Blending the energetic aggression that drove his first release with a newly acquired catchiness in the way of carefully punctuated guest vocal spots, Cartal succeeds in his goal of creating an album that’s suited for more than just current fans. Bringing in Sebastien Grangier of Death from Above 1979 for “H.U.N.T.”, Cartal uses his throttling kicks of drum and bass to propel Grangier’s growl into a drinking anthem. Different Faces’ collaborative pairings create the unexpected, whether it’s the subdued piano that becomes a frenzy of bass and claps to support Miss Palmer on “Black to White” or the addition commanded of The Sounds’ Maja Ivarsson to the poppy “Tonight”.

Endless energy remains even as the focus is turned to Cartal’s DJ work and he loses the added vocals. Through the use of dramatic buildups and intense effects, the crossover appeal remains, and any listener will be reluctant to leave the party. “Triple Deke” maintains a dark intensity much like the DJ’s earlier efforts, as the track gains momentum with a vicious bass line and repeated gruff proclamations of “bass.” “Domo” doesn’t come as furiously, rather using bouncy synths to introduce jarring change.

Different Faces comes with welcome variance likely to aid Cartal in branching out beyond what’s currently expected of him as an EDM artist. We’re only just beginning to see an artist capable of packing more than just dance floors.

Essential Tracks: “Black to White” and “Tonight”

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.

After legal troubles forced the annual rave to leave its longtime home of Los Angeles, California, EDC set it sights on Las Vegas Motor Speedway, where it will host an expected crowd of over 100,000 festival-goers between June 24th and 26th. Other confirmed notables include Skream & Benga, Skrillex, The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77, Felix Cartal, The Glitch Mob, Afrojak, Robbie Rivera, The Crystal Method (DJ Set), Steve Aoki, and Richie Hawtin, who will perform both a solo set and present his Plastikman project.

Among the other highlights are Steve Bug, Sub Focus, High Contrast, Sander Van Doorn, Markus Schulz, Rusko, Boris, Beats Antique, Dada Life, Datsik, Dieselboy, Feed Me, Ferry Corsten, Steve Angello, Hernan Cattaneo, Greent Velvet, Evol Intent, Christopher Lawrence, ATB, and 12th Planet.

Even more acts will be announced in the coming weeks. In the meantime, check out all the current lineup at our Festival Outlook.

$215.00 GA passes and $500.00 VIP passes are now available via the festival’s website. Single-day tickets will also be available.

Electric Daisy Carnival will also be hosting off-shoot events in Denver, Dallas, and Puerto Rico this summer. Click here for additional information.

For 2010, organizers have once again round together quite the overwhelming bill. Deadmau5, Armin Van Buuren, Above & Beyond, Swedish House Mafia, and Benny Benassi top the festivities, while noteworthy acts like Moby (DJ Set), Kaskade, Basement Jaxx (DJ Set), Infected Mushroom, Groove Armada (DJ Set), Sasha, DJ Z-Trip, Boys Noize, and the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am are also set to perform.

Other scheduled acts include MSTRKRFT, Travis Barker & A-Trak, Steve Aoki, Spank Rock, Felix Cartal, Wolfgang Gartner, Duck Sauce, Armand van Helden, Dada Life, Christopher Lawrence, Claude von Stroke, Dieselboy, Evol Intent, Xample, and Andy C. A full list of confirmed acts can be found here; day-by-day schedule here.

Electric Daisy Carnival 2010 takes place from June 25-26. General admission tickets for Friday and Saturday (priced at $65 and $75 respectively), two-day passes ($129), and VIP packages are now available.