EARGASMIC

Punk veterans, The Used, took their Vulnerable tour to Irving Plaza on Monday night, becoming the new definition of the word "energy."

Lead singer Bert McCracken was the poster child for Adderall; running around stage, spontaneously jumping up and down, waving his arms and still managing to sound on point. Even if someone wasn't in one of the several mosh pits that broke out, they were undoubtedly exhausted from just simply watching him. The energy in the room could have beat out an entire day at Warped Tour. The Used perfectly played their way through an almost two hour set jammed with older tracks and newer ones; proving they know how to keep those original fans happy. The band didn't skip a beat with any of the tracks, playing at least four songs from each album and ending with "Box Full of Sharp Objects." It should also be said that bands need a lot of fan staying power to be around as long as The Used have and it's clear they're aware of that. Fan appreciation matched the live energy, with Bert pausing the set to bring one lucky fan up for "Blue and Yellow." Unfortunately, security had other plans. It's safe to say that fan was probably okay with just the kiss on the lips Bert gave him. The Used have been at this for over 10 years, and it's safe to say they've got enough in them to go for at least 20 more. Photos courtesy of Dani Renee, Buzznet

Electric Zoo may think it has the market cornered for Labor Day Weekend festivities, but music mogul Jay-Z has other plans in mind. Last week, the rapper/producer announced his Made in America multi-genre music festival for the same weekend, to take place on the Ben Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. And with a lineup ranging from classic rock to electronic, what other place would be fit to host the festival besides the “City of Brotherly Love.”

Phase one of the lineup boasts an impressively eclectic group of artists to perform alongside curator and headliner Jay-Z, including Pearl Jam, Rick Ross, Skrillex, Wale, Afrojack, Passion Pit, The Knocks, Savoy and more.

Insomniac understands electronic music. The concert production company has spent the last two decades bringing EDM to new popularity heights with festivals across the country, including their iconic music-festival-meets-amusement-park Electric Daisy Carnival.

Born in 2007 as a one-day festival in Southern California, Electric Daisy Carnival offers house heads a chance to see their favorite DJs whilst riding ferris wheels, bumper cars, carousels and more.

Since its creation, the festival has grown exponentially in size, traveling from coast to coast with stops in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Dallas, Orlando, and most recently last weekend when it debuted at MetLife Stadium for EDC New York.

Azealia Banks - Jumanji

Prepping for the release of her debut album 1991, Banks released another track this week, laying to rest any doubts of her abilities. With a killer beat by Hudson Mohawke and Nick Hook, the track is as fresh as it is familiar. Banks also lays it down, and with authority. The only thing that can make this track any better is the music video.

In Los Angeles it's hard to cypher through the talented and the unfortunately talentless. Everyone claims to have the skills to make it to the big time, but let's be honest, in this day and age everyone thinks they can DJ. This is not the case for LA's newest young talent Agendas, who is a producer/ singer/ drummer/ guitarist/etc. The artist, formerly known as Jake Weary, has proven through his eclectic and exciting sound that he is a truly talented musician. Hailing from Montclair, New Jersey, Agendas has been working hard to produce top notch tunes. He released his self titled EP in April 2011. Yes, he is from New Jersey but before your mind wanders to the Jersey Shore buffoons, think twice, you won't be seeing a bundle of Bros obnoxiously fist pumping on the dance floor. This artist keeps his beats classy.

Beatboxing is an art form that has gone through some serious phases over its 30+ year history. At times mocked, at times revered, the singular drive to create beats and music using nothing but one's vocal power and a microphone is seemingly alive and well in the world today. This makes sense, of course, due to the huge upsurgence of beat and groove oriented EDM tracks that are all the rage today. This makes the case for the intrinsic link between the popularity of beatboxing and the popularity of 'beat' music, be that hip hop or house....

Who am I kidding? Beatboxing always has been and always will be awesome. Kid Lucky, legendary beat musician and curator of this year's American Human Beatbox Festival, has been at it for almost thirty years now, a testament to its timeless nature. This year's festival features some of the brightest young stars in the beatboxing world as well as a bunch of the older stalwarts(Kid Lucky included).

When it comes to worldwide DJ rankings, DJ Mag’s "Top 100 DJs" list is king. The be all end all of the electronic music industry, the list is voted on by the public and published once a year in November. And if you didn’t make the cut, you’re simply not relevant this year.

While the wide-ranging list encompasses DJs from all sects of the EDM world, it fails to include one thing - women. Not one female DJ made the list this year. In fact, Claudia Cazacu is the only women to make the list since 2007, earning her spot as number 93. In a scene that’s fairly equi-gender when it comes to the fan base, I really have to wonder, what gives? Where are the female DJs?

I’m an admitted music snob. I have to be the first one to find the next big DJ, to download the newest releases, to call it when a song’s about to explode. And being both first and correct when it comes to electronic music is no easy task. I set aside at least an hour each day browsing different downloading sites, listening to previews, and carefully selecting songs that make it into my pregame playlists.

While I bask in the glory of introducing songs to my friends first, I’m the last person who will share my sources. I’ve worked diligently to find the best musical downloading databases, and my lips have always been sealed when it comes to downloading and telling. But today, I’m going to let you readers in on my secrets, because I’ve realized it’s more important to share the musical love than keep it bottled up.

The United States may have been about a decade late jumping on the electronic music bandwagon, but in typical American fad-obsessing fashion, we are flinging ourselves face-first into the movement.

As evidenced by a flurry of electronic music festivals including sold-out Ultra Music Festival and last week’s Coachella, Americans have finally caught the EDM fever. Festival-veterans may think they’ve seen it all, from stage-wide LED lighting, to confetti and fog blasting machines, to even the latest Tupac hologram that debuted at Coachella. But no domestic festival has prepared Americans for this coming October, when European EDM festival “Sensation White” will finally make a name for itself in America.

John Peel may very well be the most important/signifigant/cool DJ and critic that has ever lived. After almost forty years at the BBC, Peel has championed some of the most influential and legendary bands that have ever existed. With a seemingly unfaltering taste and keen ear, Peel has paved the way for some of the biggest musical movements for decades.

Peel passed away in 2004 at the age of 65, landing a serious blow to music fans the world over.

Fortunately, tomorrow marks the unveiling of a project called thespace. Sheila Ravenscroft, Peel's widow, has made possible the curating and exhibition of some of the most important parts of Peels unfathomably extensive record collection, consisting of over 65,000 pieces. Starting tomorrow, thespace will unveil 2,600 of Peels most interesting and important albums, which comes out to about 100 per week. This serves as a personal and historically significant look into the collection of a man who tirelessly promoted and broadcast music that he felt was relevant and exciting. Fortunately for us, we thought it was relevant and exciting as well.