Electronic Dance Music is spreading faster than Skrillex can drop the beat – from Deadmau5 on the cover of Rolling Stone to Kaskade’s sold-out performance at the Staples Center earlier last week, we just can’t get enough of the infectious, upbeat sound.  Since bouncing to the electronic beat is one of my favorite things in the world – besides a good bottle of champagne, that is – let me share with you who I think are the top five major players in the EDM scene today.

Dada Life

This Swedish duo is wildly popular, partially because their high-energy live sets include big blow-up bananas and champagne bottles.  Reported to have met at a chili cook-off in Sweden, the two are constantly inspiring each other, producing music that is full of trailblazing new beats as well as remixes and mashups.  What inspired the dynamic duo to succeed in the world of EDM?  Their own life philosophy, of course: “destroy dance music and have fun.  Do the dada.”  Headlining at both Ultra and Electric Daisy Carnival, Dada Life’s best advice about one of their shows?  Don’t bring your brain to a rave.

Bassnectar

Otherwise known as Lorin Ashton, the California native has exploded on the music scene with his signature dubstep sound.  Known to have no formal music training and very little understanding of music theory, Ashton fell in love with the rave scene after attending his first rave in 1995 – he was touched by the sense of community and energy he felt.  His music is ever-changing, some of which is infused with a socio-political sentiment advocating for free press and true media.  His activism in the community has led to a cult following of “bass heads” that follow him to Lollapalooza, Electric Daisy carnival, and Cochella.

Steve Aoki

Founder of Dim Mak Records, Aoki got two college degrees – one in women’s studies and the other in sociology – before deciding to take his underground concerts into the main stream.  A clothing line, signature headphones, and co-ownership in two Los Angeles restaurants add a little entrepreneurial flavor to his electro-house beats.  Watch for Aoki at North Coast Music Festival and Ultra, and stand in the front row if you want a sheet cake thrown in your face, one of the defining aspects of his live sets.

Dillon Francis

Collaborating with Calvin Harris, Nero, Flux Pavillion, Zedd, and Kill the Noise, Francis is American-born DJ that takes EDM back to its roots.  With a larger-than-life Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram personality, his Wet and Reckless tour propelled him to the top of the EDM charts, placing his music in high demand both in the UK and the US.  Despite his increasing popularity, Francis is known to tell fans, “I.D.G.A.F.O.S.”  Want to know what it means?  Google it!

Wolfgang Gartner

Joey Youngman, singed with both Ultra Records and Ministry of Sound in the United Kingdom is another of EDM’s key players.  Watch for Gartner at the Sasquatch! Music Festival, Cochella, and the Global Dance Festival.  Although his music is considered electro-house, he has collaborated with Deadmau5, Skrillex, and will.i.am, giving him unique sound with a far-reaching fan base.

Crisp chills are starting to fill the air as the nostalgic feeling that autumn brings sets in. Thoughts of summers love and hot nights all become clear. Polish dj/producer PiMO and American vocalist John Webb the international duo "Thrill Kill" are back bringing summers reflection to light in their new ep release “Summer Tales” Due out on October 2nd 2012.

Featuring fresh new tracks entitled “The Dance” and “How to Work” Thrill Kill adds some color to their sound with guest vocals and guitar provided by the sultry Rachel May. “Summer Tales” Is sure to bring exactly what PiMO and Webb always deliver sexy, dance driven tracks with a whole lot of bang.

How To Work (original mix)

The Dance (original mix)

We all knew that a Mercedes SLS AMG Electric Drive supercar was in the pipeline, but what we didn't know was that it would boast 740 horsepower and 738ft-lbs of torque. That's an astounding 177hp and 259ft-lbs more than the 6.2L gasoline engine.

Charging will either take 20 hours from a regular wall socket, or three from a custom speed charging unit. While the added weight of that battery is certainly not good for handling, Mercedes opted to lighten the car significantly using carbon fiber and aluminum in an attempt to make up for it.

Check out the video and pictures below!

Here’s a cut from Brooklyn dance producer Physical Therapy, a shifty banger that’s brimming over with positive energy. It also features soaring vocal work from Jamie Krasner and it’s definitely another example of the continuing re-emergence of posi dance music. Listen to Physical Therapy's "Drone On" below.

Madonna has already flashed crowds twice during her MDNA Tour, but this might be the most exposed she's been yet. According to InTouch Weekly, Madonna's tour rider would probably make David Lee Roth cry about pop-star excess gone rogue.

Per the tabloid, the Queen of Pop reportedly requires everything from 20 international phone lines to "light-pink roses that have stems trimmed to precisely six inches." Her 200-person entourage apparently includes a yoga instructor, a dry cleaner and 30 bodyguards.

"Madonna has probably the longest list of requirements of any of the world’s music stars," an unnamed source told The Daily Star (via The Daily Mail). "She expects things to be just right or it puts her off her stage show."

About that stage show: during a tour stop in Istanbul on June 7, Madonna flashed her right nipple to the adoring crowd. Then on June 12, while performing in Rome, Madonna pulled down her pants to reveal a black thong.

The 53-year-old singer will continue to trek through Europe this summer. The MDNA Tour makes its North American debut on Aug. 28 in Philadelphia. Workers at the Wells Fargo Center should start stocking up on brown M&Ms right ... now.

Read the Full Story at Huffington Post

The inaugural "New York" edition of Electric Daisy Carnival, the nation's biggest electronic dance music (EDM) festival series, touched down at the Meadowlands in New Jersey on Friday.

Dance music festival are more commonly referred to as raves, but that word -- with its underground connotations -- feels disingenuous in an era dominated by organized, expensive events. Insomniac, the company behind EDC, says nearly 100,000 people attended the three-day event. In addition to the New York and Las Vegas EDC's (the latter is expected to draw over 300,000 revelers), music fans can check out Electric Zoo in New York, Together As One in Los Angeles, Ultra Music Festival in Miami and plenty of others.

The usual suspects were on hand at EDC this year -- heavy hitters Armin van Buuren, Avicii and Afrojack anchored the lineups on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, respectively, and other DJ's, including veteran Carl Cox, occupied smaller stages. Notably, a voter registration (Spin the Vote!) was also included as part of the fun.

For those who weren't able to make it out to Met Life Stadium, here's a list of the sights and sounds that only an electronic dance music festival can provide:

1. Bed bug bite marks proudly on display on extremely well-toned shoulders and backs.

2. Chest tattoos that consist solely of the word "Family," albeit in a variety of fonts.

3. White males with Tupac's "THUG LIFE" tattoo re-imagined on their own stomachs. (Really.)

4. Women wearing sunglasses with the words "BASS WHORE" painted on the lenses.

5. Half-naked young men giving each other high-fives over and over and over again.

6. People who stop dancing rabidly to use some Halls and/or Vicks products.

7. Related: Grown women and men with pacifiers in their mouths.

8. Tens of thousands of people jumping at the very same time.

9. Paris Hilton, being appreciated. (Hilton is dating Afrojack, and though she wasn't at EDC New York, she often makes an appearance at one of his sets, generally to the great pleasure of the audience.)

10. Happy people, dancing happily without a hint of cynicism.

BONUS: A few things you'll see both at EDM festivals and inside any bar in America: People screaming along to Gotye's "Somebody That I Used to Know," men and women dancing while staring at each other through the corners of their eyes, people viewing life through the prism of an iPhone screen.

See more photos and read the full story at Huffington Post