The '90's produced the best stuff known to man. I mean, who doesn't wax nostalgic over Girbaud jeans, color-blocked windbreakers, and old episodes of Saved By the Bell? That shit was so awesome.

You know who else thinks '90's nostalgia is awesome? The boys -- rather, real live men -- from the late-'90s boy band 98 Degrees. You know, the one with Nick Lachey, the guy who was once married to Jessica Simpson?

Yeah, those dudes. They've reunited, are on tour and belting out those old hits like "I Do" and "Invisible Man." Oh, and they are even assaulting us with a new album. You can thank New Kids On The Block for this entire situation, since they're touring with 98 Degrees and Boyz II Men. That tour, dubbed "The Package," pulls into Toyota Center June 27.

More »

Photo by b@nfy via Flickr

What Texans are Missing: A shot from Cali's Nocturnal Wonderland last September.

For three consecutive years, Apache Pass near the Central Texas town of Rockdale has been the home of Nocturnal Wonderland, a multi-day electronic dance music festival that Texas EDM fans have counted on to kick off their EDM festival season.

The season is largely driven by L.A.-based supergiant promoters Insomniac Events, the company responsible for the lion's share of today's largest EDM festivals across the country, including Nocturnal Wonderland. But last Monday, Insomniac head Pasquale Rotella regretfully announced via Twitter that there would be no Nocturnal Wonderland Texas 2013. Despite the success of the previous Nocturnal Wonderlands held in Apache Pass, no reasons were given to fans to explain the cancellation.

More »

Thanks, Internet, for all you do.

Although dozens of EDM subgenres are brain candy to me, I haven't personally given in to the auditory assault that is dubstep (mostly... maybe). However, I'm here to say that there is actual science to appreciate behind the work of Skrillex and many others.

If you think about it, many people argue over EDM's relative worth as much as they once debated (or even still do) the merits of rap music, pop hits or rock and roll. Somebody out there is trying to quantify polka and reggae too, simultaneously.

Regardless, EDM is a growing genre. It's the music of the future, literally. It's made with machines and robotic things that make silver-plated noises. But electric guitars, sitars, mandolins and banjos also all make sounds that involve a combination of integrated technology and talent.

More »

All photos by Jacob Katel

Welcome to Twerklandia.

Getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha, getcha freak on!

We all know that there are lots of ways to become immortalized at a massive outdoor music gathering like Ultra Music Festival. 

Say, humping a tree. Or dancing naked while getting arrested.

But yo' momma would probably prefer if you lived forever among these top ten twerking, Harlem Shake-ing ravers at Ultra 2013 in animated GIF!

More »

Ed. Note: This post comes to us from our friends at Crossfade, the music blog at sister weekly Miami New Times.

Photo by Victor Gonzalez

Miami's Ultra Music Festival is a zoo.

From land sharks to killer whales, pink flamingos to African zebras, UMF 2013 is starting to feel a lot like a World Wildlife Foundation fundraiser, complete with endangered species and cuddly critters.

Sure, they're inflatable. But try explaining that to someone rolling face. After all, it was in downtown Miami where a young woman dry-humped a tree before ultimately slapping it for reasons unknown last year during Ultra.

Attention, ravers: The inflatable chimp won't hurt you! He is your friend. He loves you. He loves everybody.

Check out some of our favorite inflatable props at Ultra 2013.

More »

Tumblr

Ooh, Beyoncé! I see your potty mouth, and I kinda like it.

Sunday evening, Queen B released a new song on Tumblr, "Bow Down/I Been Down," and there's a mass hysteria a-flowin' from the general public over it, as one would expect. It's freakin' Beyoncé.

I mean, who doesn't love themselves a new Bey track? Well, apparently in this case, a lot of folks.

More »

Ed Schipul/Creative Commons

I'm not sure who thought to film the fabulous display of parenting that is documented in the video below, but after watching this hot mess for exactly two minutes and 39 seconds, I've decided there's nothing quite as disturbing as a six-year-old rapping about how he can make my "booty pop."

I refuse to list everything wrong with this equation, because I don't want to end up on a list somewhere.

It's a rare day when I can simply let the "booty pop" challenge fizzle and die, but on this one, I just can't. I mean, I like to pop my booty as much as the next white girl, but there's something utterly illegal about accepting this challenge from a kindergarten child.

More »

Photo by Son Lam.

Skrillex, when dubstep was cool, circa 2011.

Mainstream music has a history of taking musical genres, smoothing out the rough edges and turning them into something easily digestible to the masses. Punk rock went from being the music of rebellion to the music of crying about failed relationships, and rappers went from rapping about what was happening in the streets to rapping make-believe stories of violence and drug running.

For the last two years, much has been written about the rise of EDM, and dubstep in particular. While dubstep was never threatening or edgy in the way that punk and hip-hop were, there was a certain hardcore bent to it that was exciting. It was aggressively modern, the perfect music for our ADHD culture.

I'm speaking about it in past tense because we have to face the fact that mainstream music has had its way with dubstep, and the results aren't pretty.

Dubstep isn't dead, it's just completely toothless.

More »

Photo by Son Lam

Every. Saturday. Ever.

Rather than slowly work my way up to my point I'm going to cut to the chase: over the next few hundred words, I'm going to make a case for why EDM shows are better than rock concerts. This statement will be viewed as heretical by many of you, especially those who refuse to believe that these button-pushers can compete with live music.

A year ago, I absolutely would have agreed with you. In fact, I'm still one of you. I'll be the first to admit there's a certain soul in live music that few DJs can conjure.

But live music is only one part of going to a concert. It's the most important part, but it doesn't always make up for the other parts of the concertgoing experience that are awful.

This isn't about the genre wars or button-pushing versus guitar-shredding. This is about the things that EDM shows get right that rock shows rarely do.

More »

Every year thousands of songs get released, most of them fairly forgettable. The tracks you forget could fill countless hard drives, but it's all worth it to find that handful of really great songs.

If a song is really good -- if it just knocks your socks off the first time you hear it -- it may end up becoming a part of the greater canon of a genre, one of those timeless tracks you always remember.

Like any other genre, EDM has its canon classics, songs that always get a dance floor moving. Benny Benassi's "Satisfaction," for example, turns 10 in 2013, and DJs still throw it on because people still love it a decade later.

There was a lot to love in EDM in 2012, but it would be foolish to say in the heat of the moment which tracks are destined to become long term classics. So instead let's keep it simple: What songs from the previous 12 months will make the leap in to 2013?

More »