Orjan Nilsen, aka DJ Governor, is a Norwegian DJ that has really exploded onto the EDM scene with help from Armin van Buuren‘s A State Of Trance radio show and showcasing on several of Armin’s annual A State of Trance compilations. It's almost a guarantee that Orjan will never bore with his majestic sounds & melodies. His latest guitar strung release Lovers Lane (which I briefly mentioned about in my So Long Radio post), keeps its focus on a pure Balearic summer sound. This is one of those tracks that instantaneously makes you long for beautiful sunsets on the beach. With its flowing melody and gentle build-up, it sets itself up to be an absolute summer anthem. It has already rocked Armin’s A State of Trance 2010 compilation and received the distinction of "Tune of the Week" on ASOT 455.

The soul-soothing prog-trance sound of Norwegian duo Lars-Christian Nyheim and Tore Vatle Jensen aka The Blizzard, previously heard on the Susana & Ohmnia collab Closer, also wanted in on Lovers Lane, so they gave us a remix. The Blizzard took Orjan’s balearic trance sound to another level, making this track an eclectic blend of melodic elements that really heightens your emotional state of mind.

Definitely keep your ears open for Orjan's next release under his alias DJ Governor titled Shades of Grey, which was also featured in Armin’s A State of Trance 2010 compilation. Whether we’re talking about arousing house, tricky electro, deep progressive or balearic trance, everything this multi-talented DJ/producer touches turns into true, danceable gold.

Labor day weekend promises to be a great one for New York City dance music fans: Electric Zoo is coming back for a second year of madness on Randall's Island! The promoter, Made Event, has put together an eclectic line-up, representing most of the subgenres of EDM in a way that most fans should enjoy. Electric Zoo holds a special place in my heart because last year's festival was the first large dance event I had ever been to, but this year I, and probably the rest of the EDM community, have much higher standards. After record-setting numbers at Ultra and Electric Daisy, Electric Zoo is really going to have to "show up and show out" to keep up the competition.

This post is the beginning of a series that will showcase the artists performing at Electric Zoo, with each post covering a different genre. My particular genre for this week is that grimy, dirty electro house that we all know and love. Electro house is not represented in quite as high a proportion as it was at Electric Daisy, the last major US dance festival, but there is still a good smattering of electro house artists who are sure to rock Randall's Island.

First up is Colorado act Savoy, who first slammed onto my radar at EDC--see FooBoi's post for more EDC reactions. If their EDC set is any indication, I have a feeling that they are sure to drop a large amount of tracks that other electro house DJs will not drop at Zoo, which will be a nice aural cleanser after lots of Ones and Babylons.

Next up we have LA Riots, whose manic SoCal sound has caught the ear of Shmurkiobefore. These guys are excellent at teaming up ferocious beats with more laid-back, groovy sounds that don't leave you feeling like you've just been through a war, so they should be an excellent mid-Saturday listen.

Discussing Diplo means discussing Major Lazer as well, because Diplo will be spinning both by himself and with Switch as Major Lazer at Zoo. While I have heard that Major Lazer's sets tend to be hit-and-miss, Diplo as a solo DJ is in the habit of melting faces with tracks like this, and throwing in random genres such as baile funk, so this set is unlikely to disappoint.

Now for my personal favorite - Dutch superstar Laidback Luke. I am a bit of a Laidback Luke fanboy, so pardon me if I gush. His Ultra & EDC sets were by far the best electro house sets I have seen, so you better believe that I will be at his performance with bells on. Okay maybe not bells, but definitely some kind of warpaint or something.

Finally we have the godfather of electro house, Benny Benassi. I'm pretty sure Benassi has been putting on a rip-roaring show since the first time he set foot behind turntables up until now, so I think it's safe to say that this set will be one of the major highlights of Zoo. He is currently riding the momentum of his hit Spaceship, so he should be ready and rarin' to go. I've added a video of his 2009 Zoo performance to this post so you can get just a lil taste.

EZ 2010 promises to be a wild, sonic ride, so fasten your seatbelts, ladies and gents. Tune in again next Friday for another installment.

This little number is the work of two very talented NYC-based producers, whose similar but distinct styles seem to complement each other at times like these. Aaron Clevenger, better known to the world as AC Slater, has graced the dance music world for over ten years with his driving, funky electro breakdowns, pounding out stellar remixes of tracks like Show Me Love.

Drop The Lime, on the other hand, runs the very label that AC Slater lives on, Trouble & Bass. He's a musical powerhouse in his own right, not only putting out impressive remixes and originals, but also taking anyone unfortunate enough to be caught in front of his decks to hell and back. Drop the Lime is seriously no joke live; his musicianship shines through his performance as he juggles and drops beats in ways you can't even think of.

Take You is an original by AC Slater. Built around a hip-hop vocal track, the song slowly crescendos into its breakdowns with butter-smooth layering. Amidst dissonant piano chords and spliced house vocals, we hear a bona fide Drop the Lime drop: wacky, outrageous, but never tacky. See if you can identify some of those sounds in there.

Samantha James truly has an angelic voice destined for deep and progressive house tracks. Waves Of Change is a beautiful gem that just makes you want to close your eyes and dream of flying over the planet. The deep pads, gentle high hats, and smooth kick drums create a heavenly sound that when combined with Samantha's voice form mind-blowing harmony. It is then of course no wonder that Kaskade helped produce the track as well as another excellent progressive house remix.

Samantha James was heavily involved with the underground dance scene in Los Angeles since the age of 13. Her 2007 debut album Rise, produced with her brother Sebastian Arocha Morton (aka ROCAsound) and released on OM Records, reached the iTunes Top 100 Best Selling Dance Albums, and her single Rise achieved number 1 on the US Billboard Dance charts. Her new 2010 album Subconscious includes Waves of Change and many more deep and soulful house tracks.

Fresh out of Boulder, Colorado comes the bangin' electro-rock group Savoy. This underground group started back in 2004 within the dormitories of Boulder University. Originally, they aimed to be a rock n' roll group, employing the typical electric and bass guitars, along with a drummer. However, after getting into the electro scene and going to club after club, Savoy's style evolved - oh and are we glad that it did.

I first heard about them from a friend a couple of days before the Electric Daisy Carnival. Intrigued, we set out to see them as an opening act for the first day of the festival. What we ended up seeing blew us out of the water. Walking toward the stage, I remember hearing a SICK electro drop that immediately got myself and all my friends turning to each other and laughing in excitement. From there we knew they were going to kick off the carnival properly.

Their sound is a speedy, strap-yourself-into-your-chair electro progression that echoes the waves of hardcore percussion that is The Bloody Beetroots: Death Crew 77. But, unlike Death Crew, they have an aura of dirtiness about them, a flith that you can't seem to wipe off even after an oatmeal bath. Take my personal favorite track Get Some Action (Live Version). They dropped this at the tail-end of their set and melted faces. The robotic sampling at the beginning of the song sets the tone for the rest of the track, which comes out to be an excellent blend of electro synths combined with slick, clapping drops. I also submit for your listening pleasure Savoy's remix of the stoner anthem Welcome to Jamrock. They rework it into a disgustingly good dubstep tune. If you can't get enough of Savoy, be sure to check out their website where they have all their tracks available for free! Well done Savoy, well done indeed.