We’re still two months away from South by Southwest 2012, but today the schedule for the music portion went live, adding a slew of new names to the bill. Previously confirmed acts include Built to Spill, The Magnetic Fields, Talib Kweli, Against Me!, Grace Potter and the Nocturnals, Cloud Nothings, and a keynote speech by Bruce Springsteen.

Update: As a number of readers have pointed out, several acts listed on the festival’s schedule yesterday have since disappeared, including Best Coast, ASAP Rocky, Dan Deacon, Zola Jesus, YACHT, Nicolas Jaar, Azari & III, Bear In Heaven, Caveman, Anika, Cerebal Ballzy, and Charlift. According to festival organizers, this is the result of a number of reasons, including incomplete paperwork. It’s also possible that an artist initially applied to play the festival, but has since changed its plans. As of now, it’s unclear which of the aforementioned acts will end up playing. Stay tuned to our Festival Outlook page for lineup additions and updates.

Now joining them are Best Coast, M. Ward, of Montreal, ASAP Rocky, Danny Brown, Mr. Muthafuckin’ eXquire, Dan Deacon, The Drums, Astronautalis, Bear In Heaven, Ceremony, Chairlift, Crystal Antlers, Little Boots, Deerhoof, Dragonette, Gossip, Matthew Dear, Miike Snow, SBTRKT, Sharon Van Etten, Zola Jesus, Nicolas Jaar, Oneohtrix Point Never, Thundercat, The War on Drugs, Youth Lagoon, and Tennis.

Also set to appear are Lana Del Rey, The Ting Tings, Action Bronson, Apparat, Buraka Som Sistema, Spank Rock, Corrosion of Conformity, Jimmy Cliff, Rye Rye, K’naan, YACHT, Band of Skulls, White Rabbits, Beth Jeans Houghton and The Hooves of Destiny, Supreme Dicks, Caveman, Cerebral Ballzy, Freelance Whales, Here We Go Magic, Free Energy,  Eleanor Friedberger, The Black Angels, Blondes, Busdriver, Ezra Furman, Friends, Memoryhouse, Mikal Cronin, Miniature Tigers, Zechs Marquise, and Purity Ring.

The massive bill also includes Counting Crows, Tommy Stinson, The Wedding Present, Andrew WK, Brendan Benson, Hot Water Music, Gauntlet Hair, Grieves and Budo, Imogen Heap, Ingrid Michaelson, Michael Franti and Spearhead, The Henry Clay People, Justin Townes Earle, The Love Language, Cymbals Eat Guitars, Micachu & the Shapes, The Fresh & Onlys, Gardens & Villa, P.O.S., Anika, And So I Watch You From Afar, Fake Problems, Azari & III, Sleepy Sun, Bahamas, Japanther, The Knux, Carter Tanton, Cassettes Won’t Listen, Jacuzzi Boys, CHALI 2NA, Cities Aviv, Is Tropical, Javelin, Kids These Days, Living Things, Scattered Trees, and Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin.

Update: Despite previously being on the lineup, The Polyphonic Spree are no longer slated to play the festival.

Check out the complete lineup at our Festival Outlook. And stay tuned for additional lineup news and updates — typically, the biggest acts aren’t revealed until just days prior to the festival.

The music portion of South by Southwest 2012 runs March 13-18th in Austin Texas. Registration is now ongoing, with various types of badges to chose from. Click here for all the details.

As promised, the lineup for Lollapalooza’s second Latin American off-shoot, Lollapalooza Brazil, was revealed this morning. Set to take place April 7-8th at Jockey Club de São Paulo, the festival’s inaugural bill features many of the same acts as its Chilian counterpart, with Foo Fighters, Arctic Monkeys, MGMT, and TV on the Radio leading the way. However, whereas Chile got Björk, Brazil instead promises a performance by Jane’s Addiction, which is led by the festival’s organizer, Perry Farrell.

Other notable acts include Thievery Corporation, Skrillex, Foster the People, Peaches, Pretty Lights, The Crystal Method, Bassnectar, Friendly Fires, Calvin Harris, Gogol Bordello, and Joan Jett and the Black Hearts, along with a number of local acts. To check out the entire lineup, visit our page for Lollapalooza Brazil on Festival Outlook.

Tickets for Lollapalooza Brazil are now available via the festival’s website.

As previously reported, Lollapalooza’s presence in South America expands in 2012, with the return of Lollapalooza Chile and the launch of Lollapalooza Brazil. Set to take place back-to-back weekends, the Chilian offshoot runs March 31st – April 1st at O’Higgins Park in Santiago, while the Brazilian iteration takes place April 7-8th at Jockey Club de São Paulo.

Tonight, the lineup for Lollapalooza Chile was revealed, with Foo Fighters, Björk, and Arctic Monkeys leading the way. Other confirmed notables include MGMT, TV on the Radio, Foster the People, Skrillex, Bassnectar, Thievery Corporation, and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts.

The bill also includes Above and Beyond, Band of Horses, Peaches, Pretty Lights, The Crystal Method, Friendly Fires, Calvin Harris, Gogol Bordello, and † (Crosses), along with a number of local acts. To check out the entire lineup, visit our page for Lollapalooza Chile on Festival Outlook.

Tickets for Lollapalooza Chile are now available via the festival’s website.

The lineup for Lollapalooza Brazil will be revealed tomorrow morning at 11:00AM ET. Check back then for all the details.

Following Doorsillex and the banger from DJ Premier, Nas, and the Berklee School of Music Orchestra, CoS has an exclusive first listen to another collaboration from Amir Bar Lev’s new film, RE:GENERATION. This time we hear the efforts of LA-based electronica duo The Crystal Method, Motown icon Martha Reeves, and legendary session band The Funk Brothers on a genre-bending track called “I’m Not Leaving”. The woozy cut sees Reeves deliver a truly soulful and defiant vocal performance, the Method build a soundscape of dizzying size and club-ready rhythm, and the Funk Brothers top it all off with a heaping helping of their signature oomph. Check it out below.

A fourth collaboration from the film, a cover of “Wayfaring Stranger” by producer Pretty Lights, country singer Leann Rimes, and bluegrass legend Ralph Stanley, can be heard at Spinner. The fifth and final track teams up Mark Ronson, Mos Def, and Erykah Badu with members of the Dap Kings and Trombone Shorty.

RE:GENERATION is scheduled to debut in early 2012 as part of Grammys Week.

Skrillex is a dubstep producer, often called the Justin Bieber of his genre (in that he’s hugely popular and has the body of a 17-year-old boy). The Doors are a legendary rock group from the ’60s that made rock music dark and sexy. These two acts have absolutely no reason to ever be mentioned together in the same sentence, yet alone collaborate on music. But that’s just what director Amir Bar Lev (The Pat Tillman Story, My Child Can Paint That) did for his new film, RE:GENERATION.

The film features five popular DJs/producers working with artists from five different genres to create music and muse on crossing sonic borders and the true universality of being a musician. Other acts featured include Pretty Lights working with Leann Rimes and Ralph Stanley, Nas and the Berklee School of Music Orchestra hitting the booth with DJ Premier, The Crystal Method recording with Martha Reeves, and Mark Ronson, and Erykah Badu and members of the Dap Kings and Trombone Shorty collaborating on a jazz number.

As for Skrillex teaming up with the surviving members of The Doors, keyboardist Ray Manzarek was gushing over his work with the former From First to Last frontman. “[Sonny] plays his beat, all he had to do was play the one thing. I listened to it and I said, ‘Holy shit, that’s strong,’” Manzarek told Rolling Stone. “Basically, it’s a variation on ‘Milestones,’ by Miles Davis, and if I do say so myself, sounds fucking great, hot as hell. I like to say this is the first new Doors track of the 21st century.” For a taste of what that means (other than causing Morrison to spin in his grave), check out the RE:GENERATION trailer below.

The film is scheduled to debut in early 2012 as part of Grammy Week. Stay tuned for more news and announcements as they’re made.

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.

Punk, metal, and country all having touring music festivals, and now the electronic music genre does too. Billed as the “first-ever touring electronic ONLY music festival,” Identity will visit 20 major outdoor amphitheatres throughout North America in August and September.

Disco Biscuits, Pretty Lights, Kaskade, DJ Shadow, Steve Aoki, and Avicii top the inaugural bill, while other highlights include The Crystal Method, Modeselektor, Booka Shade, Nero, Pete Tong, Erol Alkan, and Holy Ghost!.

Rounding out the lineup are Skrillex, Chuckie, Datsik, N.E.R.D.’s Chad Hugo, Aeroplane, LA Riots, Doorly, Nervo, White Shadow, Jessie and the Toys, and The Eyes.

Specific markets and shows will be announced in May with the artists performing at each date to be unveiled soon.

As previously reported, Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D features remixes of Daft Punk’s Tron soundtrack from Moby, Paul Oakenfold, The Glitch Mob, M83, The Crystal Method, Pretty Lights, and more. The album doesn’t arrive until April 5th, but thanks to some over-my-head internet technology, fans can hear 90-second clips of The Glitch Mob’s “Derezzed”, M83 VS Big Black Delta’s “Fall”, and Ki:Theory’s “The Son of Flynn” by heading to the official soundtrack site and enter the following codes:

theglitchmob
m83
bbd
kitheory

Upon doing so, the secret Easter eggs will be unlocked and said clips will automatically begin to play. So, sit back, relax, and enjoy. Also, if you end up inside the Grid, try not to get yourself killed by one of those discs.

Tron: Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D hits stores April 5th via Walt Disney Records.

Tron: Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D Tracklist:
01. The Glitch Mob – Derezzed
02. M83 VS Big Black Delta – Fall
03. The Crystal Method –The Grid
04. Teddybears – Adagio for TRON
05. Ki:Theory – The Son of Flynn
06. Paul Oakenfold – C.L.U.
07. Moby – The Son of Flynn
08. Boys Noize – End of Line (Boys Noize Remix)
09. Kaskade – Rinzler
10. Com Truise – Encom Part 2
11. Photek – End of Line
12. The Japanese Popstars – Arena
13. Avicii – Derezzed
14. Pretty Lights – Solar Sailer
15. Sander Kleinenberg – TRON Legacy (End Titles)

If their own brand of cola was too polarizing for you, then perhaps this next commercial offering from French robots Daft Punk will go down a bit smoother. On April 5th, Walt Disney Records will release Tron: Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D, the remix of the 3.5 star-earning official soundtrack that debuted last year. Artists featured on the LP include Moby, Paul Oakenfold, The Glitch Mob, M83, The Crystal Method, Pretty Lights, and more. If you order via the official Tron soundtrack website, you can get the option of buying deluxe boxed sets that feature a poster, a Blu-ray or DVD copy of the movie, and unreleased tracks. Tron: Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D hits stores April 5th via Walt Disney Records.

Tron: Legacy R3CONFIGUR3D Tracklist:
01. The Glitch Mob – Derezze
02. M83 vs. Big Black Delta – Fall
03. The Crystal Method – The Grid/Game Has Changed
04. Teddybears – Adagio for Tron
05. Ki:Theory – The Son of Flynn
06. Paul Oakenfold – C.L.U.
07. Moby – The Son of Flynn
08. Boys Noize – End of Line (Boys Noize Remix)
09. Kaskade – Rinzler
10. Com Truise – Enron Part II
11. Photek – End of Line
12. The Japanese Popstars – Arena
13. Avicii – Derezzed
14. Pretty Lights – Solar Sailor
15 Sander Kleinenberg – Tron Legacy (End Titles)

The Lunar Stage will feature late night sets from several newly added DJs like Kaskade, The Crystal Method, Sharam, Timo Maas, Lee Burridge, Hercules & Love Affair, Afrojack, and LA Riots. Plus, during the day, the stage will broadcast World Cup Games as well as Conan O’Brien’s performance from the Comedy tent on Friday.

Tickets for the festival remain on sale here. To view the full list of confirmed acts, head over to our Festival Outlook. The day-by-day scheduled is expected to be announced in the next week or two.

Not even anticipated thunderstorms, which have often tainted the festival, could calm the excitement brewing Friday morning in Downtown Miami. Already a city known for its horrific traffic, all forms of transit were gridlocked with revelers destined for the beautiful Bicentennial Park along Biscayne Bay. The normally half-filled public transit system was filled with electronic fans blasting their newest Planet of the Drums download on their smart-phone.  As Friday night approached, Ultra’s gates were rushed with a day-glow colored flood. And as the crowd began to grow larger, one thing became apparently clear: attendees may not be rushing the stages as soon as expected.

Due to an assortment of reasons ranging from reportedly stolen tickets, wrong addresses, and same day purchases, Ultra’s will call wait time grew to over 100 minutes. This wait added to the eagerness of fans already caught in a sea of sweaty people; nothing would tarnish the day that included sets by Pretty Lights, Passion Pit, Will.I.AM, Fake Blood, Kaskade, LMFAO, Rabbit in the Moon, the Crystal Method, David Guetta, Bassnectar, Plump Djs, and a crowd favorite headliner Tiesto. While the wait kept attendance low for the initial hour of the festival, crowds were building quickly for Passion Pit‘s 6:20p.m. start time.

While nearly all festivals have their fair share of scheduling conflicts, with 11 stages, oddly structured set times, mobs of people to maneuver through, and 100s of artists to perform, individual experiences vary greatly during the event.  And with dozens of artists to discover, and re-discover, a fan’s plan can go off course when hooked in a new, infectious beat.  However, any trek through the muddy pathways would result in an experience no one would soon forget.

As Michael Angelakos stepped up to the mic for the beginning of Passion Pit’s mainstage performance, fans warmly welcomed the act which may not have been the typical Ultra selection. The five piece tweaked hits including “Sleepy Head”, “Little Secrets”, and “To Kingdom Come” to fit within the break-beat happy environment. The quality of Angelakos’s vocals were far superior than prior festival appearances, demonstrating the growth of his vocal range and to the quality of the amazing Ultra sound system.

With start-times tightly squeezed to accommodate for so many amazing artists, our journey brought us to the Bayfront Stage hosted by Pretty Lights, and an artist more times associated with the fallen Langerado Music Festival, the Disco Biscuits. With their dance heavy jam vibes, the Biscuits welcomed an ever growing fan base into the Ultra environment. Marc Brownstein’s bass grooves reverberated through the crowd as well as the most experienced break-beat DJ.

Will.I.Am’s 7:oo pm UMF Arena Ibiza DJ set brought crowds from across the festival grounds. To many, the Black Eyed Peas’ frontman does very little than create amazing vocals, his appearance in the tent re-established his control of the turntables. Accompanied by two go-go dancers, Will.I.Am appeared to be a mad scientists mixing LMFAO’s “I’m in Miami B*tch” with LL Cool J’s “Going Back to Cali”. To close out his set he brought a new taste to Hendrix’s “Purple Haze”, a song which would appear multiple times throughout the sample-laden festival.

The Doral-based LMFAO provided their Miami-infused lyrics to a shocked home audience, as the over-the-top characters came on about an hour early, instead of the scheduled Groove Armada Main Stage performance. No fans seemed to mind, however, as their applause rang out across the park grounds as the duo shouted “I’m in Miami bitch,” which could also be found on several thousand brightly colored t-shirts.

Chicago-born DJ/producer Kaskade, delivered his unique brand of deep-house as darkness approached upon Miami, and the elaborate visual systems took effect over the crowed which reached all time-highs. Prior to collaborating with Deadmau5 and playing shows all over the world, Kaskade told Consequence of Sound minutes before his appearance, that he honed his craft while working with Om Records. He also credits early Chicago-house, and Wax Trax’ artists Revolting Cocks and Pailhead as his introduction into music exploration. The Winter Music conference was also the first place Kaskade debuted “Only You” which he co-produced with Friday headliner Tiesto.

David Guetta introduced the fans to the absurd levels of visuals that were available on the Main Stage. Guetta spinning “When Love Takes Over”, “Sexy B*tch”, and re-mixing Prodigy’s “Smack my Bitch Up” was amplified when performing alongside two orb covered, flame extinguishing robots.

While no result of the talents of Ken Jordan and Scott Kirkland, the 9:40 live Crystal Method set on the Biscayne Live stage was the one major let down of the festival. The duo had an amazing start, controlling a growing evening crowd, with the heavier beats that pack Vegas and Tweekend; however, due to technical difficulties, the computer would crash whenever songs neared their climax. Jordan was noticeably enraged by the malfunction, and promised the audience an amazing show if given the duo time to change out the damp laptop. With so many acts to see, many attendees were reluctant to stay during the break.

photo courtesy of Eric R. Markt

Dutch-born Tiesto added to the international notoriety of the event, as well of the sheer madness that comes with the closing two hours of every Ultra. How does one choose conflicting acts between Tiesto, the mind-altering live stage-show of Rabbit in the Moon 3D, the legendary Carl Cox, Felix de Housecat, and break-beat sensations Plump DJs? With the event so tightly packed, and the lack of general direction across the festival, roaming stages becomes impossible during the closing hours. When Tiesto closed out his set around midnight, which always seems early for an electronic music festival, the sustained masses once again flooded the streets. This time with a much different gait then they would have entered. Many would continue the party at one of the many late-night events, while others will once again brave the heat and ear deafening bass, to get a glimpse of artists that rarely make US appearances.

All photography not noted provided by Alex Broadwell.

Deadmau5, Tiesto, Groove Armada, Swedish House Mafia, and The Crystal Method have been tapped to headline this year’s festivities, set to take from March 26-27. Also scheduled to appear are The Disco Biscuits, Faithless Sound System, Ghostland Observatory, Infected Mushroom, the Black Eyed Peas’ Will.i.am, Armin van Buren, and Carl Cox, who will perform twice during the festival.

As a whole, the phase one portion of Ultra Music Festival 2010 looks like this:

A-Trak, Above & Beyond, Afrobeta, Alex Metric, Armin van Buren, ATB, Bassbin Twins vs. Uberzone, Bassnectar, The Bloody Beetroots, Carl Cox, Crookers, The Crystal Method, Deadmau5, Diplo, The Disco Biscuits, Dirty South, Eddie Halliwell, Eric Prydz, Evil Nine, Faithless Sound System, Felix da Housecat, Freeland, Ghostland Observatory, The Glitch Mob, Green Velvet, Groove Armada, Infected Mushroom, Kevens, Lotus, LTJ Bukem, Major Lazer, Plump DJs, Pretty Lights, Rabbit in the Moon (3D), Rusko, Skream, Steve Aoki, Swedish House Mafia, Tiesto, Will.i.am

Additional acts will be revealed in the coming weeks.

Advance two-day and VIP passes are currently available for purchase. Head to ultramusicfestival.com for additional details.

As mentioned, the festival takes place from March 26-27, 2010 in Miami, Florida. It will serve as the closing event for the annual, equally electro heavy Winter Music Conference.

Hat tip to Nicholas for the help…

A complete list of announced acts can be found by clicking here. If you’re looking for something a bit easier on the eyes, we chose our “acts of note” and posted ‘em over on the Festival Outlook. Then again, with over 1,000 more names yet-to-be-named, by the time it’s all said and done, nothing will be easy on the eyes.

Registration for South by Southwest is currently ongoing, but it will, as always, cost you a pretty penny. That said, based on last year’s results, it’s totally worth it.

In the intervening decade, electronic music has crept into most popular music, while electronic acts have had less success. Now, The Crystal Method return with its fourth album, Divided By Night, a largely uneven effort that’s only superficially satisfying.

The first single, “Drown in the Now”, features guest vocals from Jewish reggae rapper Matisyahu, whom the pair met while on tour. The song opens with an ominous, Eastern-tinged chant before the chorus merges with the tune’s martial beat: “Rock when I rip it when I’m rollin’ on clouds/Shout loud breathe in, won’t you drown in the now.” Unfortunately, like most songs on Divided, “Drown in the Now” is annoyingly repetitive, and Matisyahu’s normally dynamic voice sounds lackluster here. The song also highlights one of the problems with this album: the surfeit of guest stars.

Indie hip-hopper Justin Warfield and his wife Stefanie guest on ’80s rave-up “Kling to the Wreckage”. Unfortunately, like most guest vocals on this album, theirs are so over-treated that it’s hard to care much about the words they’re actually singing. A similar problem befalls “Black Rainbows” (also sung by Stefanie Warfield), which is an aimless ramble of a song. Likewise, “Slipstream” features more synths and dystopian vocals (this time by Grandaddy’s Jason Lytle). The instrumental “Blunts and Robots” stutters along, vaguely menacing, but without much purpose.

Somewhat incongruously, the album ends with the trip-hop lite ballad “Falling Hard”. Singer-songwriter Meiko provides the requisite haunting vocals, but the song feels out of place on an album that’s filled with faster-paced tracks.

However, Divided by Night does offer a few standouts, beginning with the title track, which sports a club-ready martial beat, orchestrated blips and bleeps, and a robotic voice that rumbles the chorus through the middle of the song. Another standout is the New Order-sounding “Dirty Thirty”, with its black gleaming sound and big beat sirens. The sleek, synth-driven “Smile?” recalls Incunabula-era Autechre, with breathy, mechanized vocals sailing over percussion. And Metric’s Emily Haines contributes vocals to the addiction narrative “Come Back Clean”, plaintively singing “Don’t play with drugs in your bloodstream/Don’t play with bugs for your bad dreams.” Here the guest vocals work because they’re not homogenized beyond recognition.

The sound of Divided by Night is chaotic: synthesizers whirl, sound effects bleep, voices are run through any number of machines. But it’s sonic busyness for its own sake, with no real point or purpose, and even the few highlights lack the urgency and dynamism of the group’s previous efforts. Or perhaps I’ve just become jaded by the fact that this type of music is now so commonplace in popular culture.

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Divided by Night