The weekend has finally landed! We hope you had a great July 4th celebrating our independence with friends, family, and good ol’ fashioned Americana. This week, we’re going vintage with three sets from our Sun City Music Festival talent from the earlier years of their career. If you haven’t bought your tickets to the Labor Day weekend event, you can order online, or in select stores.

Tiësto: In Search of Sunrise Asia Volume 7

The Asia edition of In Search of Sunrise is Tiësto‘s and his seventh, most successful, and final contribution to the compilation series in 2008.

Why We Love It

Who doesn’t love an album you can play from start to finish without skipping a track? Both discs of this compilation were just that and the release climbed up Billboard’s Top 200, Internet Albums, Electronic Albums, and Independent Albums charts. Still timeless as ever, here is our favorite In Search of Sunrise.

Flosstradamus: Jubilation Mixtape

After releasing their debut EP Jubilation in 2011 on Fool’s Gold Recs, Flosstradamus gave away this mixtape, featuring a selection of some of their favorite Chicago footwork/juke tracks.

Why We Love It

We hope we have some Sun City footwork fans out there, because this Flosstradamus mix is on fire. Never heard of the genre footwork? Think trap – but in double time. Intrigued yet? This energetic bass-fueled mix is a snapshot of the boys at the brink of the meteoric rise they’re currently riding high at. Prepare to move!

Eats Everything: BBC Radio One’s Essential Mix

Making his Essential Mix debut back in 2011, Eats Everything recorded his live set from All Gone Pete Tong at Bristol In:Motion.

Why We Love It

Still buzzing from the success of his breakout single “Entrance Song,” Eats Everything was fast-tracked to lend his gifts for Pete Tong’s world-famous BBC One Essential Mix. This two-hour journey was and is a great introduction for the Bristol native. Though his name is still relatively new, Eats Everything has definitely become a staple in forward-thinking production. Here is your Intro to Everything.

We’ve got some more sounds to clash before the highly-anticipated event in El Paso this Labor Day weekend. Have you bought your tickets yet? Today, we’re diving into the euphoric vibes of Armin Van Buuren and the bass-driven styles of Flosstradamus. Though they’ve been in the industry for a fair amount of years, both acts are known for their distinctive and forward-thinking sound — no matter how different those two sounds may be.

Armin Van Buuren

Dutch trance producer and #1 DJ in the world Armin van Buuren became interested in music at an early age as his father was an avid record buyer. After being introduced to dance music by a close friend, Armin investigated the roots of the new genre he had taken to, purchasing computers and turntables for the sole purpose of making music of his own. By the time 1995 rolled around, some of his demos were included on various compilations. Using the money he received from licensing, he recycled the cash into producing more records of his production. Cyber Records released his first hit, “Blue Fear,” in 1995, and by 1999 his “Communication” was popular enough to get him signed to AM:PM. His collaboration with Tiësto on “Eternity” gave him the biggest hit on his first imprint Armind. Historically, his studio albums have always made huge waves. Imagine, entered the Dutch album chart at #1, making it a first for a dance artist in Dutch music history.

Any trance fan knows, that if you want to stay current with the growing trends of the genre, you need to tune into Armin’s award-winning radio show A State of Trance – a show that he’s been hosting since 2001. With over 30 million weekly listeners in more than 40 countries, A State of Trance is one of the most listened to radio shows in the world, helping to solidify Armin’s name at the top of every DJ poll.

Recently, Armin described the genre composition of his latest album Intense as “more house-y electro stuff and of course trance, some rock influence, even a little bit of dubstep and classical music in there.” You’ll probably hear some tracks off of the album when #1 DJ in the world, Armin van Buuren comes to El Paso for Sun City Music Festival. Buy your tickets today!

Flosstradamus

This on-fire duo has been making music for nearly a decade. Needless to say, the boys of Flosstradamus are certainly no newcomers to dance music. Before J2K and Autobot were at the level of success they are now, the “Floss” project was originally just a series of DJ parties called “Get Outta the Hood” in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois. That wouldn’t last for long though. They quickly gained popularity by putting out a number of mashups and remixes and with a little help from the best type of advertising, word-of-mouth, the duo have sky-rocketed to the bass heavy phenomenon they are today.

Feed the world’s growing appetite for bass-heavy music in all of its forms, Flosstradamus knows how to bring crowds together with their unique club-ready sound,merging their varied musical tastes. With a knack to put a Floss spin on all of your favorite songs and deliver a crazy amount of energy to every set, Flosstradamus are tear up Sun City Music Festival, happening August 31st and September 1st. Buy your tickets today!

Hailing from Israel via London, Asaf Borger, better known as dubstep mastadone Borgore, has been intdustry’s “ruiner of dubstep” and bass music’s l’enfant terrible since early 2009. As a trained producer and drummer, 25-year old Borgore has always had a leg up on the competition. Though he produces both solo and as a duo as a part of the dubstep duo Alphamale Primates, with bass-maven Tomba, earlier in his career, he used to play drums in the death metal band Shabira.

Early tracks like “Guided Relaxtion Dub” and “Icecream” were underground successes and helped catapult him to the world-renowned fame where he’s currently riding high in. As a lyricist, he creates memorable, catchy, and sometimes questionable lines, creating a unique sound that blends perfectly into his instrumental tracks and makes for a very entertaining sing-a-long. As a producer he creates dubstep and more, calling his sound “Gorestep” and incorporating triplet drum patterns and heavy metal influences setting him apart from the rest of his peers. Perhaps our favorite example of this is his recent banger “Decisions” released last year on Buygore Records with backup vocals provided by Miley Cyrus. Known for his forward-thinking and interactive live shows that have turned him into one of dance music’s most popularly controversial entertainers, expect nothing less than a bass-in-your-face energy filled set when Borgore takes the stage at Sun City Music Festival. Buy your Sun City tickets online today!

Uruguay born Valentino Canzani Mora, grew up in southern Paris listening to the sounds of West-Coast Hip-Hop and Southern Crunk blaring through his headphones. So when it came time to chose a DJ name, he chose a beloved US food, French Fries. With his father being a sound-engineer and producer of Latin music, by the age of 10, French Fries was already making rap beats in his dad’s studio. It wasn’t until he was 14 that he would start DJing.

French Fries recalls, “…this guy, Ministre X – Tchiky Al Dente, use to date my sister years ago, and he’s a DJ. And I was like ‘Eh, DJ. That looks so cool!’ I was like ‘Can you teach me [how to] scratch and stuff?’ And I just went to his club, Favela Chique and he taught me how to play. I stayed there for basically two years — had a residency.” French Fries immediately received bookings playing everything from Brazillian Baile Funk to hip-hop. During this time, he began to take an interest in house music production, developing that signature ghetto sound he is known for today.

French Fries has been called “a name at the forefront of the ‘nouvel scene’ of bass-orientated beats sweeping through the clubbing world.” In 2011, his debut Champagne/Hugz EP on his own imprint ClekClekBoom, charted in Beatport’s Top 10 and sold out on vinyl almost as soon as it had been released. His track “Yo Vogue,” co-released with the Bay Area’s dirtybird label in 2012 is one of his most successful releases to date, featuring an equally popular remix by another label boss, Claude Vonstroke.

We’re hoping to see some vogue-ing on the dance floor when French Fries makes his way to Sun City Music Festival this coming Labor Day weekend. Have you bought your tickets yet?

One of our favorite parts of a festival is that moment when the crowd starts clapping together. The DJ will turn down the volume, and all you can hear are the voices of thousands around you singing acapella while keeping time with that steady “clap.” We’re sure you’ll get a dose of the “clap wave” when you join us at Sun City Music Festival this Labor Day Weekend at Ascarate Park. Have you bought your tickets yet?

This week in our Sun City Weekly Playlist, we’re paying homage to percussion and all of its forms. Whether you’re a fan of the acapella clap like we are, or you’re a fan of broken beats, we’ve got five tracks by our talented roaster that will get you in the mood to bang the drums.

Droog, Inxec – Mountain Drop (Original Mix)

Out on the Last Night on Earth label, Droog teamed up with Inxec for their Wide Open EP. Mountain Dew is the B-side.

Why We Love It

Instantly transported to the beautiful beach shores of a dream vacation spot, Mountain Dew has that island tribal vibe from the moment the song starts. As the pulsing horns guide you throughout the piece, the layers of percussion gradually multiply. We’ve listened to “Mountain Dew” over and over, and we still seem to hear something new every time.

Stefano Noferini – The End (Club Mix)

The Italian king of tech house Stefano Noferini is back on the revered Spinnin’ Records with brand new banger “The End.”

Why We Love It

The psychedelically driven percussive track, features a sample from classic rock group, The Doors. With a rolling bass line, chatty snares and a pounding beat that you can’t help but to dance to, this track is fit for banging on any drum.

Huey – Pop Lock N’ Drop (Candyland’s OG Remix)

In celebration of their performance at Escapade Music Festival, Candyland gave away their latest OG remix for “Pop Lock N Drop.”

Why We Love It

We love a good throw back. And Candyland’s edit of Huey’s “Pop Lock N Drop” is on point. Utilizing their signature sound, fully equipped with yes, you guessed it, claps, this track has been known to induce a “clap-off.”

Sven Stout – Genie (GTA Drop The Bass Edit)

To celebrate breaking 20k on Twitter, the boys of GTA decided to release a pack of bootlegs and special edits. Genie (GTA Drop The Bass Edit) is one of our favorites.

Why We Love It

The techy house intro for GTA’s Drop The Bass edit of “Genie” is a little bit misleading, but in the best way possible. We love the bassy kick drum-driven breakdown. Very future bass sounding.

Iamamiwhoami – Y (Brodinski Remix)

Brodinski releases a brand new remix for Iamamiwhoami

Why We Love It

We hope you guys like a hard, broken house beat because Brodinski’s revamped version of “Y” is definitely an ode to the older schools of breaks, techno and electro. The crisp snares also make for clap-worthy, back alley party. Let’s go to the warehouse with this one.