If you weren’t already thinking up a ton of reasons why you should ditch your day job and trek out to the pristine beaches and beautifully moderate climate of Spain, well, chances are you will be soon. The country’s premiere electronic music festival, Sónar, has just announced its full line-up for their upcoming events in Barcelona and A Coruña. The enormous list contains, among many other well-loved and massive artists, Air, Hot Chip, Broadcast, Flying Lotus, Zomby, Hudson Mohawke, Mary Anne Hobbes, Plastikman, LCD Soundsystem, Mike Slott, Delorean, Pete Tong, Fuck Buttons, and Machinedrum, and has a primary focus on the amazing artists coming from the British music scene. So that leads to just one question; to pay rent or not to pay rent? Sónar 2010 goes down June 17, 18, and 19.

pictured Delorean

The last time UK trip-hop forefathers Massive Attack made it to the US, the tour followed on the heels of a contractually obliged compilation of greatest hits and unreleased materials put out in 2006. Now, with the release of Heligoland, their first studio album in seven years, Robert Del Naja and Grant Marshall are making it back to North America in May for a brief stint of live performances. Every town they hit, excluding the Sasquatch Festival appearance in Washington, will host Massive Attack for two nights of potentially sold-out awesomeness. Tickets will be going on sale in March, and you can check out the forthcoming concert dates below.

5/7 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
5/9 – Toronto, ON – Sound Academy
5/11 – NYC, NY – Terminal 5
5/12 – NYC, NY – Terminal 5
5/18 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater
5/19 – Los Angeles, CA – Wiltern Theater
5/25 – San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theater
5/27 – San Francisco, CA – Warfiled Theater
5/30 – George, WA – Sasquatch Festival

Roberto Carlos Lange (a.k.a. Epstein) certainly knows how to keep busy, as evidenced by a string of releases under his other alias, Helado Negro, and collaborations with Prefuse 73, amongst other things. Now, Asthmatic Kitty is reissuing the entirety of his back catalog under as Epstein. To whet fans’ appetites for the sounds of the back catalog, the label has also prepared a sampler of Epstein’s best cuts, which is available for download here. The reissues will all be available on February 28, and the new Epstein album, When Man Gets Full He Falls Asleep, comes out on March 10.

Epstein Sampler

Epstein Vs. V8 (from Otros)
El Conjunto (from Canto De Hermanos)
En Sus Brazos (from Gente Sin Pueblo)
Cara De Nariz Contigo (from Puñal)

Boulder, Colorado, might not be known as a hotbed of electronic music, but the lovely mountain city is hosting what promises to be one of spring’s best US festivals in mid-April. With a list of performers—many making their Rocky Mountain State debuts—that includes Akufen, Dave Aju, Lucky Dragons, Luke Hess, and White Rainbow, a host of sounds and scenes will be rubbing elbows at the third edition of this annual festival, which also boasts the usual exhibitions, workshops, and so on. Early bird tickets go on sale March 1 for only $50, so hurry to the festival site for more specifics!

Communikey 2010 happens April 15-18 in Boulder, CO.

The 2-step/funky/garage/bass sound of Martin Kemp is coming to the US for two very special nights. The London-based DJ and producer will be making his American debut at San Francisco’s new Icee Hot party on February 27, then hopping across the continent to play Brooklyn’s TURRBOTAX® on March 4. Both nights are sure to be slamming affairs, and if you’d like a taste of the sounds you can hear at both events, check out this excellent promo mix from Icee Hot resident Rollie Fingers (tracklist below), which includes an unreleased track from Kemp alongside several other choice selections.

Martin Kemp Show Dates:

2/27: Icee Hot @ 222 Hyde, San Francisco, w/ Disco Shawn, Ghosts on Tape, and Rollie Fingers
3/04: TURRBOTAX® @ The Cove, 106 N. 6th St., Brooklyn, w/ Contakt, Rem Koolhaus, and more

Rollie Fingers’ February 2010 Icee Hot Promo Mix

01. ??? “???”
02. Mala “Unexpected” (white)
03. Allstars “Killin’ Me” (Allstars)
04. Joy Orbison “So Derobe” (Aus)
05. Hackman “Output” (Unreleased)
06. Martin Kemp “What You Got” (Forthcoming Blunted Robots)
07. Delphic “Doubt (Doc Daneeka’s All For Space Grime Mix)” (Tres Cool)
08. Allstars “Freak n’ U” (Allstars)
09. Mosca “Gold Bricks, I See You” (Fabric)
10. Youngstar “???”
11. Dubbel Dutch “Throwback” (Forthcoming Palms Out Sounds)
12. Azari & III “Reckless With Your Love” (Permanent Vacation)
13. Deadboy “If U Want Me” (Forthcoming Numbers)
14. Hardrive “Deep Inside” (Strictly Rhythm)