Tron 2 scored by Daft Punk

Daft Punk, the French electronica duo known for their robot personas, have been tapped by Walt Disney Pictures to compose the score for "TR2N", an update of the studio's 1982 science fiction classic "Tron", Billboard has confirmed.

The film, currently in production, is tentatively scheduled for a 2011 release.

The "TR2N" score marks Daft Punk's first foray into the studio since 2005's "Human After All." After an extended hiatus, the duo reemerged in 2007 for an extensive world tour, spawning the Grammy-wining live set "Alive 2007." The group's 2001 track "Harder Better Faster Stronger" was adapted by Kanye West for his single "Stronger," and the pair appeared on the 2008 Grammy Awards with the rapper.

The musicians, Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas Bangalter split their time between Paris and Los Angeles, where they have have assembled a new recording studio for the TR2N project.

Diddys WMC Main Event

Hip-hop mogul P Diddy will make return to Miami's Cameo club at this year's WMC along with Felix Da Housecat.

Diddy memorably shouted "This party is not for commercial dance music muthaf*%kas!" in a promo video before his 2008 "The Main Event" show, which saw Diddy host Claude VonStroke, Steve Angello and The Martinez Brothers. This year, though, he's set to return to his dance music roots with the production brains behind his brief move into house music, Felix Da Housecat.

The event is set to be hosted—whatever that means—by super-producer Nellee Hooper, Musik's Ralph Moore and Jessica Rosenblum and while reviews of last year's event were mixed, you never quite know what Diddy's got up his sleeve. Expect the unexpected.

Fatboy Slim is drying up

(Brighton, UK) - Fatboy Slim has entered rehab last Monday in order to overcome his alcohol addiction. The 45-year old UK DJ/producer, who is known to be a heavy drinker, has stated that professional help is the only way for him to beat the bottle.

He admitted that he is a sucker for alcohol: 'Sometimes it feels a little undignified but I never seem to get tired of getting drunk. I've tried going on stage sober and it wasn't much fun. There's a certain bravado involved in what I do. ' Fatboy's manager Gary Blackburn that he has gone in voluntarily to sort out his drinking problem. Norman Cook (Fatboy Slim) was rumoured to have entered rehab in 2002 for his alcohol dependency, although this has always been denied by himself.

Fatboy Slim, real name Norman Cook, is among the biggest artists to have emerged from the UK dance scene during the 90s. He has been celebrating worldwide success with numerous hit singles such as The Rockefeller Skank, Praise You and Right Here, Right Now. Next to touring the world as a DJ, Norman also runs his own label Southern Fried. 2008 saw Norman dropping his Fatboy Slim moniker to focus on his new project The Brighton Port Authority, or The BPA.

The Crystal Method Talks Album Details, Matisyahu Collaboration, Bush in Video Interview

The Crystal Method is back. The duo has an LP called Divided By Night that’s set for a May 12 release. The first single, “Drown in the Now,” features Matisyahu, who the duo met at a festival last year in which he wrote an impromptu rap and performed it to The Crystal Method’s “High Roller” on stage. They describe that and more in the video interview with Threadless. The Crystal Method will play it’s first live gig in five years this April at Coachella.

Check out the Video Interview after the jump.

Chromeo performs "Nice and Clean" on Yo Gabba Gabba

We let you know a few months back when we heard that Chromeo was doing a Yo Gabba Gabba show. Now it's time to check it out!

A new episode of Yo Gabba Gabba! called “Clean” premieres this Friday Feb 27th at 1:30pm on Nick Jr. and guest stars Rachel Dratch, Chromeo, and Biz Markie!

The Gabba gang learns the importance of cleaning up. They all play with toys and are reminded to clean up when they’re finished. They learn to wash their hands, brush their teeth and sing a fun bath time song playing with bath toys. Musical guests Chromeo perform “Nice and Clean.” Other featured songs include: “Tiny Ugly Germs,” “Bath Time” and “Magic Shampoo.” In this episode Rachel Dratch teaches a “Dancey Dance,” Chromeo performs, and Biz Markie teaches his “Biz’s Beat of the Day.”

Beats old-skool Roland 303, 808, 909

Plug-in developer AudioRealism has launched technoBox, a new iPhone app that emulates Roland's legendary TB-303 Bassline synth and TR-909/808 drum machines.

The software also comes with sequencing capabilities, so you should be able to create complete productions.

The synth engine is said to be the same as the one in AudioRealism's Bass Line2 plug-in, so hopefully, it'll deliver the sonic goods. You can choose both 909 and 808 sounds for the drum module (up to 22 in total).

You can use up to 24 patterns per session, while the pattern sequencer can run to 1000 bars. The display automatically shifts to your preferred landscape orientation and multi-touch is supported for the knobs.

Check out the demo videos after the jump..

Tiga Ciao!

Tiga will follow up his 2006 effort, Sexor, in April with a new album entitled Ciao.

The producer has reportedly split the difference between "club songs and real songs" by working with the likes of Soulwax, James Murphy, Jesper Dahlbäck and Gonzales—an artist perhaps best known for his work behind the scenes with indie darling Feist. Soulwax and Dahlbäck, as you might imagine, have a lot to do with the club-centric tunes like "Beep Beep Beep," "Mind Dimension" and "What You Need." And Gonzales and Murphy help out with things like "Luxury" and "Gentle Giant," which see Tiga airing out some of his insecurities to the world at large. That said, as with many Tiga records, there's lots of mixing and matching, meaning the line between "club" and "real" blurs quite often—as on the lengthy closer "Love Don't Dance Here Anymore," which contains a two-minute piano ballad intro before transforming into a Cowley-esque disco groover.

Listen to the CIAO! Teaser and Tracklist after the jump..

Damian Lazarus Smokes Monsters on his debut album

Damian Lazarus brings out his debut album, Smoke The Monster Out, on Wednesday 6th May on Get Physical Music. And we hear it'll be a bit more than just a collection of dance-floor moments, with collaborators Luke Solomon and Arthur Jeffes helping Damian to incorporate his own vocals into the mix, which has taken two years to put together.

If anyone was ever going to make an unusual dance album, it was going to be Damian. Just checking out his collaborators should tell you that: Luke Solomon is a smart choice, but Arthur Jeffes will be a new name to most clubbers… we admit it, we had to look him up ourselves. He's the son of Simon Jeffes, the man behind the Penguin Café Orchestra, the abstract musical collective who wrote Music For A Found Harmonium, which was featured on the first Café Del Mar album back in 1994. Arthur's a chip off the old block, remastering his father's music and lending his ear to interesting productions like this one.

Damian explains, 'I found myself starting to write lyrics and compiling a soundtrack which would form the basis of the project...I pieced together some of my older influences (Louis Armstrong, Jeff Buckley, Nick Cave, Photek, Björk), connected them with odd sounds and comedy moments and then tried to put this all into a techno/house context.'

Read On to Listen to the first single from Damian Lazarus's debut album.

Get Physical Podcast

The rays of sun are getting warmer, the snow is melting - so, if you still need some tunes to blow your winterblues away, enjoy the fresh GPM Podcast with pumping tracks from Get Physical, Get Digital and our sister label Kindisch.

Tracklist:

1. KD021 - David Keno - Grutane
2. KD022 - Daniel Mehlhart - Alura
3. GDM003 - Thomas Schumacher - Picanha
4. GPM105 - DJ T. vs. Thomas Schumacher - Lower Instincts
5. GPM104 - Nôze - You Have To Dance (Mathias Kaden Beatpolka Remix)
6. KD020 - DJ T. - Booty Call Remx
7. GPM100 Einzelkind vs. Meat - Gin
8. GDM002 - Mac Neumann - Pearl Diver
9. GPM107 - Damian Lazarus - Moment

Subscribe HERE or get it on iTunes or Download

MSTRKRFT on tour

With their highly anticipated sophomore album Fist Of God coming March 17th on Dim Mak / Downtown Records, the Canadian duo will take their latest anthems to the crowds. Featuring contributions from N.O.R.E., Ghostface Killah, ISIS of Thunderheist, Bay Area hip hop icon E-40, Freeway, Lil’ Mo, and John Legend, Fist Of God is a versatile collection of guaranteed dancefloor fillers.

2009 will look to find MSTRKRFT prominently placed at all the big spring festivals in addition to a string of solo dates. A special performance of “Bounce” will be aired on Jimmy Kimmel Live March 18th with special guests Isis of Thunderheist and N.O.R.E. as well as others to be announced.

The North American tour hits it's climax at Indio April 18 at the Coachella Festival. Don't forget to enter to win your tickets to Coachella!

Tour dates and more after the jump..

Essential Sean Tyas Turns on the Trance

This week for Radio 1’s Essential Mix up and coming trance DJ Sean Tyas steps behind the decks to flex his muscles.

A long time favorite of Armin van Buuren with several releases on his label and a staple at events like Godskitchen and Inside Out, Tyas has also made waves in the commercial circuit, remixing artists ranging from Christina Aguilera through to Pink and Moby.

Click through for the full tracklisting and download which include plenty from Sean Tyas himself, Radiohead, and more.

Celebrate 10 Years of DEEP in Los Angeles

Join us in celebrating 10 years of amazing deep house music in LA with a very special lineup. In the Main Room, Louie Vega (Vega Records - NYC) Tony Humphries (Tony Records - New Jersey) Marques Wyatt (DEEP-LA, Om Records - Los Angeles) Up in the DEEP Soul Loft: DJ Spinna (Wonderwax - Brooklyn) Rich Medina (Kindred spirits - Philly/NYC) Garth Trinidad (KCRW - LA)

EVENT DETAILS

Price
$30 advance tickets Buy Tickets
When
Sunday February 15 (6pm–4am)
Where
Vanguard (map)
What
Loiue Vega, Tony Humphries, Marques Wyatt, DJ Spinna, Rich Medina, Garth Trinidad & You.

Really?

In the journalism game, yelling “Breaking News” is akin to shouting fire in a crowded theater — it better be warranted. But to heck with that: Breaking News! MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice are joining forces for a one-night-only joint show. “Hammer Pants and Ice” goes down Friday, February 27, 2009, at 8:00 p.m. at the McKay Events Center in Orem, Utah.

We can’t possibly answer the inevitable “why” question, but here’s how it will all go down: Hammer is bringing 24 dancers and a full choir; Ice is bringing … himself as far as we can tell. It is evidently the pair’s first show together since the early 1990s, when both were whole-scale radio stars...

Help promote UMF and win tickets

The organisers behind Ultra Festival are offering complimentary tickets to the Friday installment of their event in Miami during WMC, if you complete a couple of minor marketing tasks for them on Myspace or Facebook.

Read how after the jump..

To be in with a chance of winn

Daft Punk Hoax?

Bought tickets to see Daft Punk in Shanghai recently? If so, you might have been taken for a ride.

Yesterday, the Shanghaiist website reported that a secret Daft Punk show was set to go ahead in the city on February 13th, pointing to a Facebook page for the event (which now states that the event has been cancelled). When it did actually contain some content, the page reported that "the french mythical electronic band Daft Punk is coming in Shanghai for one very special night on friday 13th February with a devious concept called dafthidden 09 tour as the concert venue will be kept hidden till Friday 13th morning. Daft Punk is working on his new album for 2 years and want to share the sound with their fans only before the album launch. And they planned 3 dates in Asia including Shanghai, 2 in Europe and 1 in US." The dubious grammar may have set a few alarm bells ringing, but many eager fans took the leap of faith, paying 500RMB ($73) and leaving their phone numbers to be contacted with the gig's location on the morning of the show...