Dragonette
Best known for their infectious smash hit “Hello” in collaboration with French DJ Martin Solveig, Dragonette’s high-energy synth-pop is backed by the glamour-drenched vocals of Martina Sorbara.

The Toronto band is set to release their highly anticipated third album, Bodyparts, this September. The group has toured with Duran Duran, New Order, and the Sugababes, and collaborated on hits with Basement Jaxx, Cyndi Lauper, and Kaskade.

Their music has been featured on Grey’s Anatomy, The Hills, Gossip Girl, and The Vampire Diaries and ads for Toyota, Macy’s, Trident and Sony Playstation. Look for Dragonette to infuse their live performances with punk rock sensibility and fashion-forward style.

Two Fresh
Combining an array of influences and a diverse musical background, Two Fresh’s sound is difficult to describe but impossible to ignore. Built on a foundation of instrumental hip hop, twin brothers Kendrick and Sherwyn Nicholls’ music seamlessly incorporates elements of sampling, a tight low end and catchy synth lines, with a strong beat always at the cornerstone.

R. Ring
R. Ring is Kelley Deal and Mike Montgomery. It is voices, guitars and keys. It is sparse, chaotic, abrasive and lulling, often within the same song. It is new. It is, at the very least, a stark departure from the music they make in their other bands (Kelley with The Breeders and Mike with Ampline.)

Helado Negro
Under the name Helado Negro, Roberto Carlos Lange crafts moody, experimental electro-folk heavily influenced by the ambiance and lush aesthetics of his native South Florida’s Latin culture. Lange is a frequent collaborator with Guillermo Scott Herren, better known as Prefuse 73, and is also a member of music group Savath y Savalas.

The Knocks (Live)
Everyone can now make music. The increasing access to music related technology and the liquid flow of music and information is a blessing to aspiring musicians, but a curse to those who have to sift through the terrible mash-ups and tunes in order to find quality music. Based out of New York City’s Lower East Side, The Knocks are taking a stand and reclaiming good music for all. The Knocks – Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “Jpatt” Patterson – have produced original material and remixes for Katy Perry, Britney Spears, Marina & the Diamonds, M83 and now their own music, including “Make It Better” and “Dancing with the DJ” and are known for their explosive live performances.

 

Secret Panda Society

This production duo brings a relentless assault of bass that keeps the dance floor hyped until the set is over. The talent and creativity of Rob Stern and Joe Benny, aka the Secret Panda Society, ensures that no song is safe from being morphed into a dance floor destroying bass drop. So load up on bamboo, put your panda mask on, and get ready to make a jailbreak from the EDM Zoo. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.

 

Matuto

Imagine the sound of a Brazilian Carnaval in the Appalachian Mountains. An official selection of Womex 2011, Matuto (“bumpkin” in Brazilian slang) moves with two-stepping grace between bluegrass and forro, between swamp rock and maracatu, between surf guitar shimmies and the wah-wah of the berimbau.

 

1,2,3

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently described Pittsburgh break-out band 1,2,3 like this: “The group — composed of vocalist/songwriter/guitarist Nic Snyder and percussionist/everything else performer Josh Sickels — … incorporates an arcing range of influences and styles … pulling from the classic psychedelia of The Beatles to the more recent ambient confusion of Animal Collective, and mixing washed over, surfy walls of sound with Mr. Snyder’s dreamy but sincere lyrics.”