Consequence of Sound’s Summer Tour Guide will lead you to the darkest, dankest (not every venue has a ventilation system, folks) concerts where you can dance the night away after spending too many hours in the sun. From Dirty Projectors to Phish to the Diplo/Grimes/Skrillex extravaganza that is the Full Flex Express, we’ve listed the best and brightest artists that are touring new or as-of-yet unreleased albums, touring around festival appearances, or just touring because it’s damn fun.

-Harley Brown
Associate Editor

Feature artwork by Mike Zell.

Beach House

Photo by Phillip Roffman

Who: Beach House

When: May-July

Support: Wild Nothing

Key Dates: July 13th at Forecastle Festival // July 23rd at Central Park Summer Stage

What CoS Says: Baltimore dream-pop duo Beach House are supporting their expansive, haunting new LP, Bloom, and the floating, wonder-drenched tunes therein will echo majestically through many concert halls. The disc is likely to hit at or near the top of many best of the year lists, and this will be your chance to see things unfurl in person. -Adam Kivel

Dirty Projectors

Who: Dirty Projectors

When: July – August

Support: Purity Ring and Wye Oak

Key Dates: July 10th at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park // July 13th at Pitchfork Music Festival

What CoS Says: Dirty Projectors may have produced their masterpiece on 2009′s Bitte Orca, but on this tour they’ll be playing tunes from their first attempt to top that, Swing Lo Magellan. The early sounds from the disc suggest we’re in store for more hocketing and other multi-part vocal insanity that needs to be seen produced live to be believed. -Adam Kivel

Fiona Apple

Who: Fiona Apple

When: June – July

Key Dates: June 24th at New York’s Governors Ball Music Festival // July 10th at the Chicago Theatre

What CoS Says: After drawing eyes and ears from critics everywhere at this year’s South by Southwest, Fiona Apple hit the road for a select number of intimate gigs, all to critical acclaim. Most reviews championed this unspoken, newfound energy in her performances, where she twisted and turned some of her older tracks like “Criminal” or “Extraordinary Machine” into urgent personal affairs. With her forthcoming LP – The Idler Wheel... – due out June 19th, Apple will have plenty to get off her chest once and for all. In other words, expect something emotional. -Michael Roffman

Full Flex Express Tour

Who: Skrillex, Pretty Lights, Diplo, Grimes, KOAN, and Tokimonsta

When: July

Key Dates: July 14th at Ottawa Bluesfest // July 15th at Montreal’s Parc Jean Drapeau

What CoS Says: If Grimes is Janis Joplin, would Diplo or Skrillex be Jerry Garcia? The comparisons might not be entirely fitting, but either way, this bumpin’ tour featuring three of the best beat-making songwriters in the game today might just give the original Festival Express a run for its money. -Harley Brown

Hot Chip

Photo by Cap Blackard

Who: Hot Chip

When: July – September

Key Dates: July 14th at Pitchfork Music Festival // September 9th at Hollywood Bowl (w/ Passion Pit & Omar Souleyman)

What CoS Says: Leaving longtime label DFA doesn’t seem to have put a crimp in Hot Chip’s high step, if their dance-tastic new cuts are any indication. Close to the release date of In Our Heads, this extensive summer tour provides the first chance to hear the fivesome’s fifth installment of technolectronica hot off the vinyl presses. -Harley Brown

The Into The Wild Tour

Who: El-P, Mr. Muthafuckin’ Exquire, Killer Mike, and Despot

When: June – July

Key Dates: June 23rd at Austin’s The Mohawk // July 6th at Chicago’s Bottom Lounge

What CoS Says:  All four guys guest on the majority of each other’s tunes so I feel bad for them on this tour — no one’s going to get a break for too long off stage before they have to come and guest on another verse. Bad for them trying to read a book backstage, but incredible for the audience who are sure to see “Tougher Colder”, “Hail No”, “Butane”, and possibly “The Last Huzzah”. Also, do play the “What liquor will eXquire’s crew spray on the crowd?” betting game for kicks! -Jeremy D. Larson

Japandroids

Photo by Karina Halle

Who: Japandroids

When: May – July

Key Dates: May 31st at Primavera Sound // July 13th at Pitchfork Music Festival

What CoS Says: A Japandroids show is essentially that feeling of screaming yourself hoarse to rock music in your car with the windows down and the radio cranked to the max, only everyone at the show is doing that and you’re all on the same page because Japandroids make you feel young again, dammit. Help out Brian King and David Prowse with those “Ohhhs”from the back of the club — you won’t be the only one. -Jeremy D. Larson

My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses

Photo by Ryan Mastro

Who: My Morning Jacket and Band of Horses

When: August

Key Dates: August 3rd-4th at Red Rocks Ampitheatre

What CoS Says: Ask anyone who’s seen them live (Bonnaroo 2008, anyone?): My Morning Jacket is hands down one of the best contemporary live acts on the circuit(al). Band of Horses, who opened MMJ’s MSG show in December, are hard at work on new material with the legendary Glyn Johns. Put the two acts together, and you’ve got a southern rock fan’s wet dream. -Ben Kaye

Phish

Photo by Debi Del Grande

Who: Phish

When: June-September

Support: Only our resident Phan, Rob.

Key Dates: June 10th at Bonnaroo Music Festival // July 3rd-4th at Jones Beach Theatre

What CoS Says: Bust out the tape recorder and Grateful Dead bong, Phish is hitting the road again this summer. The Vermont jam gods are slotted to headline Bonnaroo alongside Radiohead, marking the first time Thom Yorke will have ever smelled Patchouli. –Bryant Kitching

Refused with OFF!

Who: Refused and OFF!

When: July

Key Dates: July 18th at Williamsburg Summer Garden // July 19th at Riot Fest East (Philadelphia)

What CoS Says: It’s been almost a decade and a half since Refused toured America, and that ended with the police breaking up a Virginia basement show. No one ever thought their classic The Shape of Punk to Come: A Chimerical Bombination in 12 Bursts would see the light of a stage again, but after an appearance at Coachella, fans across the map have a chance to witness the songs in all their glory. The fast and furious kick-assery of punk supergroup OFF! is just the sweetest icing this reunion cake could have, so eat up. -Ben Kaye

Sigur Rós

Who: Sigur Rós

When: July-September

Key Dates: August 3rd at Osheaga // August 5th at Lollapalooza

What CoS Says: It’s been four years since the Icelandic export hit the States. That’s a long time for an act as sweeping and majestic as Sigur Rós to be off the map. But, with time comes reason, and their latest album, Valtari, is an agreeable excuse to trot around the globe. The LP expands upon their sound in dense, circuital ways; as a result, the band will come stocked with an arsenal of new melodies and emotions to levitate that heart of yours into any summer night. Actually, it might be the only festival act that has you packing tissues. -Michael Roffman

Sleigh Bells

Photo by Lauren Guagno

Who: Sleigh Bells

When: July

Support: Class Actress, Jel, Hot Chip, James Murphy, Dave P, and Sammy Slice

Key Dates: July 20th at Philadelphia’s Penn’s Landing (w/ Dave P & Sammy Slice) // July 22nd at Merriweather Post Pavilion (w/ Hot Chip & James Murphy)

What CoS Says: Sleigh Bells have come a long, loud way since Treats, building a stadium-sized sound behind their Top Star-earning Reign of Terror with their trademark wall of Marshalls. Good thing as they get bigger, they also get better, so be sure to catch them while you still can. -Harley Brown

System of a Down with Deftones

Who: System of a Down and Deftones

When: August

Key Dates: August 5th at Jones Beach // August 12th at HEAVY T.O.

What CoS Says: With System of a Down fresh off a five-year live hiatus and Deftones gearing up for a new album, this is a prime double-header. In fact, there’s no better bill this summer for anyone who likes their rock hard, loud, and fist-pumpingly furious – and who doesn’t? -Ben Kaye

Wilco

Photo by Heather Kaplan

Who: Wilco

When: June – September

Support: Andrew Bird, Dr. Dog, Lee Ranaldo, Lee Fields & the Expressions, and Blitzen Trapper

Key Dates: July 23rd-24th at Brooklyn’s Prospect Park (w/ Lee Fields & the Expressions and Lee Ranaldo) // September 30th at the Hollywood Bowl

What CoS Says: With no new album to tour behind (they trekked across the globe for most of last year in support of their eighth LP, The Whole Love) you can expect Tweedy & co. to pull out some deeper cuts this time around. Our fingers are crossed for either “Kingpin” off their 1996 folk-rock opus Being There or “I’m Always In Love,” the unsung hero off 1999’s Summerteeth. –Bryant Kitching

Still riding high from the release of their Top Star-earning Reign of Terror, Sleigh Bells return today with a video for the album’s next single, “Demons”, plus a new remix of the track by Diplo. Check out both below.

According to Pitchfork, the clip was inspired by “classic Pantera videos” and features footage from concerts in Omaha, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Houston. Sleigh Bells’ own Derek Miller co-directed alongside Gregory Kohn.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/47174436" iframe="true" /]

From January 4-7th, the second annual Holy Ship! cruise will sail the Caribbean as 40 electronic acts perform on its decks. This year’s lineup boasts a DJ set from Justice, Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Knife Party, Diplo, A-Trak, Skream & Benga, Busy P, 12th Planet, Zedd, Crookers, Jack Beats, Gesaffelstein, Brodinski, Kill the Noize, Claude VonStroke, Big Gigantic,, Dillion Francis, Breakbot, Destructo, and a DJ set from Digitalism.

The cruise will set sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida and make stops in Nassau, Bahamas, and at private island, where the festival’s “beach party” is to be held. Pre-bookings for cabins are currently sold out, but you can still join the waiting list. Click here for more info.

On June 12th, Diplo will release his new EP, Express Yourself, via Mad Decent. You’ve already heard the title track, and now Pitchfork has posted “Set It Off” featuring Lazerdisk Party Sex. Check it out below.

[soundcloud url="http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/46624284" iframe="true" /]

Express Yourself EP Tracklist:
01. Express Yourself (feat. Nicky Da B)
02 .Barely Standing (feat. Datsik & Sabi)
03. No Problem (feat. Flinch & My Name Is Kay)
04. Move Around (feat. Elephant Man & GTA)
05. Butters Theme (feat. Billy The Gent & Long Jawns)
06. Set It Off (feat. Lazerdisk Party Sex)

Step aside with your hot chocolate and Tom Hanks-looking conductors, Polar Express. This summer, the Full Flex Express is taking over the Canadian railway system. Headed by Skrillex, Diplo, and Grimes, the joint tour takes inspiration from 1970′s Festival Express tour, which featured Janis Joplin, the Grateful Dead, and the Band traveling across Canada.

Pretty Lights, KOAN Sound, and Tokimonsta will also join the gang as they hit each Canadian metropolis throughout July. Consult the full itinerary below. Choo-choo.

Full Flex Express 2012 Tour Dates:
07/13 – Toronto, ON @ Fort York
07/14 – Ottawa, ON @ Ottawa Blues Fest *
07/15 – Montreal, QC @ Parc Jean Drapeau
07/18 – Winnipeg, MB @ Shaw Park
07/20 – Edmonton, AB @ Kinsmen Park
07/22 – Vancouver, BC @ PNE Coliseum

* = w/o Grimes

Seattle’s annual Capitol Hill Block Party takes place July 20-22nd in the Capitol Hill neighborhood. Highlighting the initial lineup are Neko Case, Major Lazer, Diplo, Aesop Rock with Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz, Cloud Nothings, Grimes, Youth Lagoon, Porcelain Raft, Thee Oh Sees, Twin Shadow, Fitz and the Tantrums, Doomtree, Absolute Monarchs, Crystal Stilts, Father John Misty, Trust, Light Asylum, Phantogram, and Spoek Mathambo.

Additional acts will be revealed in the coming weeks. In all, the festival will feature 120 acts playing across six stages during the three day event.

Three-day passes are now available via Stranger Tickets.

New festival alert! The River’s Edge Music Festival will take place June 23-24th at Harriet Island in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Dave Matthews Band and Tool headline the inaugural bill and they’ll be joined by The Flaming Lips, Puscifer, Coheed and Cambria, Diplo, and Brand New.

Also playing are Delta Spirit, Scissor Sisters, Polica, Kinky, Mexican Institute of Sound, Motion City Soundtrack, Mutemath, Gardens & Villa, Kids These Days, K-flay, An Horse, Yuna, and Civil Twilight.

Two-day passes go on sale Friday, April 10th via LiveNation.

World renowned DJ/producer and literary sensation Diplo can now add BBC radio host to his growing resume. As Pitchfork points out, Diplo will host “Diplo & Friends”, a weekly series that airs on Saturday night/Sunday morning from 1-3 a.m. GMT starting April 7th.

According to a blog post on the Mad Decent site, the program will feature exclusive remixes from Diplo himself and others on the Mad Decent roster in addition to “a selection of big name pals and cutting edge artists.” The first show’s guests will be Canadian producer Lunice and Mad Decent creative director Paul Devro, with subsequent April guests including Brodinski, Dillon Francis, and Flosstradamous.

Below, watch the music video for the title track of Diplo’s forthcoming EP Express Yourself.

Usher will return on June 12th with his seventh studio, Looking For Myself, via RCA Records. According to Billboard, the album features production from Top 100 hit makers like Rico Love, Jim Jonsin, Max Martin and Salaam Remi, along with Diplo, who helped create the album’s smash first single, “Climax”. Empire of the Sun also contributed to the album, according to HipHopDX.

Having already contributed to a future spike in childbirths with Usher, super producer Diplo is now turning his attention to recording a reggae album with Snoop Dogg. As MTV News reports, the duo have recorded 18 tracks for the effort, with Diplo securing his first gig as executive-producer. “Snoop Dogg is an icon, man; he’s bigger than the music,” Diplo said. “What we’re doing is a reggae record. It’s like Snoop Dogg and Major Lazer together. It’s all reggae and he’s singing and he’s doing a f—ing awesome job and I never knew it, but he had his heart in every song.”

No word yet on when the LP will be released, so stay tuned for more. In the meantime, take a listen to the Diplo-produced “That Tree”, off the Malice N Wonderland re-release, More Malice.

Snoop Dogg feat. Kid Cudi – “That Tree” (prod. by Diplo):

Not sure what you’re doing with your lazy Sunday, but this will most likely dictate a new direction. Brooklyn’s young allegro lyricist Azealia Banks partnered up with Diplo for the new track “Fuck Up The Fun” and it does exactly what its title suggests. No word on whether this syncopated stomp will end up on Banks’ debut LP Broke With Expensive Taste due out in September, but if it will most likely tide you over while you work to get your head about those rhymes. Stream or download the track below (via Prefix).

Azealia Banks – “Fuck Up The Fun” (prod. by Diplo)

[soundcloud width="500"]http://soundcloud.com/azealia-banks/fuck-up-the-fun-prod-by-diplo[/soundcloud]

At South by Southwest last week, Turntable.fm hosted two different parties, the first with Flying Lotus and araabMUZIK, the second with Diplo, ?uestlove, Reggie Watts, and A-Trak. Below, find exclusive video from each night.

?uestlove DJing

araabMUZIK DJing

Flying Lotus DJing

Reggie Watts performing

Diplo DJing

A-Trak DJing

The Roots’ annual Roots Picnic music festival returns June 2-3rd at Festival Pier in the band’s native Philadelphia. Along with the band itself, this year’s lineup boasts Kid Cudi, De La Soul, who will be backed by the Roots, a DJ set by LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy, St. Vincent, Major Lazer, tUnE-yArDs, Shabazz Palaces, Diplo, Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Wale, and more.

Two-day passes go on sale March 15th via Ticketmaster.

Diplo has unleashed a video for his latest crunk single, “Express Yourself”, off his forthcoming EP of the same title. Directed by Karmaloop TV’s Lil Internet and Shomi Patwary, the video features a lot of aggressively flexible booty-bouncing and some cameo appearances from everyone’s favorite super-producer himself. Watch it above via Complex.

Express Yourself arrives May 13 via his label Mad Decent.

Contrary to what you may think, Usher says his Diplo-produced standout “Climax” is not sexual. “It’s not even about sex,” the singer recently told Atlanta’s V-103. “It’s really about the ultimate experience or finale of an experience of love and life.” In the case of the song’s new Sam Pilling-directed video, that experience finds Usher as a scorned lover, who contemplates revenge on the man who took his girl. Watch it below.

Turntable.fm will host two parties during South by Southwest 2012. The first one, set for March 10th at ND, will be headlined by Flying Lotus. The second, taking place on March 15th at 1100 6th East, will feature performances from ?uestlove, Diplo, and A-Trak. Both parties are free and open to the public on a first come, first serve basis. In addition, Turntable will be offering users a chance to win VIP passes during Turntable Tuesdays, and Consequence of Sound readers will also have their own chance to win. Stay tuned for details.

In the lead up to the parties, Turntable will be hosting a three-day DJ battle, with the winner earning the right to DJ live at the March 10th event. The battles run March 5-7th from 6-10pm ET. Consequence of Sound’s own Paul de Revere will be participating on March 5th during the 6pm ET slot. Check out the complete schedule below.

03/05 – Four (4) 1-hour-long DJ battles (4 DJs at a time); 4 advance
03/06 – Round 1 (cont.) – Four (4) 1-hour-long DJ battles (4 DJs at a time); 4 advance
03/07 – Two (2) 1-hour-long DJ battles (4 DJs at a time), followed by The Finals (2 remaining DJs in a 30-minute battle.)

How does Diplo follow up Usher’s “Climax”? With his own new banger, entitled “Express Yourself”. The superstar producer has unveiled Nicky Da B-aided title track to his upcoming EP, and you can stream it at SPIN.com.

According to Pitchfork, the Express Yourself EP also features contributions from Datsik, Sabi, Elephant Man, GTA, Excision, and LAzer Disk. Sample it all below:

[soundcloud width="500"]http://soundcloud.com/diplo/diplo-express-yourself-ep[/soundcloud]

While the world is in no shortage of baby-making music, international producer extraordinaire Diplo has nonetheless collaborated with R&B hunk Usher on the bedroom-ready “Climax”. The track was produced by Diplo, written by Diplo, Redd Stylez, and Ariel Rechtshaid (Glasser, Cass McCombs), and features stringwork by Nico Muhly.

Describing the track on Twitter, Diplo said it’s “seriously the best record ive been part of” and “some next level electrosoul.” He went on to forecast the track’s success, adding, “im pretty sure in 9 months there are gonna be a lot of new babies that this song is responsible for.”

Discover the banger’s procreational potential for yourself by listening below (via Pitchfork). Oh, and happy Valentine’s Day!

While the world still awaits dancehall guru Diplo‘s upcoming EP Express Yourself, details regarding his first-ever photo book have been announced, as Prefix points out. Entitled 128 Beats per Minute: Diplo’s Visual Guide for Music, Culture, and Everything In Between, the book packs photos by Shane McCauley of Diplo’s DJ work across seven years and 32 countries. Each chapter focuses on a different country and includes a playlist created by Diplo. In addition, the book includes a forward by fashion designer Alexander Wang.

128 Beats per Minute is expected to hit book shelves in April via Universe Publishing. In the meantime, take a listen to the Express Yourself sampler below.

Express Yourself sampler:

Friday, December 30th

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Saturday, December 31st

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It’s been a long year. Scratch that, it’s been a veeerrrry long year. From social revolutions to the end of our occupation of Iraq, from the death of celebrities and dictators to a man who sneezes bullets and the mystery of planking, the world experienced a slew of emotions and all sorts of cultural and political upheaval in 2011. And that’s not even counting the plethora of music news that had the blogosphere abuzz this year.

So, as the question begs, what comes next? Well, 2012. If you were to believe certain factions, it’ll be the end of days. A more likely scenario, though, is that it will be another busy year, with people to meet, triumphs to celebrate, disasters to mourn, and a whole other set of memories to file away as we march perpetually onward toward the Great Unknown. A dreary prospect for sure, one that almost makes the impending Apocalypse sound warm and fuzzy. However, there is temporary respite in the form of New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Eve is that magic night where one year is all but over. It’s the chance to stop worrying for a moment. It’s an opportunity to celebrate surviving the last 364. It’s the start of a whole new scheme or design for the upcoming 365. Rather than chugging cheap champagne and letting off fireworks, NYE should be commemorated with the one thing that makes any year bearable: music.

As we have for every other major celebratory occasion, CoS has your back with our handy-dandy New Year’s Eve 2011 Concert Guide. From the beaches of Miami to life in the City of Angels, and everywhere between, our guide has everything you’ll need to know to see your favorite bands live. Whether you’re planning to rock out with Patti Smith at New York’s Bowery Ballroom, get freaky with The Flaming Lips and Yoko Ono in Oklahoma City, or hit up BOTH of Kaskade’s NYE shows (in two different state mind you), our guide is the only New Year’s Eve accessory you need (save for maybe a noisemaker). Plus, if you’re not one to brave the weather and the sea of drunks, we’ll tell you what you should be watching on the old boob tube. The point is, if it’s happening on NYE, it’s in this guide. Your only concern will be how to get home and/or where to pass out at the end of the night.

If we’ve missed any gathering or shindig, please let us know in the comments below. Call this a cliché bit of writing, but we’d like to leave you with some parting words from the immortal Benjamin Franklin to guide you into what lies ahead: “Be always at war with your vices, at peace with your neighbors, and let each new year find you a better man.”

See ya in 2012.

-Chris Coplan
News Editor

New York City

– AarabMUZIK, Balam Acab: 285 Kent

– Assembly of Dust: Mercury Lounge

– Avicii: Pier 34

– The Bad Plus: The Village Vanguard

– Charles Bradley, The Budos Band: Music Hall of Williamsburg

– Chuck Berry: B.B. King Blues Club

– Dark Star Orchestra: Wellmont Theatre (Montclair, NJ)

– Deadmau5: Pier 36

– Deer Tick, J. Roddy Watson and the Business, Dead Confederate: Brooklyn Bowl

– Fitz and the Tantrums: The Gramercy Theatre

– Gogol Bordello: Terminal 5

– Gov’t Mule: Beacon Theatre

– Infected Mushroom: Best Buy Theater

– The Knocks: Gansevoort Park Avenue

– Laidback Luke: Pacha

– Lee Fields & The Expressions: The Bell House

– Los Lobos: City Winery

– Matt and Kim, Super Mash Bros., Body Language: Hammerstein Ballroom

– Neru: Webster Hall

– The New Deal: B.B. King Blues Club

– New Kids on the Block, Boyz II Men: Roseland Ballroom

– Nick Catchdubs: Loreley

– Nosaj Thing: Glasslands

– O’Death: Spike Hill

– Patti Smith: Bowery Ballroom

– Phish: Madison Square Garden

– Steve Lawler: District 36

– Ted Leo and the Pharmacists: Maxwells (Hoboken, NJ)

Chicago

– Alkaline Trio: Metro

– Big Gigantic: Riviera Theatre

– Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears: Double Door

– Cage the Elephant, Sleeper Agent: Aragon Ballroom

– Cave: The Hideout

– Disco Biscuits, Future Rock: Auditorium Theatre

– The Hood Internet: Lincoln Hall

– Keys N Krates: Chicago Urban Art Society

– Local H: Bottom Lounge

– Murder By Death: Subterranean

– Old 97s: Intercontinental Hotel Grand Ballroom

– Rusko, Sinden, Switch: Congress Theater

– The Spits: Cobra Lounge

Los Angeles

– The Aggrolites: Alex’s Bar

– Benny Benassi, Paul Van Dyk, Kaskade, Dada Life: Anaheim Convention Center (White Wonderland)

– DJ Quik: Key Club

– Duck Sauce, Diplo, Chromeo, Felix da Housecat, The Bloody Beetroots, LA Riots: Oak Canyon Park (Together As One)

– The Henry Clay People, Races: The Satellite

– Give Up the Ghost: Ukrainian Culture Center

– Jenny and Johnny, Cults: The Standard Hollywood

– John Digweed: The Avalon

– Junkie XL: Detroit Bar

– L.A. Guns: Whisky A Go Go

– Lupe Fiasco: Hollywood & Highland Center

– Musiq Soulchild: House of Blues

– Wanda Jackson, Best Coast, Dan Sartain: Club Nokia

San Francisco

– The Fresh & Onlys, Thee Oh Sees: Brick and Mortar Music Hall

– Furthur: Bill Graham Civic Auditorium

– Kreayshawn: The Regency Ballroom

– The Limousines: Rickshaw Stop

– Maceo Parker: Yoshi’s

– Santigold, Amon Tobin Islam Live, Beats Antique, Claude Von Stroke,: Concourse Exhibition Center (Sea of Dreams)

– Primus: Great American Music Hall

– The Slip: Cafe du Nord

– Sonny & The Sunsets: Amnesia

– Talib Kweli: Sloane Squared

– Tedeschi Trucks Band, The New Mastersounds: The Warfield

– Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue: The Fillmore

– X: Slim’s

– Yeasayer (DJ Set): W Hotel

– DJ Z-Trip: Fort Mason Center

London

– The 2 Bears: XOYO

– Adam Beyer: Fabric

– Ferry Corsten: Brixton Academy

– Gabby Young and Other Animals: Royal Festival Hall

– Gary Numan: All Star Lanes

– Gross Magic: The Victoria

– Joker, Brekage, Roska, Plastician, Sigma: Electric Brixon

– Kasabian, Chase & Status, Zane Lowe: The O2

– Toddla T: The Nest

– The Wedding Present: Dingwalls

Elsewhere

Aspen

– Jane’s Addiction: Belly Up

Athens (Georgia)

– MartyParty, Dubconscious: New Earth Music Hall

– of Montreal: Go Bar

– Reptar: Georgia Theatre

Atlanta

– Against Me!, Fake Problems, Franz Nicolay: The Masquerade

– Cake: Fox Theatre

– JJ Grey & Mofro: Variety Playhouse

– Kylesa: The Earl

– Naughty By Nature, Ed Kowalczyk: Hyatt Regency

– Perpetual Groove: Center Stage

– STS9: The Tabernacle

– Zac Brown Band: Philips Arena

Atlantic City

– Brand New: House of Blues

Austin

– Big Freedia: The Mohawk

– The Black Angels, Wooden Shjips, Ume: Emo’s East

– Bob Schneider, Quiet Company: Paramount Theatre

– Designer Drugs: Austin Music Hall

– Gary Clark Jr.: Antone’s

– Groupo Fantasma: Beauty Bar

– Hayes Carll: La Zona Rosa

– Penguin Prison: American Legion Hall

– Russian Circles: Red 7

– White Denim, Royal Bangs: The Empire Space

– Willie Nelson: Moody Theater

Australia

– Arctic Monkeys, Crystal Castles, Dan Deacon, The Naked and Famous: The Falls Festival (Lorne)

– Fleet Foxes, Beirut, CSS, CANT, Unknown Mortal Orchestra: The Falls Festival (Marion Bay)

Baltimore

– Carbon Leaf: Hyatt Regency

– SOJA: Baltimore Soundstage

Boston

– David Wax Museum: Lizard Lounge (Cambridge, MA)

– Lucero: Paradise

– New York Dolls: New England Conservatory

Charlotte (North Carolina)

– Widespread Panic: Time Warner Cable Arena

Dallas

– Girl Talk, Ghostland Observatory, MSTRKRFT, Neon Indian, Pendulum (DJ Set): Lights All Night

– The Polyphonic Spree, Centro-matic: House of Blues

– Quinton and Miss Pussycat: Zubar

Denver

– Flux Pavilion, Doctor P: Colorado Convention Center

– Gauntlet Hair, Pictureplane: The Larmier Lounge

– Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad: Cervantes’ Other Side

– Ivan Neville’s Dumpstaphunk, Orgone: Cervatnes Ballroom

– Ladytron (DJ Set): City Hall

– Pretty Lights: 1stBANK Center (Broomfield, CO)

– Railroad Earth: Ogden Theatre

– Truckasauras: The Summit

– Ween: The Fillmore

Detroit

– The Detroit Cobras: Magic Stick

– Greensky Bluegrass, The Macpodz: Majestic Theatre

– Maze featuring Frankie Beverly: Masonic Temple

Greenville (South Carolina)

– The Avett Brothers: Bi-Lo Center

Houston

– Blue October: House of Blues

– Christopher Lawrence: Stereo Live

– Young Jeezy: Reliant Arena

Lake Tahoe

– Bassnectar, Pretty Lights, Thievery Corporation, The Glitch Mob, Childish Cambino, A-Trak, Theophilus London, YACHT: Snowglobe Music Festival

Las Vegas

– Chris Brown: Pure Nightclub

– Guns N’ Roses, Sebastian Bach: The Joint

– John Legend: Pearl Concert Theater

– Kaskade: Marquee

– NOFX, Lagwagon: House of Blues

– Paul Oakenfold: Rain

– Steve Angello: XS Nightclub

– Stevie Wonder: Cosmopolitan

Louisville (Kentucky)

– The Pass: Butchertown Pub Studios

Miami

– The Heavy Pets: Tobacco Road

– Spam All-Stars: The Catalina Hotel

Minneapolis

– Dawes: Varsity Theater

– EOTO: Skyway Theater

Milwaukee

– Skrillex, Dillon Francis: The Rave

Nashville

– Bassnectar: Bridgestone Arena

– Moon Taxi, Apache Relay: Exit/In

New Orleans

– Big Sam’s Funky Nation: The Joy Theater

– Black Lips: One Eyed Jacks

– Dr. John: House of Blues

– Funky Meters: Tipitina’s French Quarter

– Galactic, Anders Osborne: Tipitina’s Uptown

— Rebirth Brass Band: Howlin’ Wolf

Northampton (Massachusetts)

– Josh Ritter: Calvin Theater

– Rubblebucket: Pearl Street Nightclub

Oklahoma City

– The Flaming Lips, Yoko Ono: Brickstown Events Center

Orlando

– Trivium, Sevendust, Black Tide: House of Blues

– Slightly Stoopid, The Expendables: Hard Rock Live

Ottawa

– Electric Six: Mavericks

Philadelphia

– Clutch: Trocadero

– Eternal Summers, Bleeding Rainbow: Level Room

– Good Old War, River City Extension: Theatre of Living Arts

– Lotus: Festival Pier

– Man Man (DJ Set), Dr. Dog (DJ Set), Sun Airway (DJ Set): Johnny Brenda’s

– Smoking Popes: North Star Bar

Phoenix

– Meat Puppets: Clubhouse Music Venue

Portland (Maine)

– moe.: State Theatre

Portland (Oregon)

– Leftover Salmon: Roseland Theater

– Nurses, Radiation City: Mississippi Studios

– Pierced Arrows: Ash Street Saloon

– Red Fang: Star Theater

– Reverend Horton Heat, Supersuckers: The Crystal Ballroom

– Talkdemonic: Misson Theater

San Diego

– Fedde Le Grand, Porter Robinson, Hardwell, Bart B More: Valley View Casino Center (OMFG! NYE)

– Kinky: 4th & B

Seattle

– Mustard Pimp: King Cat Theatre

– Starfucker, Champagne Champagne: The Crocodile

St. Louis (Missouri):

– Cowboy Mouth: Old Rock House

– Devon Allman’s Honeytribe: Blueberry Hill

– Excision: Koken Art Factory

– Umphrey’s McGee: The Pageant

Toronto

– Elliot Brood: Lee’s Palace

– Kyuss! Lives: Cherry Cola’s Rock N’ Rolla Cabaret & Lounge

– The Sadies: Horseshoe Tavern

– Steve Aoki, Thomas Gold: Kool Haus

Vancouver

– Tiësto: Pacific Coliseum

Washington, DC

– Animal Collective (DJ Set), Le Tigre (DJ Set), ANR (DJ Set): 1800 L Street NW (BYT NYE)

– Drive-By Truckers, Booker T, Alabama Shakes: 9:30 Club

– Gucci Mane: Love Night Club

– Morgan Page: Fur Nightclub

– Painted Face: Rock and Roll Hotel

On TV

– Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve (ABC): Lady Gaga, Florence and the Machine, Blink-182, Nicki Minaj

– New Year’s Eve with Carson Daily (NBC): Drake, The Roots, Cee-Lo Green

– NYE in NYC (MTV): J. Cole

– Coldplay New Year’s Eve: An Austin City Limits Special (PBS)

Photo by Patrick O’Dell

Hard-hitting noise pop outfit Sleigh Bells will soon return with a brand new treat. The duo’s sophomore LP, Reign of Terror, will hit stores on February 14th 2012 (aka Valentine’s Day) via Mom+Pop Music. Spanning 12 tracks, the album was produced by Sleigh Bells guitarist Derek Miller and engineered by Shane Stoneback, who also helped to record Treats. Below, you can find the album’s teaser trailer, followed by tracklist.

Two weeks before their album’s release, Sleigh Bells will team up with DJ and fellow Floridian Diplo for a nine-date tour of their home state. Florida kids, I never want to hear you complain again. The trek’s itinerary underneath the aforementioned items.

Reign of Terror Tracklist:
01. True Shred Guitar
02. Born to Lose
03. Crush
04. End of the Line
05. Leader of the Pack
06. Comeback Kid
07. Demons
08. Road to Hell
09. You Lost Me
10. Never Say Die
11. D.O.A.

Sleigh Bells 2012 Tour Dates:
02/03 – Gainesville, FL @ Florida Theater *^
02/04 – Tampa, FL @ The Ritz *^
02/06 – Penscaola, FL @ Vinyl Music Hall *^
02/07 – Tallahassee, FL @ The Moon *^
02/09 – Jacksonville, FL @ Freebird *^
02/10 – Orlando, FL @ Firestone *^
02/11 – Ft. Launderdale, FL @ Revolution *^
02/14 – Miami, FL @ Grand Central  *^

* = w/ Diplo
^ = w/ Liturgy

At first, the thought of an outdoor dance festival located in Washington D.C. at the end of November seems like a crazy, illogical idea. But bring in over a half-dozen temperature-controlled tents to cover revelers roaming through four stages, secure an earthshaking sound system, and book artists like Moby, Infected Mushroom, Armand Van Helden, Diplo, Excision, and Zed’s Dead, and you have something massive. Fall Massive, to be exact.

Thanks to Steez Promo and Ultraworld Presents, the same team that delivers year after year at Starscape in Baltimore, bassheads and electro-aficionados worldwide have something to be quite thankful for this holiday season, when Fall Massive takes over our nation’s capitol this Saturday, November 26^th. At the head of this ground-breaking festival experience is Evan Weinstein, co-owner and head of marketing for Steez Promo. Amidst continued planning for Fall Massive and still in the booking phases for Starscape, Weinstein was able to chat with Consequence of Sound about planning D.C.’s largest dance party ever, how new blood has been able to keep Starscape on the cutting-edge, and the current state of electronic music.

Just to get a sense of the work you do, what’s your position with Starscape and Ultraworld?

I’ve been involved with Ultraworld from about 2001. My partner and I came in– I started as a street promoter, pretty sure he came in as a street promoter as well; now we own 50% of the festival. We do all the buying, promotions, and marketing, and play a major role with all of the planning from top to bottom.

A man of many hats. What projects are currently on the table for Steez Promotions and Ultraworld?

Right now, our main concern is with Fall Massive. The event is the largest production either Steez or Ultraworld have ever done. I’m also working on our calendar of club shows for 2012. We are working on breaking into eight to 12 new markets, while maintaining the 12 or so markets we’re already working in.

And that is going to be in Washington D.C.?

Yeah, we are going into RFK stadium and taking over Lot 8, the largest parking of the stadium, and we’ll be using the space for the largest dance event ever to come to D.C., somewhere around 16,000 to 20,000 people. This is realistically the largest indoor dance event ever to come to the East Coast.

This event, everything from promotions to lineup to sound to marketing, is the biggest thing we have ever done. We have one of the biggest media companies in the nation partnered with us on the event; they are called the Collective and are based out of LA and work with T.V., film, management, everything under the sun. We brought Ultraworld on and have Lonnie [Fisher] doing on all the logistics, and plugged the Starscape network into that, then we just went balls to the walls with the lineup. Simply, it is the biggest line-up that we could get put together.

Will the re-vamped Fall Massive also be an all-night event similar to Starscape?

This ends at 2 a.m. [the site's curfew] and starts at 4 p.m.. Again, we are not trying to be Starscape with it. Last year, it ended at 2 a.m.; before that it was at the Paradox and ended at 6 a.m.. When we outgrew that venue two years ago, we moved the event to a 2 a.m. curfew.

What we are trying to create is a club atmosphere in an outdoor environment, and doing it in a season when you normally cannot do an outdoor event. The entire thing, except for the smoking area and port-o-potties, is totally enclosed. If we can pull this off, we can do a show like this anywhere at anytime.

I have been in talks with two companies that own outdoors venues all over the country, and we could realistically just go in at anytime and set up an event. I personally think it’s ground-breaking, and I hope others do too, as I don’t know of anyone else that’s done anything like this before.

On the booking end, how early do you begin speaking with management and agencies?

For this specific event, it’s a unique situation because we used to produce this event in a 3,000 person club up the street in Baltimore, and we would still probably be doing the event there, but it closed and left the event homeless. We were then in talks with a 6,000 capacity club, and that ended up falling through, which is good because I just heard an event was canceled last week because they didn’t pay their electric bill. So then we just decided to throw the event in a parking lot somewhere in the city.

We then started conceptualizing it, got a parking lot locked down, then called Lonnie from Ultraworld, and oddly enough he had been envisioning this event for 10 to 15 years. He wanted to do an outdoor event, but create an indoor event using tents. He told us, “This is an event I have been planning for years.” So naturally we passed over the site planning and logistics to him.

We didn’t start booking until July or August. We probably started sending out offers in June or July, compared to a nine-month lead-time for Starscape, and that is late for us. We were super late in the game, but the lineup definitely worked out.

Do you know off-hand who is doing the audio and visual projects at Fall Massive?

We are working with Turbo Sound out of Canada along with Maryland Sound locally. We have a bunch of different sound items we are putting it. From what I understand, the bass cabinets for the Dub Nation Stage are the same cabinets they use to calibrate earthquake-measuring equipment.

There are several companies we are talking to for visuals and lights. We are going out of our way to find things that we don’t normally have at Starscape, like choreographed dancers and more decor. With an expanded capacity, we are looking to put more back into the event; we have crazy stadium grade lasers, next level stage displays, confetti cannons, and much, much more.

This is going to be the biggest production that we have ever done.

What do you think it is about Starscape that’s different from other dance festivals that has kept it thriving?

First, it is the only all-night music event on a city-owned property. I’ve been to DEMF, I’ve been to Ultra, and it’s just different. Our lineups have been more eclectic in the past; we went in electronic-jam music much earlier than other fests. We were a dance-music festival; we broke out into some jam music and live electronic stuff. Now we are going back more towards the DJs.

We actually had the Disco Biscuits way back in 2006. Back in 2005 was really one of the lowest points in dance music nationally, and we decided that we needed something new or this festival was going to die. At the time we had been running Sonar, a live-music venue in Baltimore, and the Disco Biscuits were doing well there, so we decided to bring them over to Starscape. Also around that time, me and my partner were getting back into DJ shows, but shortly after that time we were going more heavily into live music for Steez Promo.

Now in its 14^th year, Starscape is also one of the largest running music festivals in the country, and it’s one night. It’s 18 hours, boom, done, won’t be back until next year. People wait for this music festival all year, and after the one-night it is just done, and then they are sitting there waiting for next year. Unlike going somewhere for three days, getting all worn out, and then waiting a few months before you’re really getting ready for the following year. At Starscape, the day after people are already contacting me about who is going to be playing.

Starscape has been able to showcase a range of artists well before they reach a national stage; how have you gone about buying?

We are just really in touch with dance music. For instance, we booked Skrillex for seven shows back in September of 2010, and they all sold out. We knew it was going to be big, but we didn’t know the scale.

When we think something is going to break, we are really on top of it. Like SBTRKT and the guys from Hospital Records, we think that is going to come in big, but we have been on top of that for awhile.

Now in its 14th year and after selling out in advance in 2011, are there any expansion plans for future Starscape festivals?

We have talked about expansion plans, but a Starscape on the first Saturday in June in Baltimore is not going to change. It’s at Fort Armistead Park; it will be there until the day [the park] is gone. We have talked about alternate locations, but it has to be the right conditions. Starscape has always been an all-night event, and we would never move it somewhere that is would have to end at 2 a.m. or a place where we couldn’t create the same environment that we do at the current Starscape.

Starscape sold out three-and-a-half weeks before the event last year, and we are expecting it to sell out even sooner for 2012. But there is new competition on the East Coast with EDC: New York coming, so we are looking to be doing more festivals. We are going to be doing something in Philadelphia in May and looking to do something else in Maryland.

Will these events be produced by Ultraworld or Steez promo?

Steez promo did over 160 events this year. The guy who started Ultraworld, started Starscape, is our logistics guy. He has taken a step back and is into a lot of other things right now. He was actually one of the head people at the Baltimore Grand Prix this year. He has really just turned Starscape over to us when it comes to talent, promotions, and marketing, then he helps out with Steez’ other events like Fall Massive.

Other dance-music festivals have had issues in the last few years planning events due to regulations by local government. What type of relationship has been developed between Ultraworld/Steez and the city of Baltimore to ensure longevity of the event?

We work closely with the city and state to ensure that the event is good for everyone involved. We definitely stay on top of any and all safety concerns that the city has for the event. We work closely with police and Fire Marshall to make sure the event is positive and the safest event possible. When we sell out, the hotels and other city attractions sell out, so it is positive for everyone.

With that said, do you feel Starscape has turned into a destination festival?

Definitely. It is crazy how it has transformed into that. Luckily for us, we do sell tickets in local outlets, because due to the way information travels on the internet and Facebook, a lot of the local, longtime supporters would be shut out if we only sold tickets online.

Last year I spoke with people that came in from New Zealand and came in from Europe. People keep traveling further and further for these events. Right now, it is really turning into a global scene. And really, when a person comes one year, they will come the next with friends. It just keeps building and building.

This past year, Starscape was broken into dub, dance, bass, and main stages. Will this change for upcoming festivals? And what type of genres do you see being represented more heavily in the upcoming editions?

We are going to keep it more balanced. One of the biggest genres that we fell in love with over the last 12-months has been the Dirty Dutch movement and Moombahton. Me and my partner are always listening to music and looking for what we can incorporate more.

It is kind of hard to format by genre now, because a lot of DJs are playing a lot of different genres. One of the biggest complaints this year was that dubstep was playing on every stage. Even my partners and myself were surprised at the fact that dubstep made it into a number of sets where we didn’t expect to hear it. Not saying that’s a negative thing but definitely a surprise.

The dubstep movement is taking over everything right now, which is great for the scene. It’s finding its way into performances by artists you would never expect to play it; we can no longer make one stage the dubstep stage, another the dance stage. Right now, house artists are playing dubstep, the drum n bass artists are playing dubstep, and even the live artists are playing dubstep. But you know, you cannot tell artists what to spin.

For instance, Dieselboy’s Subhuman label is bringing together all forms of bass music.

Dieselboy’s whole thing is that he can play anything; he is one of the most technical DJs out there. It’s almost like DJs who are into DJing will play anything. But producers find what they are good at and kind of focus on that. For instance, Dieselboy’s new Unleashed is all over the place: DnB, dubstep, drumstep, he can play it all and he does. Every set is different and every set is exciting.

When Tiesto and deadmau5 start dropping dubstep into their sets, you know it’s everywhere. It was weird when, two or three Ultras ago, when deadmau5 dropped some bass music the middle of his set, and I felt the whole crowd just stopped because bass music hadn’t taken over. There were like 50,000 people there and you could have heard a pin drop.

It’s good to see everyone supporting bass music, but as a fan, I know where kids are coming from there, saying, “Oh god, I don’t really like dubstep and I cannot get away from it!”

We have discussed it a bit already, but what are the plans for Steez promo in 2012?

Right now we work in 12-14 markets, and produce 160 events per year. We are looking to produce over 200 [events] during 2012, and are already in the process of expanding into eight to 12 more markets next year. Right now, the only company on this scale is Insomniac events, and while I don’t see us competing with them because there is a mutual respect there, I definitely want to get Steez Promo up to their scale, or at least try to get Steez Promo to that scale.

The whole movement in the U.S. is crazy right now. There is a lot going on behind the scenes that is pushing the dance movement forward, everything from Jay-Z and Kanye using a tune from Flux Pavilion [on “Who Gonna Stop Me”] to Skillex music in ads to Heineken supporting dance music, is helping the scene appeal to a larger audience.

 For more information on Steez Promo and Fall Massive, please visit Steezpromo.com and Fallmassive.com.

The sophomore installment of Ultra Music Festival Brazil hits São Paulo’s Sambódromo Anhembi on December 3rd, 2011. This year’s bill packs electro heavyweights like Swedish House Mafia, Duck Sauce, and 2manydjs alongside recently reunited post-punk outfit New Order and Canadian rock warriors Death From Above 1979.

Rounding out the bill are Laidback Luke, MSTRKRFT, Major Lazer, Soulwax, Diplo, Shit Robot, The Twelves, Nero, Alesso, DJ Marky, Life is a Loop, Renato Cohen, MIXHEII, Renato Ratier, and Rodrigo Viera. For any additional lineup news and updates, stay tuned to our Festival Outlook.

For ticket information and additional festival info, check out the festival’s website.

Given my current location, I’m not even sure I’ll survive to see next week. But if us Americans do manage to escape the wrath of Hurricane Irene and are around come New Year’s Eve 2011, here’s one one potential entertainment option. The first-ever Lights All Night music festival will round together such electro heavyweights as Tiësto, Girl Talk, MSTRKRFT, Benny Benassi, Ghostland Observatory, Diplo, and Pendulum (DJ Set) for a two-night party at the Dallas Convention Center.

Other confirmed notables include Wolfgang Gartner, Laidback Luke, Flux Pavilion, Neon Indian, RJD2, Felix Cartal, Zeds Dead, Excision, Dada Life, Porter Robinson, Archnemesis, Sandro Silva, and The M Machine. Additional acts will be announced in the coming weeks, and you can stay up to date by bookmarking our Festival Outlook page.

Early bird single day and two-day passes, priced at $79 and $150, respectively, will go on sale Tuesday, August 30th via the festival’s website.

If you recall, the festival sports a bevy of talent, which includes Cake, Stars, Matt & Kim, Big Boi, Cold War Kids, Ra Ra Riot, Manchester Orchestra, New Pornographers, The Airborne Toxic Event, and plenty more. Check out our Festival Outlook for the full shebang.

Weekend festival passes are currently on sale for $149.00, though VIP passes are also available. Visit DeLuna’s website for complete ticketing information.

Set for November 4-6 at Auditorium Shores, this year’s edition also promises Rakim, Major Lazer, Okkervil River, Kid Dynamite, Henry Rollins, Reggie Watts, Flying Lotus, the recently reunited Hum, The Murder City Devils, Lykke Li, Four Tet, Neon Indian, Blonde Redhead, The Damned, Diplo, Ra Ra Riot, Cave In, and and Del The Funky Homosapien.

If that weren’t enough, the bill also features Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Spank Rock, Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, Ra Ra Riot, tUnE-yArDs, The Radio Dept., Boris, D-Generation, Zero Boys, Childish Gambino, Big Feedia, YACHT, Cecil Otter & Swiss Andy present: WUGAZI, The Joy Formidable, Mates of State, Cold Cave, Austra, G-Side, and Le Butcherettes. You can check out the entire bill at our Festival Outlook; we also have the lineup poster below.

Three-day and VIP passes are priced at $135 and $270, respectively and go on sale via the festival’s website. Single day passes ($55) will be available beginning September 1st.

Piggybacking off the success of the irritatingly catchy “Combination Pizza Hut and Taco Bell”, Brooklyn’s Das Racist dropped two mixtapes in 2010, Shut Up, Dude and Sit Down, Man, that caught the attention of a hungry fanbase. Now, the trio try to serve up another hit with their proper debut album, Relax, this September 13th. The 14 track effort features cameos from Despot, Danny Brown, and El-P, while Vampire Weekend’s Rostam Batmanglij, Anand Wilder from Yeasayer, Diplo, and the aforementioned El-P all had a hand in the production.

Along with the impressive guest list, the band are releasing the LP on their own via member Himanshu Suri’s Greedhead Music label. Dig into the tracklist below.

Relax Tracklist:
01. Relax
02. Michael Jackson
03. Brand New Dance
04. Middle of The Cake
05. Girl
06. Shut Up, Man [ft. El-P]
07. Happy Rappy
08. Bootyin the Air
09. Power [ft. Danny Brown & Despot]
10. Punjabi Song [ft. Bikram Singh]
11. Selena
12. Rainbow in the Dark
13. The Trick
14. Celebration

Update: The streams have been removed, but Diplo promises an official preview next Monday.

It may not be perfect, but Turntable.fm is already starting to yield some magical musical goodies. Case in point: Diplo dropped by the social DJing site’s VIPFest room on Monday evening and shared three new tracks created for the Major Lazer moniker. The cuts, “Ml Bugle No 3rd T2″, “ML II Mystic Bubble T2 3rd”, and an untitled number, are streaming right now over at the blog of 107.7 The End. No word yet on if these will end up on Major Lazer’s sophomore LP, so stay tuned for more as it’s announced.

The jam band and indie genres already have their own multi-day musical voyages, and now the world of electronica does too. The inaugural and awesomely titled Holy Ship! cruise sets sail from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida on January 6th and will feature electro heavy hitters like Fatboy Slim, Diplo, Rusko, Skrillex, and A-Trak, along with the one and only Tommy Lee, who will be playing with DJ Aero.

The four-day cruise, which is being put on by HARD, will make stops in the Bahamas and an undisclosed private island, the latter of which will host a special Beach Boutique party featuring performances by Fatboy Slim and more. Other accommodations include access to a spa, pool, fitness center, and yoga, as well as Steve Aoki’s poker palace and a ping pong area which promises a match between Tommy Lee and Rusko.

Among the other acts set to perform are Buraka Som Sistema, Steve Aoki, Brodinski, Dillon Francis, Doorly, Jason Bentley, Destructo, Gina Turner, Contra, and Mike Deuce, with even more still to be confirmed.

The price of the cruise is dependent on the type of cabin, but a $250 initial deposit is required for all cruise-goers. Reservations begin June 15th; click here for complete booking information.