008

This week Armani Exchange is turning up the volume and style on South Beach with a dance music trifecta of events. Check out the events and amazing Superstar line-up.

ARMANI EXCHANGE – TURN UP YOUR STYLE
Venue: Armani Exchange
Address: 760 Collins Avenue, South Beach
Admission: Open to the Public
Talent:
Tuesday, March 24 - Aulden Brown;
Star Killers;
Bad Boy Joe
Wednesday, March 25 - Louie DeVito; 
Shape Shifters; 
Antoine Clamaran

Thursday, March 26 - Steve Porter; Sarah Main; 
Brian Cross

Friday, March 27 - Serge Devant; 
Richard Vision; 
DJ Rap
Saturday, March 28 - Miss Nine; 
Juan Diaz; and SUPERSTAR Robbie Rivera

THE A|X MUSIC LOUNGE presented by Sirius Satellite Radio
Venue: Raleigh Hotel
Address: 1775 Collins Avenue, South Beach

Time: Noon – 4PM
Presented by: Armani Exchange, Sirius Satellite Radio, Belvedere, and SkullCandy
Admission: INVITED VIP ONLY
Talent: Carl Cox, Sasha & John Digweed, Paul Van Dyk, Danny Tenaglia, Deadmau5, BT, Nic Fanciulli, James Zabiela, Kaskade, Ferry Corsten, Junkie XL, Princess Superstar, Cedric Gervais, Oscar G., Quentin Harris, Ivano Bellini, Steve Lawler, Dubfire, Tommy Lee and DJ Aero, Bob Sinclar...and many others.
Details: A steady lineup of the world's most renown DJ/producers giving live, interviews (and some Belvedere cocktails) with Sirius Satellite Radio for their AREA 33 program.

JUICY BEACH presented by Armani Exchange

Venue: Nikki Beach & Club Nikki

Address: 1 Ocean Drive, South Beach

Time: Noon - 5 AM

Presented by: Armani Exchange, Juicy Music, Don Q, Pioneer Pro DJ

Admission: $60
WMC Badge Policy: First 100 Badges reduced admission

Talent: Robbie Rivera, Deadmau5, Benny Benassi, Axwell, Sander Van Doorn, DJ Rap, Tommy Lee & DJ Aero, Tocadisco, Mark Knight, Dirty South, Sebastian Ingrosso, The Shapeshifters, Funkagenda, Laidback Luke and more.

Details: In all three areas of Nikki Beach nearly 6,000 fans will be experienced.

Get Tickets: here

Grammy nominated artist and globally acclaimed DJ and Producer Paul van Dyke continues to dominate the elecronic music charts. Check him out at Roseland Ballroom in NYC on March 14th. Get your tickets at www.wanttickets.com.

After several re-works Mariah Carey’s has finally released her new single “Touch My Body”, from the diva’s forthcoming album “E=MC2” (working title “That Chick”).

The Island/Def Jam release of “E=MC2”, is Mariah’s eleventh studio album and comes three years after her album “The Emancipation of Mimi” which has sold 5.8 million copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and earned her three Grammys.

The new album features production from Jermaine Dupri, will.i.am, and collaborations with R&B singer T-Pain and reggae star Damian Marley.

Other tracks expected to appear on “E=MC2” include “Migrate,” “Love Story,” “Lovin’ You Long Time” and “OOC.”

Mariah is officially the most successful female recording artist in history, having sold 160 million CDs and DVDs worldwide. Mariah Carrey’s new CD “E=MC2” will drop April 15.

You can hear Mariah’s sexy melodic track “Touch My Body” here

This year the Ultra Music Festival is turning X and they are enlisting the worlds top talent to help celebrate the awesome occasion in Miami.

The ten year anniversary of the Ultra Music Festival runs in conjunction with the annual Winter Music Conference. UMF has become the unofficial closing party for the WMC the ultimate climax to the festival that is widely attended electronic music event.

Ultra has just released the official line-up for the two-day festival - taking place Friday March 28th and Saturday, March 29th, 2008.

With top names like, Tiesto, David Guetta, BT, Justice, Benny Benassi, Sasha & Digweed and PVD - you won't to miss a beat.

Check it out the full list after the jump or for full details and ticket information click here http://www.ultramusicfestival.com/

Coachella announced the 125-act lineup Monday afternoon at a press conference in Mexico City and this is one you can’t miss.

The Coachella Festival, which will be held April 25-27 at Empire Polo Field in Indio, Calif., with Jack Johnson and former Pink Floyd principal Roger Waters set to headline the festival along with other top acts: Kraftwerk, Tegan & Sara, Madness, Sasha & Digweed, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Mark Ronson, Calvin Harris, Danny Tenaglia, Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Dmitri from Paris, Deadmau5. Tickets will go on sale this Friday (January 25) at 10 a.m

Here is the lineup for the 2008 Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival:

April 25:
Jack Johnson, the Verve, Raconteurs, the Breeders, Fatboy Slim, Tegan & Sara, Madness, the Swell Season, the National, Animal Collective, Slightly Stoopid, Mum, Sharon Jones & the Dap Kings, Stars, Battles, Aesop Rock, Midnight Juggernauts, Does It Offend you, Yeah?, Minus the Bear, Spank Rock, dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip, Diplo, Adam Freeland, Santo Gold, Jens Lekman, John Butler Trio, Vampire Weekend, Dan Deacon, Architecture In Helsinki, Sandra Collins, Busy P, Cut Copy, Black Lips, Datarock, Professor Murder, Reverend and the Makers, the Bees, Porter, Rogue Wave, Modeselektor, American Bang, Lucky I Am

April 26:
Portishead, Kraftwerk, Death Cab For Cutie, Cafe Tacuba, Sasha & Digweed, Rilo Kiley, Dwight Yoakam, M.I.A., Hot Chip, Cold War Kids, Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks, DeVotchKa, Flogging Molly, Mark Ronson, Turbonegro, Scars On Broadway, Islands, Enter Shikari, Calvin Harris, Boyz Noize, Junkie XL, Cinematic Orchestra, Jamie T, The Teenagers, VHS or Beta, Carbon/Silicon, Erol Alkan, Yo Majesty!, Little Brother, Bonde Do Role, St. Vincent, Akron Family, MGMT, Institubes DJs (Surkin, Para One and Orgasmic), James Zabiela, Sebastian, Kavinsky, Dredg, The Bird and the Bee, Grand Ole Party, New Young Pony Club, 120 Days, Yoav, Electric Touch, Uffie

April 27:
Roger Waters, Love & Rockets, My Morning Jacket, Spiritualized, Justice, Gogol Bordello, Chromeo, the Streets, Metric, Danny Tenaglia, Simian Mobile Disco, Booka Shade, Murs, Dmitri from Paris, Autolux, the Field, Linton Kwesi Johnson, Les Savy Fav, The Cool Kids, Sons & Daughters, Sia, Holy F*ck, Black Kids, Black Mountain, the Annuals, Kid Sister w/A-Trak, Man Man, Duffy, I’m from Barcelona, Manchester Orchestra, Deadmau5, the Horrors, Austin TV, Shout Out Louds, Plastiscines, Brett Dennen

Also announced today were details on a new festival n New Jersey’s Liberty State Park, being launched by Coachella promoter AEG Live/Goldenvoice. The first All Points West event will be held there on Aug. 8-10; Radiohead has been tipped by sources as one of the headliners.

For more information click here

Shawn “Jay-Z” Carter has announced that he is leaving his post as President of at Def Jam but will continue to record for Roc-A-Fella, the label he co-founded in 1996, which is part of the Universal-distributed Island Def Jam Music Group.

In a statement to the press Jay-Z said: “It’s time for me to take on new challenges. I am pleased to have had the opportunity to build upon the Def Jam legacy, helping to move the company into a new era of artistic success.”

IDJ chairman/CEO Antonio “L.A.” Reid stated, “Jay made it clear to us that he feels the time has come to take on different challenges in his life. While we regret his decision to move on, we certainly respect it ... While he will continue to be one of our signature artists, he will nonetheless be missed in this executive capacity.”

However, there are rumors swirling that Jay-Z is leaving to start his own super-label with Beyonce. According to reports Jay-Z, Beyonce and Matthew Knowles are working to make this happen now the B is finishing up her contract with Sony. According to reports they are speaking with other major labels but a source close to the project said: “Jay Z brought the idea to Def Jam first, but they thought he was asking for too much money.” The insider continues, “Now they’re shopping the deal around to the other majors and to Apple [the creator of iTunes] - who is very interested in doing business.”

With power couple Jay-Z and Beyonce leading the pack some of Def Jam’s hottest acts may go with them over to the new super-label. According to insider reports: “Jay Z has a clause in his [Def Jam] contract that says he can buy the rights to any artist he’s signed - that would include Rihanna, Ne-Yo, and Nas.”

Jay and B were recently spotted at New York hot-spot 1OAK where the hosted a private holiday party attended by Music and Hollywood a-listers.

D:FUSE AND MIKE HIRATZKA – SKYLINE LOUNGE
The ambitious duo of DJ/Producer D:Fuse and production partner Mike Hiratzka have recently released “Skyline Lounge,” on a new digital-only label Lost Angeles Recordings. The CD fuses electronic and live instrumentation with vocalists including A|X favorite DJ Rap, Kristy Thirsk, and MC Flint.

The CD is loaded with favs like the hypnotic track “The Power of Love” in which DJ Rap lends her vocals and the dancefloor friendly take of “Skyline at Night.” Setting the wholesome mellow mood that’s just right for the winter chill with smooth melodies, springy synthlines, laid-back house beats, groovy guitar riffs, round bassline, and soothing vocals.

It’s the classic D:Fuse sound – download your copy here

The electro-duo Goldfrapp, Alison Goldfrapp and Will Gregory, are ditching their electro-infused pop for their fourth album 'Seventh Tree' and moving towards a radically different sound that is more acoustic and organic.

In a recent interview to Billboard Magazine, Allison Goldfrapp said, "We did talk quite a lot about what kind of instruments would get that kind of warmth and that kind of sound we wanted. We'd never used acoustic guitars before. We wanted the sound to be delicate, but not weak." "We did an acoustic radio session and we really enjoyed that. I think that involves more people, having little chamber group sounds."

The live show is going to be stripped back as well, with more emphasis on acoustic and live instruments. Gregory tell Billboard: "We're going to try and do it unplugged and be more acoustic about it, and see how that feels.

The tracklisting for "Seventh Tree" is as follows:

"Clowns"
"Little Bird"
"Happiness"
"Road To Somewhere"
"Eat Yourself"
"Some People"
"AandE"
"Cologne Cerrone Houdini"
"Caravan Girl"
"Monster Love"

The record was co-produced by Flood (Smashing Pumpkins, NIN) and will drop on February 26 2008.

10 TRACKS YOU NEED TO DOWNLOAD NOW!!!

1. Forerunners - Lifecycle (Live from Armada at Ibiza)

2. Gabriel & Dresden feat. Jan Burton (Cicada Full Vocal Mix)- Dangerous Power

3. Above & Beyond - Good for Me (Club Mix)

4. Jose Amnesia featuring Jennifer Rene - Invincible (Sied Van Riel Remix)

5. Jonas Steur featuring Jennifer Rene - Fall to Pieces (Tiesto Remix)

6. David K - Three Arches (Samim Mix)

7. Hybrid - Finished Symphony (Deadmau 5 Remix)

8. Soundbluntz - Maybe You’ll Get Lucky (Ibiza Sunrise Mix)

9. Stero Scum - Let’s Get Dirty (Electro Mix)

10. Justin Michael featuring Jackie Wilson - Funky Love (Friscia & Lamboy Radio Edit)

Also, check out this mix mash of Rihanna’s Please Don’t Stop The Music – Rihanna vs. Bob Sinclar

Rihanna fans are going to get an unexpected gift this holiday season when her label, Def Jam, unveils “Def Jam Sessions, Vol. 1”, later this month.
The CD contains two unreleased tracks “Haunted’ and “Cry” that were spared from the Rihanna 2007 “Good Girl Gone Bad” CD.

Set to drop December 18, the 13-track “Def Jam Sessions, Vol. 1” CD contains rare, import-only and unreleased tracks from top Hip-Hop musicians such as Fabolous, Nas, Method Man, Bobby Valentino, Redman and Ne-Yo.

Here is the track list for “Def Jam Sessions, Vol. 1”:

The N... - Nas
Where Y’all At - Nas
I Shine, You Shine - Fabolous
Chirp Back - Fabolous
That’s What It Does - Ne-Yo
Spotlight - Ne-Yo
OD - Method Man
F**k Da Security - Redman
Let’s Go - Redman
Haunted - Rihanna
Cry - Rihanna
Wreck - Bobby Valentino
Let’s Go - Bobby Valentino

To get your copy click here