This was my first time seeing them live and I was really impressed. It’s amazing how much energy their performance had considering how old they are. Shot for Time Out NY.

Here’s a roundup of my favorite CMJ 2011 bands.

Trash Talk | ANR | Gotye | Electric Guest | The Stepkids | Walk The Moon | Fort Lean

CMJ was Gotye‘s first time performing in New York, and the room was packed the two times I caught him. The Australian pop star had to strip down his set, and visuals, to fit in NYC’s smaller clubs, and the results were very special and intimate performances. Shot for Time Out NY and Purevolume.

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Electric Guest‘s clean and soulful sound is reminiscent of Rome, Danger Mouse and Daniele Luppi’s project. The room started buzzing when Danger Mouse entered with Julian Casablancas to check out Electric Guest at the All Things Go showcase. Shot for Time Out NY and All Things Go.

Click here for more CMJ 2011 highlights.

I saw Trash Talk during SXSW when they tossed around garbage cans after a peaceful James Blake set, but what made their CMJ shows special was their unusual hype. With publications like Spin, the Village Voice and others billing them as the band to see, kids showed up not expecting a hardcore band from Sacramento. As Lee let out the first scream, and the heavy bass popped with the cymbal, most of the crowd ran away from the stage and things got chaotic, in the best way possible. Shot for Time Out NY and Pitchfork.

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Similar to ANR, The Stepkids are the full package; talented musicians with a tasteful creative vision. I’ve seen them three times and it keeps getting better. They were bummed they couldn’t use their projector because of the sunlight, but I think the NYC skyline is tough to beat. Shot for Time Out NY and Purevolume.

Click here for more CMJ 2011 highlights.

I saw them for the first time during SXSW when they had longer hair, and it’s their danceable stadium sound that leaves me wanting more. These photos are from the Fader Fort by Fiat and Neon Gold’s showcase. Shot for Time Out NY.

Click here for more CMJ 2011 highlights.

Fort Lean‘s music will seem fun and bubbly at first glance, but if you look a little closer, you’ll hear the beautiful lyrical irony that makes them so awesome. They played Neon Gold’s showcase at Santos’. Shot for Time Out NY.

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Miami-based ANR truly blew me away with their powerful vocals and fun, catchy songwriting. Most CMJ artists aren’t true musicians, and it’s special when a band knows what they’re doing on a musical and creative level. I had to see them twice. Shot for Time Out NY and All Things Go.

Click here for more CMJ 2011 highlights.

Rimer London – Squaring The Triangle from magnetron music on Vimeo.

Magic Bullets – Lying Around

Typhoon – Starting Over (Bad Habits)

Theophilus works this to his advantage. Click over to his MySpace and you’ll see that he’s performing all over the world. Last October He teamed up with Mark Ronson and Sam Sparro to create Chauffeur, releasing a track to promote Ronson’s Gucci boat-sneaker. Mountain Dew’s Green Label Sound put out “Humdrum Town” with a music video in January. I Want You is his 3rd mixtape, hyped to the max and stuffed with uncleared samples. That’s another cool thing, when you take money off of the table artists can express themselves without limits. Yes, this is still illegal, but would Whitney Houston really sue him over a track that didn’t have a proper release?

What can aspiring artists learn from him? Make music that’s different (and awesome, of course), give it away for free, wait for the right opportunities, and don’t stop making music.

Theophilus London – Accept The New

Diamond K & Al Ripken Jr – Hands In The Air (Bok Bok Remix)

Ozzy Osbourne – Mr. Crowley (Kamei Remix)

RJD2 – The Shining Path (Alan Wilkis Remix)

I’m a big fan of ambient music and visual imagery. Artists like Sytnaks and others from Ghostly records are daze-inducing in such a relaxing way. Hammock created something equally as beautiful with “Mono No Aware,” the single from Maybe They Will Sing For Us Tomorrow, out on Darla Records.

Hammock – Mono No Aware

Oddisee – Hip Hop’s Cool Again

Oddisee – Cold For That (Instrumental)

The Black Seeds are easily my favorite modern reggae act, with dub and rock elements to keep things progressive. They recently released a compilation of live tracks in December (Live: Vol 1), and we have a fresh cut from that, plus another infectious tune from their 2008 release Solid Ground. This 9-piece band is always on the road, and you lucky New Zealand dwellers can catch them live in the upcoming weeks.

The Black Seeds – The Answer (Live At the Melkweg, Amsterdam 2007)

The Black Seeds – Love Is A Radiation

Bossasaurus strikes again, this time with a 17-track mixtape, STFUYMCA, and it’s 100% free. My choice cut off of this compilation of remixes and original pieces is “Moonlit Trees,” a laidback jam with an ominous vibe.

Bossasaurus – Moonlit Trees

“Deep Down Below” is a reggae-turned-dubstep tune created by Liquid Stranger, an Arizona based producer currently signed to Interchill Records. This release comes from his Steel Trap EP, a definite grab.

Liquid Stranger – Deep Down Below

For underground hip hop producer Dan The Automator and prominent house DJ/producer Scott Hardkiss, it couldn’t have been easy to flip Duke Ellington’s (jazz legend) and Dean Martin’s (croon-master) version of “Jingle Bells.” The result is pleasing, though, presenting the 1857 classic with head-bobbing hip-hop vibes.

Dean Martin – Jingle Bells (Dan The Automator Remix)

Duke Ellington – Jingle Bells (Robbie Hardkiss Remix)

Vas Floyd is the resident DJ at 360°, a swanky club in Dubai that boasts awesome views of the city and the Arabian Ocean. Below you can grab one of his older tracks, “Space Discus,” a nine-minute space disco influenced tune with hypnotic minimalism.

Vas Floyd – Space Discus

Shh… This Is A Library recently dropped their second LP, Dream Big, an eleven-track satiation of rich and experimental soundscapes led by Brent Wolczynski’s veering vocals and acoustic guitar. Limited to 200 hand-crafted copies by Alison Rose, I suggest you purchase a CD before it’s too late. Below you can download my favorite track, “Okay With Okay,” a taste of the album’s charm and splendor with Wavves-like distortion.

Shh… This Is A Library – Okay With Okay

Classically trained pianist, Fuzjko Hemming, brings us her exalted rendition of Frédéric Chopin’s “Nocturne No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor.” This sedative piece is ideal for your lazy Sunday spent in warmth, preparing us for the encroachment of Winter.

Fuzjko Hemming – Nocturne No. 20 In C-Sharp Minor

The incandescent NightWaves crafted two highly polished, highly awesome space disco remixes of Flashmen‘s “As The Night Rolls On” and Noah and the Whale‘s “Love Of An Orchestra.” Get your ambient on.

Flashmen – As The Night Rolls On (NightWaves Remix)

Noah and the Whale – Love Of An Orchestra (NightWaves Remix)

Todd Terry, a crossover house producer famous for “I’ll House You,” released a four track EP in August that bangs in true 80′s style. “King Acid” is a percussive jam with a semitone riding bass-line and customary house synth licks. Hit Beatport for more Todd Terry.

Todd Terry – King Acid