In the Chemical Brothers' "Salmon Dance"/Isley Brothers' "Footsteps In the Dark"-sampling track by Daedalus, Taz of Sa-Ra comments, "____ what your mama say/Imma vote Obama way/We hood/We votin'/And throwin' it up" - in style, of course. "Vote Obama" by TISA

LA electronic-pop duo Bitter:Sweet's sophomore album Drama is out today (via Quango) on iTunes and at your local Starbucks. If you've seen NBC's Lipstick Jungle, you've already heard the first single "The Bomb" (it's the intro theme). Said to be on the organic side of the musical spectrum, the record is firmly steeped in pop, accompanied by rich textures and lovable rhythms. Their debut The Mating Game includes tunes that have been featured on Grey's Anatomy, Nip/Tuck,...

Photo of ?uestlove and Black Thought at Sutra © Michael July, Natural Light Studio This week, I'm summoning my awesome power as an online columnist and declaring Chin Chin your new favorite band. You kids pouting over the loss of Jamiroquai's squirrelly baselines, buck up. And those who wish they could understand the cheeky lyrics that pepper the slinky disco of Los Amigos Invisibles , calm down. Chin Chin is here with a boatload of...

If you made it down to Giant Step's 7th Monday evening party at Hudson on May 5th, you were treated to a heavy dose of Louie Vega jams. If you weren't able to make it or would just like to relive the night, we have an 80-minute recording for your aural pleasure, exclusively on the Giant Step jukebox . View photos from the event here .

Take The Giant Step Survey - Get Free Downloads It's that time of year again when we get the opportunity to learn more about our community. We do get the chance to see and hear from some of you at our events and parties, and through emails and on our forums, but the annual survey gives us a better insight into who we are trying to serve. Your feedback and opinions are crucial to us as we're constantly striving to bring you the best in what's new. So, thanks once again for being...

Photo © Collin LaFleche You know that part in The Wiz when Evelline dies and all the workers unzip their fug suits and reveal themselves to be finely crafted specimens of muscular excellence swathed in cherubic linen? That's how I felt this weekend. The sun finally dropped its deadbeat ways and while picking out miniskirts on Sunday, I felt like a liberated Oz worker. The journey to freedom started with an acoustic set...

Last week kicked off with another blessed Hudson Hotel jump-off featuring Jo Jo Flores . The Montreal-based DJ launched into a very capable set that included sparkly disco and deep house gems that put the shine in Michael Jackson's pre- Off The Wall era jheri curl. Plus, DJs with dimples make the world go around. Photo ©

An astounding crossbreed of Flamenco and electronic music, Spain's most international group Chambao is set to play live at The Fillmore Miami Beach at Jackie Gleason Theater this Saturday, May 3rd. La Mari, the voice and soul of Chambao, toured the world with the group for 2 and a half years after their last album Pokito a poko went platinum in their home country, spent 70 weeks in the charts, and was released in more than 20 countries. Her duet with Ricky Martin “Tu Recuerdo”...

Warp Records' electronic/soul sensation Jamie Lidell has a new video for his next single "Another Day," the first track off of his forthcoming Jim full length (out next week Tuesday!). Directed by Timothy Saccenti, the music video boasts Jamie in a dashing white suit, bringing lovely girls to their senses with his magical melodies and vocals. Don't forget: Jamie's headlining our Central Park SummerStage event Sunday, August 3rd. More details

Old School veterans (A Tribe Called Quest, Nas, Mos Def) and new school, urban acts (Flosstradamus, Kid Sister, The Cool Kids) join up for another Rock The Bells summer spectacular. The tour begins July 19th in Chicago with additional dates in the UK and Japan TBA. "Our thought is that we always want to put together a well-rounded bill that represents a lot of different facets of live hip-hop," says founder and organizer Chang Weisberg. Lineup A Tribe Called Quest Nas...