Virgin Mobile FreeFest will be held Saturday, September 25 at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md. Tickets to the 2010 Virgin Mobile FreeFest will be available to the public on www.ticketfly.com at 10 am EST on Saturday, July 24th. Virgin Mobile customers and previous Virgin Mobile Festival ticket holders from the past four years will be invited via text and email to a private “free-sale” (much like a pre-sale, except free) to be held Friday July 23. “Last year’s free festival... (more) was all about giving back to fans in the wake of a horrible economy,” said Ron Faris, director of brand experiences, Virgin Mobile USA. “This year’s festival will focus even more on charitable giving. It’s a reminder to let people know that even as things are improving, there’s always someone out there less fortunate than you. Last year, we raised over $80,000 and generated 30,000 hours of volunteerism for youth homelessness. This year, together with the fans, we hope to do even better.” In addition to two main stages, a dance forest filled with inspired music, and a special second line march from stage to stage with Trombone Shorty, the festival also brings attention and support to homeless youth shelters across the country. This year, The RE*Generation, Virgin Mobile’s charitable initiative to end youth homelessness, is encouraging fans to make a $5 donation and in return receive a 2010 Virgin Mobile FreeFest mix produced by Rusko. The download will mash up select bands in the lineup to create a unique 20-minute mix. The DJ mix will be available for pre-order on Friday during the pre-sale with every $5 donated to youth homelessness. In keeping with the “free” mantra, Ticketfly is waiving all service charges when fans pick up their FreeFest tickets at Merriweather or the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C. or print their tickets at home. Last year’s Virgin Mobile FreeFest 35,000 tickets were scooped up in just 30 minutes. This year, fans have an additional option. They can choose to buy a premium ticket, which provides Pavilion seating, with a portion of the ticket price going to support homeless youth charities. For more details on the ticketing, including options for donating money to youth homelessness, and to sign up the news alerts and updates, check out www.virginmobilefreefest.com.

“I can’t drive,” M.I.A. says flatly. “So I love cars.” She’s matter-of-fact, answering an obvious question about the possible threads running through the high-octane fumes and sour diesel smoke of her new album KALA, which opens with the roadway rush of “Bamboo Banga”. But because this woman is an uncanny combination of street style and political substance, making music about wanting what you can’t have and trying to work with what you haven’t got – whether it’s about... (more) about world leaders or road runners or an ex-boyfriend - comes naturally. “I want to talk about men in a different way, instead of making it all about love and all that sloppiness. This isn’t a break-up album,” she says. “It’s a wake up album.” Arular was a bedroom dancehall rocker that firewired an international fanbase and appealed to plugged-in critics, KALA is a different beast, it’s the beat of the street itself — the sound of roadside soundsystems, taxicab transistors, DVD-wired dollar vans, motorbike couriers and parking lot pull-ups. It’s also sound of M.I.A. digging in as both an artist and a producer. It never occurred to her to repeat the ideas from Arular in a paint by numbers follow-up, so even when returning to team up with producers $witch and Diplo, she often had the two meet her out in the world — whether it was Trinidad’s rough Laventille district or a Tokyo hotel room turned recording booth — and pushed the collaborations far enough to arrive at something new. KALA also features M.I.A.’s first guest artists: the Nigerian rapper Afrikan Boy who rhymes on the raving “Hussel”, a group of Aborigine adolescents, The Wilcannia Mob, who appear on the didgeridoo beat of “Mango Pickle Down River” and Timbaland who crops up on album closer, “Come Around”. “For a while I thought I didn’t have time to grow,” she says. “But I realized my growth happened on the road. By now I thought everyone would be making albums like my first one, but that hasn’t happened. So I like this album, if only because it’s so different. I think it’s going to take a few listens, but you gotta give people the benefit of the doubt.”

this is basically a band. we've FINISHED a record and now are getting ready to put it out and go on tour. i think we're a good live band, but i'm pretty sure we're about to be way better than we've ever been. i'm excited. i'm writing that down because it's a total shock for me to hear it coming from my brain. i'm excited for us to tour and play all of the places we've loved to play. and some of the places we've never played. there are other things afoot, which i won't go into. but i'm actually e... (more)xcited to get into it in 2010/2011. look out.

"With their fractured songs, unexpected blasts of feedback, laconic vocals, cryptic literate lyrics, and defiant low-fidelity, Pavement were one of the most influential and distinctive bands to emerge from the American underground in the '90s. Pavement, along with Sebadoh, were the leaders of the lo-fi movement that dominated U.S. indie rock in the early '90s. Initially conceived as a studio project between guitarists/vocalists Stephen Malkmus and Scott Kannberg in the '80s, Pavement gradually b... (more)ecame a band during the early '90s. Along the way, their initial EPs and debut album, 1992's Slanted & Enchanted, earned a devoted following of musicians, indie fans, and critics. Before long, the group's aesthetics -- a combination of elliptic, cryptic underground American rock, unrepentant Anglophilia, a fondness for white noise, off-kilter arrangements and winding melodies, songs that frequently had shifting titles, and literate, clever lyrics -- were imitated by underground bands through America and Britain. By that point, Pavement had become an actual band, one with a notorious, acid-fried ex-hippie drummer called Gary Young. Young left the band in 1993 as the band made the move to clean up their sound, if not their sensibility, on 1994's Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Their revampment resulted in a near-hit with "Cut Your Hair," but the mainstream decided Pavement were too strange for their tastes and the band decided it preferred the underground, leaving the group as one of the most popular -- and the most influential -- American indie rock bands of the '90s." - Stephen Thomas Erlewine & Heather Phares, AllMusicGuide

"Once dubbed "the Jay-Z of the South" by Pharrell Williams, T.I. gradually came into his own and established himself as one of rap's most successful MCs during the early 2000s. Like Jay-Z, T.I. -- born Clifford Harris in Atlanta, GA -- carried a balance of smoothness and toughness, and although 2001's I'm Serious didn't shoot him out of the gate à la Reasonable Doubt, he consistently grew and launched a string of major hits with 2003's "24's." Throughout the six following years, T.I. maintaine... (more)d a consistent presence on urban radio stations in America: 2003's Trap Muzik, 2004's Urban Legend, 2006's King (released in tandem with T.I.'s debut screen appearance in ATL), 2007's T.I. vs T.I.P., and 2008's Paper Trail -- all released through the MC's deal with Atlantic -- were Top Ten albums, with the latter three even spending time at the very top of the chart. For better or for worse, T.I. also courted a good deal of controversy during his rise to superstar status. Far more ink was spent on his legal issues and conflicts with other rappers, including fellow Southerner Lil' Flip, than his Katrina relief efforts and other humanitarian involvements. One notable event occurred on May 3, 2006, when T.I.'s crew was caught up in a shooting after a show in Cincinnati. The crossfire left three people injured, while longtime friend and personal assistant Philant Johnson was fatally wounded. Despite such incidents, T.I. continued to flourish as the decade drew to a close, charting three chart-topping rap singles and four Top Five pop hits between 2008 and 2009. His career took a breather in 2009, however, when the rapper entered an Arkansas prison to serve a yearlong sentence related to federal gun charges. T.I. was released from prison at the end of 2009, serving the rest of his sentence at a halfway house in Atlanta. With his legal issues behind him, T.I. began working on new material, and in 2010 released his seventh record, King Uncaged. " - Andy Kellman, AllMusicGuide

"Born Christopher Bridges on September 11, 1977, in Champaign, IL, Ludacris moved to Atlanta during his high school years and attended Banneker High School there. He then studied at Georgia State University. His entry into the rap industry came via radio; he worked as a disc jockey at Atlanta-based urban station Hot 97.5 (which later became Hot 107.9), where he was known as DJ Chris Lova Lova, and this was how he became acquainted with Timbaland. The producer featured Ludacris (then billed as Lu... (more)dichris) on the song "Fat Rabbit" from his album Tim's Bio (1998), and with such a high-profile feature to his credit, the groundwork was laid for the rapper. Ludacris proceeded to record an independent album, Incognegro (2000), which he in turn released regionally himself, on the label Disturbing tha Peace. Ludacris primarily worked with producer Shondrae for the album, though also with Organized Noize, the acclaimed production team behind the early albums of OutKast and Goodie Mob. Incognegro sold well enough to break into the Billboard 200, and Ludacris was approached by Scarface of the Geto Boys, who as a representative of Def Jam was interested in negotiating a recording contract. In 2007, Ludacris got a lot of airplay as the featured guest on Fergie's number one hit "Glamorous." A year later a mixtape with DJ Drama called The Preview preceded the November release of Theater of the Mind. The long list of guest stars included director Spike Lee and comedian/actor Chris Rock. His 2010 effort Battles of the Sexes was originally planned as a joint release with Shawnna, but when the female rapper left the DTP family, it became a solo Ludacris album." -Jason Birchmeier, AllMusicGuide

Recording in their Washington DC based studio, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, better known as the international production and DJ duo Thievery Corporation, have released their fifth studio album, Radio Retaliation, through their independent music label ESL Music. The 15-track opus features the duo collaborating with a roster of International all-stars to create the strongest statement yet from Thievery Corporation. “Apart from a few independent bastions, there is no musical or informational fr... (more)eedom on the US airwaves anymore. The traditional public commons have been sold to the highest corporate bidders. Music is suffering and society is suffering too. Radio Retaliation is about an exodus of conscious people who are willing to acknowledge something is wrong with the ‘official version’ in news and culture. Therefore, we need to create our own channels," explains Hilton. The tone of the album underscores the freedom of expression that only independent outlets can provide in a society dominated by corporate sponsors and agendas. Garza and Hilton have long positioned themselves as fiercely independent voices within the music industry, successfully building their label over the past decade through continued belief that great music will find its audience – with or without US commercial radio assistance. “Unfortunately our daily experiences via mediated radio, print and televised programming are primarily the results of hype, propaganda, and calls to consume. From fake wars, fake celebrities, a fake political system - Rob and I checked out of it long ago,” Hilton says. “It’s more important to do something we truly believe in and let people experience it uncensored and real.” Washington DC has long been home to a music subculture legendary for strong, independent artists, a staunch do-it-yourself work ethic, and conscientious social activism. This was especially exemplified by genre-defining pioneers like indie punk rockers Bad Brains, Minor Threat and Fugazi. Likewise, although some may lazily pin Thievery Corporation as the soundtrack to their cocktail infused late night soiree, the duo have always drawn deep from the well of independent and confrontational music subculture their home town is known for, to produce an ever expanding globally conscious catalogue of music that is difficult to classify.

Few artists boast a wider appeal than Joan Jett. Beloved by punks, indie rockers, pop lovers, riot grrrls, metal heads, classic rockers, radicals and conservatives, she is 1) a genuine icon and an influential, trailblazing musician, going back to when she helped break down rock's gender barriers and helped pioneer punk music with her teenage band, The Runaways; 2) a genuine star, with no less than nine Top 40 hit singles and eight Platinum and Gold LPs; 3) a renaissance woman, actress on stage a... (more)nd screen, and knowledgeable and entertaining host of "Joan Jett's Radio Revolution" (which will be moving from Little Steven's Underground Garage Sirius Channel to Siruis's Faction (Channel 28)); and 4) a continually challenging artist, not content to rest on past laurels. All this and more comes together as Joan brings you her brand new album, SINNER, which is bound to delight and surprise even her biggest fans. On the one hand it's pure Jett, with chunky, kick-ass riffs, robust vocals, and catchy hooks on the likes of "Five", "Watersign", "Baby Blue" and "Tube Talkin" (all with Bikini Kill /Le Tigre's Kathleen Hanna) and A.C.D.C. It's the kind of music she's been known for since her smash hit "I Love Rock n' Roll" spent eight weeks at ..1 in 1982 and spurred 10 million sales of her LP by the same name. On the other hand, SINNER is a thrilling restatement of her original punk roots, on the boldly philosophical "Naked" and the provocative "Five". SINNER is, in short, a blasting, aggressive record.

First off a note of warning: Matt and Kim aren’t a typical band and this isn’t going to read like your average biography. For example, although Matt and Kim know they met while taking classes at Pratt Institute in New York, Kim’s not sure what year she graduated, let alone when they decided to start playing music as a two-piece. What they do know is that when Matt and Kim started out approximately four years ago, they had no idea how to play their respective instruments—a fact that makes... (more) the band’s success story almost as unique as their distinctive brand of synth-and-drums dance punk. After being forced to play their first show by a friend months after picking up their instruments, keyboardist/vocalist Matt Johnson and drummer/vocalist Kim Schifino played their first show as Matthew and Kimberly in October of 2004—and after slightly altering their name they spent the next year playing every chance they could get in their home base of Brooklyn. Along the way they also released an EP called To/From and started touring the United States non-stop, burning CDs in the van on the way to their self-booked shows and seemingly playing every art space and basement in the country. In 2006 the band released their self-titled debut—which was instantly embraced by critics and fans alike—and stayed on the road, performing at high profile events such as The Siren Music Festival and Lollapalooza. Okay, so now that the timeline is out of the way, let’s talk about the new album. For starters, Grand was recorded at Matt’s parents’ house in Vermont that Kim describes as “being near nothing and surrounded by three cow pastures.” Or as Matt says, “I had a friend from New York come up once and he was like ‘How did you even find out about college?’” In other words, it’s pretty desolate. However, Matt’s childhood bedroom—which was still covered with skateboarding posters and show flyers—ultimately turned out to be the ideal environment to record Grand. “While our album is different from our things in the past, it’s what I would have always done if we had the time and means to do it, which we did this time around,” Matt explains, adding that the band sporadically spent nine months on their new record as opposed to the nine days in which they recorded their debut. After the tracks were laid to tape the band returned to Brooklyn. “I would never record our whole album ourselves again,” he adds, “but it came out exactly how I wanted it to.”

The public has two different perceptions of Jimmy Eat World. One is the band known for the classic pop single “The Middle” -- the ubiquitous summer smash hit of 2002 and that propelled the 2001 album “Jimmy Eat World” (originally titled “Bleed American”) to multi-platinum status, as years of slogging it out under the radar were finally rewarded with sold out tours, an appearance on Saturday Night Live, an MTV Video Award nomination, invitations to tour with Green Day, Weezer and Blin... (more)k-182, and critical acclaim on year-end lists from Spin, Rolling Stone, USA Today, Blender and Alternative Press among others. The other is a band who made it the hard way and continues to do so: paying their dues, toiling for years outside the mainstream, releasing records on indie labels, building a dedicated fan base through incessant touring and by crafting albums like 1996’s formative “Static Prevails,” 1999’s “Clarity,” a pioneering record that resonated immediately with young listeners who wanted (read: needed) a little substance with their rock and roll, and 2004's "Futures," which featured the irresistible singles "Pain" and "Work" and marked the band's second taste of gold sales and year-end best lists. The pressure of successfully reconciling two such disparate images, making music that appeals to both constituents, has made lesser bands implode. Jimmy Eat World however has risen to the challenge, and for its new album “Chase This Light” the band regrouped in its native Arizona, built a home studio and methodically crafted the most emotionally and sonically expansive record of its 13-year career. “Our goal,” says singer, guitarist and principal songwriter Jim Adkins, “has always been to get songs to a place that is accessible without being insulting.”

The Temper Trap's story begins with Dougy. Bornin Indonesia andimmersed inan artistic andmusicalfamily, with some rich influencesfrom singing in church choirs with his aunty and uncle and listening to his dad, acountry music fan, play guitar. These influences evolved around Dougy,as he moved consistently from different islands in Indonesia, to Hawaii and then eventually to Australia. Dougyeventually ended up working atthe same retail store asToby. Dougy had thought of starting a band for yea... (more)rs and after a few months of boring work hours and finding out Toby was a drummer and a walking musical dictionary, the first band practice began,minus a bass player. In one of the coincedences that the band have come to rely on Jonny worked a couple of stores down and was called in. He had known Dougy for years,back in the busking days when dougy first arrived in melbourne. jonny, the 13 year old dreamer and son of a missionary,wanted to learn some guitar and dougy helped him out.A brotherly friendship was formed with some sense of common ground, both drawing life from music and their spritual upbringings, and unaware of the musical union which would be formed 6 years later. The three of them came together, practised like crazy and played some shows for a year.One, twoskip a few (guitarists),ninetynineLorenzo.An old school friend of Toby's, Lorenzo had been dancing around bands and playing guitar from the age of 12. They bonded over skateboarding, but it didn't take the 2 teenagers long to start jamming covers and writing primitive songs in the garage. Years down the track and in another perfect twistLorenzo's previous band called it a day just as the other tempers second guitarist departed and the band was formed. The Temper Trap, lead by frontman Dougy, have been writing and touring Australia, catching the ears of many, including world renowned producer Jim Abiss who made the journey to melbourne to assist the Temper Trap in delivering their debut record. With a series of epic new tracks set for release on their much anticipated debut album, the band has conquered adventurous new territory, building on their rich foundations in a natural progression. Legendary Artic Monkey's and Kasabian Producer Jim Abiss flew over to Melbourne to be at the helm. The Results of this brilliant new evolution in sound will persuasively draw you in. The Temper Trap have undeniably delivered.

"Formed in 2007 by Ima Robot frontman Alex Ebert after a brief period of existential crisis, cultish 11-piece indie rock outfit Edward Sharpe & the Magnetic Zeros draw their inspiration from the communal musical communities that peppered Southern California (specifically Laurel Canyon) with their positive vibrations during the '60s and early '70s. Employing a unique sound that brings to mind a not so subtle mix of Parliament, Polyphonic Spree, Bob Marley, and the Incredible String Band, the grou... (more)p released its debut EP, Here Comes, in May 2009 followed by the full-length Up from Below in July. " - James Christopher Monger, AllMusicGuide

"The music of Brooklyn's Yeasayer is an eclectic, genre-bending journey into pop, rock, Middle Eastern and African musics, folk, and dub. Vocalist/keyboardist Chris Keating and vocalist/guitarist Anand Wilder were both raised in Baltimore, where they honed their vocal skills in a barbershop quartet and played in a high-school band, Sic Transit, before leaving town to attend different colleges. Years later, the two relocated to New York and began shaping the project that would soon become Yeasaye... (more)r. Wilder's cousin, Ira Wolf Tuton, joined as the group's bassist, and drummer Luke Fasano was the last member to climb aboard in May 2006. The band set to work on recording its debut album, All Hour Cymbals, which was unveiled to much critical acclaim (not to mention a healthy blogosphere buzz) in October 2007. International tour dates and festival appearances followed, during which the band honed its blend of live instrumentation and prerecorded samples. When it came time to record a second album, Yeasayer traveled to Woodstock, NY, and rented out the country home of percussionist Jerry Marotta. The resulting record, Odd Blood, appeared in early 2010 and showcased a different side of the band, with synthetic sounds and dance-inspired production playing a much larger role." - Kenyon Hopkin, AllMusicGuide

Chromeo is P-Thugg and Dave 1: best friends since their adolescence, virtuoso musicians, walking hip hop encyclopedias, and the only successful Arab/Jew partnership since the dawn of human culture. After spending the three years since the release of their debut album, She’s In Control, jet setting, globetrotting, and embarking on an overall sensual conquest of planet Earth, Chromeo headed back to their Montreal lab to put together album number deux. The result, Fancy Footwork, is quite simp... (more)ly the most smoothed-out, hook-heavy, unabashed lovers’ funk since…Chromeo’s last album, actually. What makes this footwork so fancy, you ask? Step the fuck off and open your heart to the finest distillation of Minneapolis groove this side of Mazarati. Dave and Pee are back in the ‘07 to heal the fractured soul of dance music. Teenage lovers, 20 something blogpoders, 30 something burn-out ex-raver “graphic designers” and 40 something sistas can all finally party under one roof...and that roof has a name, AND that roof is on fire, and the only ones who can put out that funk-fire also happen to be the guys the roof is named after: CHROMEO. Does analog synth wizard P-Thugg still rock nightgown-sized DipSet t-shirts, talk through a keyboard, and have the thousand-yard stare of a well-practiced gangster? You bet he fucking does. Does vocalist and guitarist Dave 1 still dress like a French Lit professor from 1965? Can he still ask you to twerk without coming off like an imposter? You better believe he can. Chromeo is slick. Chromeo is dripping with reverb. Chromeo is Moog riffs, luxurious harmonies, macho guitar solos and real-deal songcraft. From the dancefloor-ready singles “Fancy Footwork” and “Tenderoni,” to the autobiographical Jew-boy ballad “Momma's Boy,” to the epic sax-laden album closer “100%,” Fancy Footwork rolls you through a sleek, melodic world where all you need to worry about is whether you’ve got your sunglasses on and the right moves to keep up. Remember the debate when Chromeo first came on the scene? The endless back and forth about whether those boys were joking or not? Well, Fancy Footwork will put any vestigial haters to sleep forever. There ain’t nothing “ironical” about this music. It’s Hall & Oates riding on 22’s, busting shots in the air with Quincy Jones driving. That shit ain’t funny.

"Part DJ, part producer, part label owner, and one half of the well known house music duo, Deep Dish, Sharam (born Sharam Tayebi) first hit the big time in his partnership with fellow DJ Ali "Dubfire" Shirazinia and their 1998 release Junk Science. Over the course of 15 plus years and even more equally successful releases, Deep Dish became a name to be reckoned with in the scene, and both Sharam's and Ali's stars rose higher and higher. Eventually founding their own Deep Dish label the two would... (more) go on to remix tracks for some of the world's biggest pop performers, including Madonna, Dido, and the Rolling Stones. As a solo artist, Sharam hit the big time in 2006 with his remix of the Eddie Murphy classic "Party All the Time." The track became ubiquitous at that year's Ibiza holiday season, and kindled a battle amongst larger labels to release the track internationally. Sharam counted a large number of awards for his work on his resume as well, winning a Grammy in 2002 (for Dido's "Thank You") and the Ibiza DJ award in 2004. He continued to pursue the business end of music running not only Deep Dish, but heading up (with Ali) Yoshitoshi Recordings and Shinichi Recordings. Throughout the busy schedule and numerous projects, both Ali and Sharam kept a consistent touring schedule, featuring in clubs all over the world." -Chris True, AllMusicGuide

"Maximum Balloon is the side project of producer/TV on the Radio founding member David Sitek. Sitek’s inspiration came after moving from New York to California; to help make the Golden State’s notoriously long commutes a little more pleasant, he made mixes of tracks by Prince, Cyndi Lauper, Chic, and other Nile Rodgers productions to listen to in his car, and their influence seeped into the tracks he was making. To match the eclectic feel of what he was recording, Sitek collaborated with se... (more)veral vocalists, including TVOTR’s Tunde Adebimpe and Kyp Malone, Little Dragon's Yukumi Nagano, Holly Miranda, and Dragons of Zynth's Aku. Aku sang Maximum Balloon's debut single “Tiger,” which was released via iTunes in June 2010 and received a memorable video treatment featuring model Daisy Lowe. Maximum Balloon's self-titled debut album arrived that August." - Heather Phares, AllMusicGuide

"Songwriter/producer Derek Miller and vocalist Alexis Krauss comprise Sleigh Bells, an experimental pop duo that began earning its first fans after a breakout performance at the 2009 CMJ Festival. The musicians formed the group in New York, where Miller (a Florida native and onetime member of hardcore act Poison the Well) had relocated in the hopes of starting a new project. He found his ideal partner in Krauss, a former vocalist for the teenaged girl group Rubyblue, and the two began creating ... (more)a batch of demos that combined pop hooks with loud, rhythmic crunch. The duo signed to M.I.A.'s boutique label N.E.E.T. and released its debut album, Treats, in 2010." - Andrew Leahey, AllMusicGuide

The name Wolfgang is synonymous with greatness. Name your baby Wolfgang, and he may grow up to be one of the world’s leading chefs, or a member of a seminal band like Kraftwerk or Van Halen. In keeping with that tradition, in less than three years the producer and DJ known as Wolfgang Gartner has gone from strength to strength, with eight #1 tracks on Beatport (including the site’s best-selling track of 2009) and remixes for A-list artists (Black Eyed Peas, Timbaland, Britney Spears), all la... (more)uded by peers such as David Guetta, Tïesto, and Pete Tong. No, with the forename Wolfgang, Gartner’s success shouldn’t surprise anyone. And yet it does. Because that is his stock in trade: surprising listeners. “Right now, I feel like I have a responsibility to advance the genre,” he says. “I have to come up with something completely new, that’s never been done before.” Just study a couple of Gartner’s smashes to understand how rapidly his game keeps changing. The melody of “Undertaker” is composed from an encyclopedia array of electronic timbres, chopped into succinct, rapid-fire bits, yet solid hooks anchor the whole track; while the record is instantly recognizable, it packs so much information into its grooves it’s impossible for the brain to become overly-familiar with it. “Firepower” opens with a neo-classical melody, gives way to a brief passage of glistening arpeggios reminiscent of Vangelis or Tangerine Dream, then throws down an array of beats that explode in patterned bursts like Chinese New Year. Yet Gartner isn’t simply an underground sensation. He has played before thousands at events like Coachella and Ultra Music Festival. Black Eyed Peas main man will.i.am has already tapped him for collaborations, and legendary record executive Jimmy Iovine—who has nurtured the careers of icons ranging from Eminem to Stevie Nicks—has displayed a strong interest in Gartner. The number of requests he gets to remix other artists’ tracks has reached a point where he elects to decline ninety-nine percent of them (“I generally only work with artists for whom I have great respect and admiration”).

"Irrereverent Berlin-based techno cut-ups Modeselektor — producers Gernot Bronsert and Sebastian Szary — were known as Fundamental Knowledge from their 1992 formation until 1996, when the change of name was made. They connected with Ellen Allien's Bpitch Control label, initiating a series of 12" releases in 2002, which culminated in 2005's full-length Hello Mom! As their visibility increased with each release and live performance, they began to take on a heavier load of remix work, including... (more) mixes for several labelmates (Allien, Smash TV, TimTim, Paul Kalkbrenner), as well as Miss Kittin, Knifehandchop, My Robot Friend, and Ninjaman. Second album Happy Birthday! was released in 2007, featuring guest spots from Radiohead's Thom Yorke, Maxïmo Park, and Rhythm & Sound collaborator Paul St. Hilaire. A contribution to Bpitch Control's Boogybytes series of mix albums preceded the album by a few months." -Andy Kellman, AllMusicGuide

"The blurry electronic pop project of an initially anonymous composer from Brooklyn and video artist from Austin, TX, Neon Indian was conceived as a multimedia experience combining their music and video into short films, teasers, and straight-up pop songs. Though Neon Indian released the No Way Down EP in 2008, the buzz around the pair didn't really start until spring 2009, when the songs "Should've Taken Acid with You" and "6699 (I Don't Know if You Know)" were posted and praised by indie blog... (more)s. A few months later, the songs "Deadbeat Summer" and "Terminally Chill" received similar treatment, and that summer, the identities of Neon Indian's members were revealed: Alan Palomo, formerly of the band Ghosthustler and also of the one-man electro project VEGA, was behind the music, while video artist Alicia Scardetta provided visuals. The pair's collaboration dated back to Palomo and Scardetta's time on their high school literary magazine, and Palomo wrote "Should've Taken Acid with You" about their friendship. Their EP Psychic Chasms was released in fall 2009. " - Heather Phares, AllMusicGuide

Troy 'Trombone Shorty' Andrews' new album, Backatown (Verve Forecast April 20), is the work of a rare artist who can draw both the unqualified respect of jazz legends and deliver a high-energy rock show capable of mesmerizing international rock stars and audiences alike. With such an unprecedented mix of rock, funk, jazz, hip-hop and soul, he had to create his own name to describe his signature sound: Supafunkrock! Andrews is the kind of player who comes along maybe once in a generation, and Bac... (more)katown is the latest, clearest proof that his artistry is as singular as his raw talent. The album title comes from the locals' term for the area of New Orleans that includes the Tremé [pronounced Tre-MAY] neighborhood in the city's 6th Ward, where Troy was born and raised - getting his nickname at four years old when he was observed by his older brother James marching in a street parade wielding a trombone twice as long as the kid was high. The cultural backdrop of the Tremé - the oldest black neighborhood in the U.S. - is at the very root of Troy's music, on top of which he's built his own sound. The streetwise, gritty feel of the term underscores the difference between the stereotype of the New Orleans jazz musician and what this audacious young artist and his cohorts are going for, and pulling off.