Big news from Insomniac this morning – the rumours that have been circling all week of a New York stop for EDC have been confirmed. The event will be held on May 19 and 20, and will feature three stages with the world class lineup and production characteristic of Insomniac.

Tickets go on sale Friday, March 2nd, at 3 p.m. EST/12 p.m. PST.

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The official video for Chris Lake’s ‘Build Up’ was just released today, and is comprised of live footage from a performance of Lake’s at XS nightclub in Las Vegas. It’s his second single to be released on Ultra Records in as many months.

The single and Tommy Trash edit are available to purchase here.

Upcoming tour dates:

February 24 Las Vegas, NV @ XS at The Wynn
February 25 Scottsdale, AZ @ Axis | Radius
February 26 Stateline, NV @ Harrah’s Lake Tahoe
March 21 Miami, FL @ Mynt Lounge
March 23 Miami, FL @ Ultra Music Festival
March 31 Toronto, ON @ Sound Academy

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Back in November, Deadmau5 stopped through Toronto on his Meowingtons Hax Tour to put on one of the largest dance music events ever held in the city.

An official recording of the event is now available on DVD, released Monday via several outlets.

I have to say.. it is extremely difficult to capture the brilliance of a visual experience like this – the reason Daft Punk never released an official recording of their Alive Tour – but this is amazingly done. Some of the visuals’ brilliance may be lost, but the scale of the occasion has been captured very well.

Buy it in Canada | US

I don’t like to devote too much time to the truly ignorant on the site, but I want to respond to some negative comments Howard Stern made on his radio show a couple days ago about David “gwetta” and “dead mow five”.

I can look past him pretending, for dramatic effect, not to know who one of the biggest producer/DJs in the world is. That doesn’t make him any worse than Fox News.

And I don’t much care about him calling Deadmau5 fans who have put together their own Mau5 heads “retarded”. I’m sure our generation would think Jimmy Buffet fans are “retarded” too.

But it stinks when one of the most-listened-to personalities on the radio can’t be bothered to get informed even a little about their subject of mockery, or provide any interesting or critical analysis. Quips Stern “all he does is spin a record, he’s not playing anything”.

But I guess you don’t get to where he does by being an intelligent commentator; his analysis of modern DJs isn’t actually meant to analyze or critique – it’s just intentionally contentious bullshit meant to generate ratings with an increasingly irrelevant + aging demographic.

Joel actually did a great job with providing opportunities for improvisation in his Meowingtons Hax Tour – check out all the analog equipment he’s surrounded by. Unlike Stern, those who REALLY appreciate his music will realize the impressive and exciting live edits that he incorporated.

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Vancouver native Felix Cartal has contributed a remix to Etienne De Crecy’s upcoming ‘Am I Wrong’ EP, due out on February 27th via Pixadelic.

This track has a couple great things going for it. The loopy stutter noise, probably a vocal sample, is no doubt the most memorable part of the track’s sound design. It, along with the main vocal give the track a centre while the rest feels somewhat off color or key. The result is something that has a warm and unpolished aesthetic with lots of movement.

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I first came across Flosstradamus‘ “Total Recall” a few months back around the same time that I posted my Top fifty electronic albums of 2011. Ok, that’s a bit of a lie. I didn’t exactly “come across” it per se. Truth is, a buddy of mine showed me the video for “Total Recall” after he had a look through my top 50 albums and found that there was not nearly enough “fist pumping”. Yes, I know that is an egregious error on my part. A lack of fist pumping can be quite devastating. I certainly could learn a thing or two from Flosstradamus…

Lucky for me (and you) Flosstradamus’ fist pumping lesson comes in the form of a free EP! It’s a wonder what 3 tracks of hard-hitting 808 hi-hats and saccharine synths can do for the mind. Needless to say, my friend Munir deserves a big shout-out for showing me the (strobe) light. Enough fist pumpin’ for ya now?

The Total Recall EP is now available as a free digital download on Mad Decent‘s sub-label Jeffree’s:

Happy Friday y’all! Whether you’re in T.O., Tokyo, or Dubai make sure you party like it’s the last thing you will ever do on this fine planet we call Earth. Cheers!

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Cypress Hill and Rusko will be releasing a collaborative EP ‘Cypress x Rusko’ in April 2012, and in advance of that they’ve given away their lead single ‘Roll It, Light It’ for free. You can head over to the Cypress x Rusko page for that.

Moreover, they’ve released a video for the single, and I can confidently say that this is going to be on everyone’s best music videos of 2012 list.

I feel a little mixed about the track myself. The guys weave in and out of triplets effortlessly, and provide most of the track’s rhythm. I listen to B-Real and Sen Dog rapping and think “wow, these guys sound like seasoned vets at the top of their game”. But then there’s the content.

Weed rap, at the end of the day, is weed rap, and is honestly what made me start ignoring the genre. This might be a fun jump up track at shows, but if the EP is going to fare well they’ll have to have more substance than “pack your bowls, light your blunts”.

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Berlin-based DJ/producer René Pawlowitz’s Shed moniker is a constant source of ground-breaking techno. His 2008 debut album “Shedding the Past” elegantly blurred the boundaries between old school rave and contemporary dub-techno. Shed‘s rigid, metallic rhythms and exalted atmospherics harken back to 80′s Detroit techno, yet, the modern, radical spirit of his music never seems to dissipate. “Shedding the Past” proved to be a highly influential release and the bestowal of 2008′s best album by esteemed electronic e-zine Resident Advisor only affirmed “Shedding’s” magnitude.

2010 saw the release of Shed‘s sophomore LP “The Traveller”. One of my favourite releases of 2k10, “The Traveller” certainly meets, if not exceeds, the standards of quality set by Shed‘s debut album.

Well, it’s now 2012 and we finally have some new tunes from Shed. A new single entitled “The Praetorian / RQ-170″ is now available on Modeselektor‘s 50 Weapons imprint. Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary certainly know how to pick ‘em; between 50 Weapons and Monkeytown, they’ve got a handful of highly anticipated upcoming releases from the likes of Addison Groove, Mouse on Mars, Lazer Sword & Anstam. Not to mention, a 3rd full-length album from Shed! That’s right, Shed is scheduled to drop his latest LP sometime this year via 50 Weapons…stay posted for further details.

If “The Praetorian / RQ-170″ – Single is any indication of what Shed‘s third album will sound like, we’re in for something quite unique. With squishy synths and a leaden rhythm that calls to mind the opening drum hits of Panda Bear‘s “Last Night at the Jetty”, A-side “The Praetorian” sees Pawlowitz weave melodies in and out of a mechanical rhythm with the utmost of grace. B-side “RQ-170″ clicks and hums along ominously until about the midway mark when a  haze of gauzy synths envelop the perfunctory rhythms. It’s strange, relentless and oppressive but altogether entrancing.

Stream “The Praetorian” and “RQ-170″ below:

“The Praetorian / RQ-170″ – Single is available for purchase at:

• Beatport
• Juno Download
• Boomkat

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Tracklist:
Zeds Dead – In The Beginning
12th Planet and SPL – Lootin’ 92
Bar 9 – Piano Tune (VIP)
Dismantle – Last Look
Figure and the Killabits – Heavy Metal
Zeds Dead and the Killabits – Bassmentality
Ludwig Coenen – Green Movement (XI Dangerous Technology Remix)
Nasty Nasty – Hydra
Lifecycle – Zero X
Zeds Dead – Oh No
Ed Solo and Deekline – Always RIP (Pyramid Remix)
Zeds Dead – Hit Me
Emu ft. Konfadense – Takeoff
Zeds Dead – Rudeboy
Genetix – Attic
Redlight – Get Out My Head (Joker Remix)

The guys are on a crazy 80-date bus tour at the moment, with XI, Mat the Alien, and Memorecks on their Canada leg for the week, and will be coming down to the US where they’ll add Araabmuzik to the bill.

Full tour dates here.

They recorded some MTL antics and released the footage as a tour-preview.. truly, a promotion that could only be done by Zeds Dead.

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Last week Toronto Moombahtonistas Torro Torro hit the airwaves again, as Kissy Sell Out played two of their new tracks on his Friday night Radio 1 show. For those of you who aren’t familiar, these guys have been getting support for every one of their productions on Radio 1 for more than a year, as well as a host of your favourite international artists.

In addition, they run Toronto’s foremost Moombahton party SLOWED with past/future headliners like: Nadastrom, Dillon Francis, Sinden, Tittsworth, Heartbreak, and many more.

If you want to check them out live, they’re playing the biggest Moombahton party during SXSW — the Mad Decent Moombahton Massive, March 15. Or you can catch them at the Club Create Party, March 14th, and finally the Moomba+ party, March 16.

The first, their Dooze Jackers remix, is out now on T&A Records and available here on Beatport.

The second, the remix for Clockwork, is forthcoming on Dim Mak. That remix package will also include remixes by Dillon Francis and others.

You can hear a snippet of the Radio 1 show, and thus a part of their Clockwork remix, in the video below.

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Every week we have a prolific crate-digger deliver a highly curated chart from a specific genre area. This week – Cal brings you his ten biggest “next level house” tracks of the moment.

In just a week and a half I’m going to be performing at my first international booking. Suffice it to say, this is a momentous and exciting moment for me and my career. I’m also fortunate enough to have it in one of the best markets in the U.S. – Chicago.

It’s not just the third biggest, it’s also the birthplace of a genre of music I hold near and dear. As preparation for my gig at Vision on Friday March 2nd, I have been digging through all the old Chicago House classics, and just about everything new that sounds like the stuff. Think Cajual Recordings, Hot Creations, Crosstown Rebels, Turbo, and even DFA + Desolat.

Today I have stuff for you from what I think are some of the finest labels in electronic music right now. Some of the stuff is off-beat or trip-hop, yet others are deep, tech, or even acid house, and yet others are on here because they are unstoppably funky vocal house. The unifying theme: all of these tracks are next level. They draw on disparate influences, are sometimes unconventional-sounding, but are all tracks I’d be proud to move a dance floor with.

And I know people in Chicago will be discerning!

10: Boddika – Up and Dance

This off-beat, bass-centric track is complemented by sparse percussion and very catchy vocal samples. It was offered as a free download around Christmas time.

9: Guti – We Shall Overcome

This one came out on Guti’s label Desolat last year, and is a great example of his superior musicianship.

8: Azari & III – Reckless With Your Love (Tiga Remix)

This remix of Montreal native Tiga was released on Rec Room, and is a worthy complement to the incredible, anthemic original.

7: Joe Goddard – Gabriel ft. Valentina

This was released mid-year on James Murphy’s DFA Records. The vocals make it an instant classic and big dance floor driver.

6: Danny Daze – Fall Away From Love

This was named the ‘Essential New Tune’ a while back, before it’s release on Hot Creations. Danny Daze is just one of the several artists on the label that I can’t get enough of.

5: Jamie Woon – Night Air (Solomun Edit)

Not often you find a track of this quality released for free, but here it is. Absolutely incredible vocals.

4: Infinity Ink – Games

Another delicious Hot Creations number. Decidedly more downtempo than the rest of the group, but also very funky.

3: XI – Immunity

A trip-hop number from Canadian-born x Berlin-based bass music producer XI, released recently on Orca Recs. He’ll be touring with Zeds Dead for the next couple weeks on their Living Dead Tour.

2: Nico Lindsay – Haunted

Absolutely sick shuffle-y percussion, and another free download. Can definitely see American hip-hop taking some lessons from this one.

1: Cajmere & Russoul – Let’s Dance

Chicago’s own Cajmere, aka Curtis Jones, dropped my track of the moment on his own Cajual Recs recently, with Russoul – if you haven’t heard of him, read my recent feature. I think he’s going to be one of the biggest vocalists of the year.

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