The English quartet Late of the Pier are among their homeland's best, brightest young hopes, with all the high cheekbones and music press praise that usually entails. But don't mistake them for one of the dour, fedora-ed Brit indie groups of recent years. This band makes fun music for the kids full of herky-jerky rhythms and off-kilter synth stabs with a glam, chrome glaze. "The emerging scene in the U.K. at the moment is this way of thinking of just trying to be a little different," says 21-yea
Andy Butler, the cunning mind behind Hercules and Love Affair, is a champion of saucy, sweaty disco and house, and his DJ sets reflect this focused style. The group's self-titled record was easily one of the biggest exclamation points in dance music's lexicon last year. Alongside singers Nomi and Kim Ann Foxman and beats by the DFA's Tim Goldsworthy, Butler's productions shine with a mirror ball's sparkle. The sense of a man on a mission is completed with his own theme song, "Hercules Theme." St
Justin NamonBoys Noize being a little shy at Louis.Yes, I'm not going to be very popular by saying this, but Day 1 of Ultra Music Festival sucked. Perhaps it was the nerve of organizers scheduling Santigold for a 5 p.m. performance slot (WTF?), or Bloc Party canceling, or perhaps LMFAO taking the stage during the Black Eyed Peas performance to cement what is certain to be their one-hit wonder status by singing "I'm in Miami, Bitch!" Everything was bad -- really bad!The only real highlight for me
