By Adam Stewart

If the idea of having your eardrums explode and your chest crushed by disgustingly filthy riffs and thunderous bass lines turns you on, then we suggest you become quickly acquainted with Qulinez and their Scandinavian beast "Troll" , which will be released tomorrow, February 10.

Pronounced "Cool Lines," Swede's Johannes Gustafson and Alex Lager's exotic moniker has been plastered all over set lists from Arty to Pete Tong and everyone in between. Recently, the boys took some time away from the studio and their busy schedule to give MTV News a little insight in to who they are and just what they’re capable of.

“I grew up in a small town called Laholm, with my mom, dad and my sister,” Gustafason says. “I didn’t like the school time so much, because I wasn’t so interested in studying. I choose the music classes and that was the best part of the school.”

“I grew up in the town we still live in, Varberg,” Lager added. “I grew up with my mom, dad and sister too and wasn’t the best in school either!”

Luckily for them, focusing a more on music and less on who won the Battle of 1812 has brought them to the cusp of global dance music recognition.

“I played a lot of instruments in my early days, drums, guitar, bass, and piano, I got my first drum set when I was eight and my first guitar when I was ten,” says Gustafson. “Back in the day, I played in some punk rock bands as well, so my music background is large.”

“I played the triangle for many years now, but all I got was tinnitus!” says Lager with a laugh. “I don’t have as much of a musical background. I was 15 years old when I first got Fruity Loops Studio, so I guess I started to produce at that moment.”

Now, they are receiving recognition from dance music’s most elite acts.

“When Steve [Angello] contacted us by email, I was the first who read it,” Alex recalled. “I tried to call Johannes many times but, like always, he didn’t answer the phone! So I had to drive my car to him and wake him up! Then he opened the door and I was like, ‘WE’VE GOT MAIL FROM STEVE ANGELLO AND HE WANT TO SIGN US!’ So we started to jump around, and the whole apartment was shaking!”

Angello’s Size Records imprint has been one of the most influential and prominent tastemakers in the EDM underground for the past two years. Having given light to such talent such as Thomas Gold, Junior Sanchez, Tim Mason, Third Party and many others, getting the nod from one of house music’s biggest names and most respected labels has these young Swedes in disbelief.

“To have a blessing from Swedish House Mafia is unbelievable and awesome,” Gustafson gushed. “We don’t yet understand what to think!”

Now that the “Troll” is about to be let out from under its bridge, many are wondering what else the boys have up their sleeves.

“We have a lot of new tracks, remixes and bootlegs. We´re working on new things every day, including a new single to follow up on 'Troll' – it's a heavy bouncing track, with a lot of energy,” Lager says with a laugh. “We think it will be a good upcoming track after 'Troll,' but if we say too much, we will have to kill you.”

You can get your hands on “Troll” this tomorrow on Beatport, and be sure to follow the guys on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all they’ve got brewing in their lab!

And what, pray tell, will lurk in the New York night skies now that the OWSLA gang have arrived in the Big Apple? Only time will tell. But rest assured, after a five date blitzkrieg of Los Angeles, with friends 12th Planet, Diplo, Caspa, Zedd, Kill The Noise, Benga and AraabMUZIK, among those aboard the mothership for his L.A. takeover, New Yorkers best believe they have a sonic tornado on their hands.

The five-times-Grammy-nominated Sonny Moore launches his four-date New York series tonight at Webster Hall with AC Slater. Thanks to Skrillex, Tim, and Steven Vasquez, we have a taste of what the mayhem might look like! Check out the video below:

Check out Skrillex' New York tour dates, after the jump!

Skrillex' New York tour dates:

>>> Tuesday, January 31, Webster Hall (Skillex, AC Slater)
>>> Wednesday, February 1, Pacha (Skrillex, Zedd, Sazon Booya)
>>> Friday, February 3, Roseland Ballroom (Skrillex, Zane Lowe, Spank Rock, Special Guest TBA)
>>> Saturday, February 4, Terminal 5 (Skream & Benga, KOAN Sound, Tokimonsta)

On Tuesday (January 31) Avicii wraps up "House for Hunger," his 27-date American tour that sees a portion of the proceeds – $1 million to be exact – going toward combating hunger in the U.S. through Feeding America. It’s an endearing undertaking for Tim Bergling, stage-name Avicii, and his manager and executive producer, Ash Pournouri, both of whom hail from Sweden, who are showing their support to a country that has given them so much over the past few years.

And rather than simply write a check, Avicii and Ash took matters into their own hands, literally, by recently visiting the New York City Rescue Mission to feed hungry New Yorkers and pack grocery bags for individuals and families in need.

MTV News tagged along for the inspiring ride. Check out the video below:

Avicii and Ash were given a tour of NYRM’s daily feeding operation, an effort that feeds about 400 hot meals every day. After donning aprons and hats and serving lunches, Joe Little, NYRM’s public relations manager, invited the two Swedes to join the Pantry Program, an amazing operation that distributes 150 to 200 bags of groceries daily.

“Avicii (and Ash) being here helps us to galvanize our efforts today,” Little said. “But it also helps bring the spotlight here. There’s an excitement in the air. There’s a buzz in the air!”

But in the end, it was Ash and Avicii who were in awe of the daily undertaking of the New York City Rescue Mission. “We’ve been serving food,” Ash said. “We’ve been talking to everyone that works here. Truly inspiring people. It just feels like a blessing to be able to do this. Seeing people’s faces. We wanted to help people and we can see that we are doing that.”

“Our business, our people in the music industry as a whole, should be sharing their success,” Ash continued. “We’re doing it. And we already know that other people are inspired. But the more the better.”

“Numbers on paper, are always numbers on a paper," Avicii added. “But when you actually get to meet the people, that makes such a big difference. Everyone should get down here when they get a chance just to see it for themselves.”

For more information on The New York City Rescue Mission and Feeding America, or to make a donation, head here.

Before deconstructing, “Eyes Wide Open,” his latest track with Dirty South, featuring Kate Elsworth, house music hit-maker Thomas Gold brought MTV News along to the kick-off of his current U.S. tour.

Several hundred folks packed Clifton, New Jersey's Bliss Lounge to catch a steamy set of big room EDM, including Gold gems “Sing2me,” “Marsch, Marsch,” and his enchanting remix of Adele’s “Set Fire to the Rain.”

But we won’t explain any further. Re-live the night for yourselves by watching the video below!

Tonight, Motor City welcomes Grammy-nominated Swedish producer/DJ Avicii and manager "Ash" Pournouri as they kick off their "House for Hunger" tour in the US – it's the first of 26 stops in just 27 days. As part of a personal mission to combat American hunger and give back to a nation that they feel has provided them with so much support over the past year, Avicii and Ash will personally donate $1 million of their tour revenue to Feeding America, the nation’s largest hunger-relief organization. Earlier this week, MTV News sat down with Avicii and Ash to discuss the drive behind their generous donation.

“When he [Ash] approached me with the idea is just felt really natural, especially to do it in the states because for me personally it’s given me so many experiences and good times,” said Avicii, who was one of MTV's Best EDM Artists of 2011. “It felt like giving something back to a country that’s given me so much.”

Ash explained that news of the recession had initially opened their eyes to the problem, but that they weren’t fully aware that millions of Americas still face hunger issues on a day-to-day basis. Read on for more and to see if the tour is stopping through your town!

“As the recession hit, over in Europe you hear about how the situation is bad with jobs disappearing, people losing their homes and stuff like that, and you think it’s really bad but then that hit everywhere,” Ash told MTV News. "Then when we get to the US and read the real news from the country, we see that it’s actually far worse than that. People send their kids off hungry to school and it appears to be something other than the land of prosperity that you hear about over in Europe and the idea that you have of America."

Feeding America supplies food to more than 37 million low-income individuals and families each year. The network hosts over 200 food banks that support 61,000 agencies nationwide. The donation will help provide approximately 8 million meals to those in need.

For more information about the "House For Hunger" January tour or to purchase tickets, visit http://houseforhunger.org.

Avicii's "House For Hunger" January 2012 Tour Dates:
January 5: The Fillmore in Detroit, MI
January 6: Epic Nightclub in Minneapolis, MN
January 7: The Rave in Milwaukee, WI
January 8: Stage AE Amphitheater in Pittsburgh, PA
January 9: Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH
January 10: The Pageant in St. Louis, MO
January 12: The Midland Theatre in Kansas City, MO
January 13: Boulder Theater in Boulder, CO
January 14: Reno Downtown Ballroom in Reno, NV
January 15: (Day Show) University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ
January 15: (Night Show) Phoenix Convention Center in Phoenix, AZ
January 16: Austin Music Hall in Austin, TX
January 17: Cowboys Dancehall in San Antonio, TX
January 18: Buchanan’s Event Center in El Paso, TX
January 19: Stereo Live in Houston, TX
January 20: The Palladium Ballroom in Dallas, TX
January 21: TBA
January 24: Orpheum Theatre in Madison, WI
January 25: Paramount Theatre in Seattle, WA
January 26: Main Street Armory in Rochester, NY
January 27: University of Central Florida in Orlando, FL
January 28: Coliseum of Puerto Rico in San Juan, Puerto Rico
January 29: Summit Series in Squaw Valley, CA
January 30: Ryan Center in Kingston, RI
January 31: Mullins Center in Amherst, MA

According to some, in one year there might not be any more fun things like this to blog about. Yes, the official countdown to whatever the Mayans say is looming asymptotically towards us finally here – and the good news is you’re not the only person who thinks the dudes running around the Mexican jungle with the pyramids and weird drawings may have been onto something.

You see, this conversation stems from when last we spoke with Swedish House Mafia's Axwell in person, back in March during Miami Music week. Our handy little "Magic 8 Ball" on-set provoked all sorts of interesting questions from many of EDM’s best. It helped Sofi and Moguai determine the success of their new record and predicted Deadmau5’s miraculous arrival into town.

But when that little black ball got into the hands of good old Axel Hedfors, without hesitation, he asked "Will the world end in 2012?" While the plastic psychic fired back an indecisive "try again later" or something of the sort, it was clear that our Swedish pal had certainly be watching his History Channel.

Fast forward to last week in New York just before the boys were set to destroy Madison Square Garden, we saw fit to follow-up on the question that has everyone looking at the calendar (whether they admit it or not) to see how they plan on living their next (and maybe last) year on this big blue spaceship we call home.

"[I’m] still a bit concerned. Still a bit concerned," Axwell said when we revisited the conversation. "You know, there's a lot of movement. There's a lot of stuff going on."

Watch:

Especially in their individual portfolios: "We sold all of our stocks!" Angello laughed.

"I wish," Ax chuckled, “[but there is] a lot of uncertainty. A lot of weird stuff happening. But I don't know what we can do. Except enjoy it and just do the best we can with the situation."

So who knows, maybe "Save The World" means more than just two-bit criminals being thwarted by good Samaritan pooches – maybe it’s a 127 BPM "Bat Signal" being broadcasted to the cosmos soliciting some extraterrestrial assistance.

"I heard we discovered a new planet the other week," added Angello.

"Yeah, but it's gonna take like a billion light years to get here!"

So yeah, we might not be getting any help from ET or the Na’vi anytime soon – so just in case, stock up on plenty of supplies and some extra batteries for your mp3 player and get ready to hunker down with some canned beans and house music!

One thing is for sure, regardless of what the next year brings, we can be thankful for a 2011 that was filled with awesome club tunes and artists who’re cool with asking inanimate objects important questions.

Swedish electronic dance music DJ-producer Tim Berg winds down 2011 seemingly seated on a throne. Under his Avicii stage moniker, he has arguably one of the most popular dance music singles of the year, "Levels," which was recently released by Interscope and has a hilarious music video to accompany it. He sits just above Afrojack at #6 on DJ Mag's list of top 10 most popular DJs on the planet. And more recently, a song he co-produced with David Guetta, "Sunshine," was nominated for a Grammy for Best Dance Recording.

Underscoring the accolade, MTV News caught up with Guetta this weekend, where the dance music icon sang Berg's praises. Check it out below:

“He's an amazing new talent,” Guetta says. "I think he has a great future. In the same way that I met with Afrojack two years ago and was like, 'Wow this kid is amazing!' and I tried to help him as much as I could, last year I met Avicii."

"I just love to collaborate with the new generation because we inspire each other. In the same way that it was interesting for me to collaborate with will.i.am or Usher, people like this," Guetta continued. "It's also interesting to work with people that are maybe new to the DJ world. Even if they don't have as much experience, they come with a new perspective, and I love that!"

For Avicii fans in the New York area that were looking to hit up Avicii’s sold-out New Year’s show at Pier 94 – fret not! Additional tickets will go on sale at aviciinye.com tomorrow, December 6 at 10AM EST. Get 'em while you can!

Guetta also divulged that fans should keep a look out for a Guetta, Avicii and Nicky Romero banger, which will be coming out soon!

By Adam Stewart (@AdamMTVNews)

Get out your noisemakers and silly hats, New Year's Eve is just around the corner. You either love it or hate, it, but let’s get real, you know when it comes down to it, no matter how much you resist, you're going to end up doing something on the last night of 2011.

Now, you could hit up that house party in town and hope the girl you've been eying runs up to you for a smooch when the big hand is on the little hand at midnight, or you can be smart and knock her socks off by taking her to one of the hottest parties in the country. What do you have to lose? After all, if the Mayans are right, it'll be your last NYE on earth anyway. So saddle up, take a stand against "Dick Clark's Rockin' New Years Eve" and let this handy MTV News' guide to an EDM infused NYE be your beacon for beats.

NEW YORK

>>> Avicii at Pier 94
Selling out in less than an hour, EDM’s hottest rising star is taking over Pier 94 with support from Arty and Swanky Tunes for a once in a lifetime riverfront bash -- and the party continues into New Year's Day as Boris and Victor Calderone keep it thumping with Apocalypse 2012. Whichever your pleasure, 15,000 crazed fans in a 135,000-square foot structure with a zillion big ass speakers? Sign us up! (Note: a little birdie tells us more tickets are being released very soon!)

>>> Deadmau5 at Pier 36
Maybe it’s "Pier Pressure," but our favorite Canadian is taking his sight and sound spectacular to Gotham in similar fashion, and knowing the visual effects package he rolls with we're sure this won't be anything short of awesome. Don’t be surprised if you see Lady Liberty sporting a Mau5head for the night.

Read on for more!

>>> Laidback Luke "Super You & Me" at Pacha
Take out your masks and capes! The Dutch super DJ brings his infamous road show to the Big Apple, so get ready for some big fun. With Sandro Silva, Sunnery James & Ryan Marciano on the bill, this super bash will be spectacular.

>>> DJ Pauly D at GLO Nightclub (Westbury, Long Island)
Looking to stay away from a million lunatics descending upon Manhattan? Head just east of NYC to this swanky setup, where everyone’s favorite celebrity DJ will be pushing their state of the art sound system into overdrive. Fist-pump. Push-ups. Chapstick. Yeah, buddy!

MIAMI

>>> Axwell @ The Pool at Fontainebleau
Last year, Tiësto and Max Vangeli turned the pool into a hot tub, and now, the hotel that brought us Miami’s sexiest club LIV, presents an al fresco bash hosted by Swedish House Mafia's Axwell. What's up, what's up, wanna party? Yes Ax, we do!

>>> Jacked 2012 NYE Miami With Afrojack & Bobby Burns at Wet (The W Hotel)
The big man will transform the W's swanky outdoor oasis into one of the sickest parties in the town with Bobby Burns. Bring your rubber Bangducky!

>>> Alesso at Wall (The W Hotel)
With Afrojack holding down the fort outside, one of the hottest new names of 2011 will be crushing it inside one of Miami's most exclusive venues.

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA

>>> Porter Robinson, Fedde Le Grand, Hardwell, Bart B More, Madeon, and R3hab – OMFG @ the San Diego Sports Arena
Uh, say whaaaat? If you live in San Diego you must, I repeat MUST, get your butt to this show. Bopping around the Gaslamp district on a "Top Gun" photo scavenger hunt can be accomplished any of the other 364 nights of the year.

>>> Kaskade, Benny Benassi, Paul Van Dyke, Dada Life – Insomiac White Wonderland
The people at Insomniac take their name literally ('cause we don’t know when they sleep!), pumping out another mega event just two months after their last, Escape From Wonderland over Halloween Weekend. Where else can you get-your-satisfaction-while-doing-the-Dada-for-an-Angel-on-your-shoulder (get it!?)? Oh, and if that’s not enough, come back on New Year’s Day for round two when Steve Angello, Max Vangeli, AN21 and Thomas Gold hit the stage. WOW! White wardrobe required or you'll be sitting in the parking lot tailgating by your lonesome.

MILWAUKEE

>>> Skrillex at The Rave
It’s not all about the big EDM cities this NYE. Insomniac & Stellar Spark bring an epic night to Brew City with Alvin Risk and a laundry list of locals including DJ JSlay, Ill Nasty, NoizePollution, Danaconda, Tista, Carlito, DJ Tilex, Tails & DJ Casey Lee. Who cares if the average January temperature is like 50 below zero, this place is going to be on fire!

VANCOUVER

>>> Solid NYE 2012 Tiesto with Gareth Emery at the Pacific Coliseum
Yeah yeah, we know, Van City isn’t technically in the states, but it's so close to Seattle that all you under-21s can cross the border and enjoy a city whose drinking age is 19 -- gotta love our neighbors to the North! The Godfather of Dance pairs up with trance icon Gareth Emery for a night full of hockey fans, glow sticks and Pountine (yummy!).

LAS VEGAS

>>> LMFAO at Haze Nightclub
Party Rock is gonna be in the house that night, for real. Be one of the people who are actually seeing the group who wrote the song that 99 percent of all bars and nightclubs in the world will play at least 3 times before the ball even drops. Bring your neon pants.

>>> Paul Oakenfold at Rain (The Palms)
Oakie and Rain go together like champagne and creamed herring. So what better place for him to ring in the new year than on his home turf at the Las Vegas’ original mega club at the Palms?

>>> Steve Angello – XS (Wynn/Encore)
It doesn’t get much bigger than Size coming to one of LV’s most buzzed about venues. XS brings Swedish House Mafia's Angello to the booth for an epic evening full of cutting edge sounds and what’s sure to be one of the hottest tickets in town.

>>> Kaskade at Marquee (The Cosmopolitan)
Does the man ever sleep? After an early set at White Wonderland, Kaskade jet sets to Vegas to close out the night at one of Vegas' sexiest clubs. Get there early, like "I’m waiting on line for the new iPhone 5 a week early" early if you want a fighting chance to see Kaskade bring down the house and welcome 2012.

By Zachary Swickey

NORMAN, OKLA. – I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read that the world’s greatest party-thrower, Girl Talk, was going to be at the Opolis – a tiny venue in the college town of Norman, Oklahoma, that showcases indie acts and local bands with a capacity well below 200. This must be some kind of mistake, I thought, but just the thought of seeing such a huge act in such an intimate setting was awesome.

Turns out, Girl Talk – also known by his common name, Greg Gillis – is in the midst of a guerilla tour of sorts that is hitting up only eight college cities across the states. For the AXE One Night Only Tour 2011, Gillis is going old-school by performing secret shows in low capacity venues, announcing details of the gigs just days before show time via the AXE Facebook page (four more secret stops are scheduled for this Tuesday through Friday, so be on the lookout). Gillis treated me to a quick phone chat before the show and said this tour is a way to give back to the fans and reminisce over his pre-breakout gigs. "Prior to 2006, I would play anyplace, anytime," he told MTV News. "The circumstances did not matter."

Gillis performs anywhere from 150-200 plus times a year, so I knew he'd have some strange show stories. Asked if anything stuck out, in particular, he recounted opening for Blues Traveler and the Violent Femmes at Colorado’s famous Red Rocks Amphitheatre on the 4th of July in 2007. "I think they were expecting me to be some kind of background DJ or something who played music as everyone walks in," he said. "Instead, I was up there shirtless and screaming doing what I do right as the doors were opening and the first 100 people were shuffling to find their seats."

I was also curious as to whether any of the musicians that Gillis has sampled have approached him to give their seal of approval, and was surprised when he told me that Big Boi caught his show in a "small, sweaty club" in Atlanta sometime in 2007-08. An even bigger glowing sign of approval apparently came from Mike Patton (singer of Faith No More). Gillis samples Patton’s group along with Busta Rhymes in a song and when a reporter asked Patton how he felt about it, he responded, "It was an honor to work with Busta Rhymes." (How’s that for a glowing recommendation?)

When Gillis finally took the stage Saturday night, the crowd showered him with applause before things even began, and it didn’t take long for our party commander to lead us into "Oh No," the opening track of his 2010 release, All Day, which finds the mash-up mastermind mixing the rhyming talents of Ludacris over the notorious "War Pigs" riff from Black Sabbath. I was wondering what a Girl Talk show without his onstage party henchman was going to be like, but lo and behold, he brought them! Two or three crew members (it’s hard to tell who was official or not) still managed to fit into the small venue to shoot confetti cannons and blast spiraling toilet paper rolls over our heads (not to mention the hundreds of small and giant-size balloons being tossed about).

It’s a good thing Gillis wraps his laptops in saran wrap for protection – he told me he’s had "only one" computer casualty this year – because by the time he got to "Bodies Hit the Floor" (which is the only time you’ll hear Foo’s "Hero" next to Luda’s "Move B**ch") midway through the set he was drenched in sweat from head to toe and dripping all over the place as he danced while hovering over his laptop.

One of the crowd favorites – another All Day track, “Steady Shock” – was a trip down memory lane that brought together Outkast’s "B.O.B.," Nirvana’s "Aneurysm" and some Bones Thugs N Harmony, while also keeping it modern with a little Nicki Minaj and J. Cole thrown in the mix. Time flew by as the show soon ended and Gillis flung himself into the crowd with high-fives coming from all directions.

I asked Gillis if he’ll be continuing his pattern of giving us a new release every two years (we’re due for one in 2012), and while he wouldn’t comment specifically on what he’s up to, he assured me he'd be releasing something in 2012 and that it might be "something different."

At 19-years old, Porter Robinson is already among the most explosive, versatile DJ-producers in electronic dance music. With banging tracks that range from electro house to dubstep to moombahton, Porter has come a long way since MTV News first met the then-18-year-old high schooler from Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with buddies Aero, Tommy Lee, Sofi and deadmau5 at Miami Music Week in March of this year. Since then, he’s dropped his stellar Spitfire EP and toured the U.S. with Tommy Lee, Aero and Skrillex. And when it came time for one of dance music’s biggest icons to hit college campuses across America this September, Porter was handpicked by Tiësto to join him on his "College Invasion Tour." Luckily for us, and you fans, Porter brought along a cameraman to document the last week of his history-making trek. Shot by Kaskade and Insomniac Events’ brilliant cameraman, Justin Nizer, MTV is proud to premiere Porter Robinson’s "The College Invasion Tour" mini-doc, featuring cameos by Tiësto and Diplo ... and MTV News, to name a few.

Check it out below!

Set mainly to joints off of Porter’s Spitfire EP, the short film takes fans through PR’s final west coast dates in September, ranging from an unannounced Santa Barbara show after-party at a house to his record-setting show in Carson before an audience of 26,000 people. Through the film, audiences are treated to the rollercoaster ride of life on the road of a superstar DJ. Wanna know what’s on PR’s rider? How he describes 2011 and his fans? Check out the video above, or tune in at 3:30 AM this Thursday on MTV Clubland (MTV’s block of electronic dance music videos airing Monday through Friday from 3-4 AM EST)! You won’t want to miss it.

Do you love Porter Robinson? What do you think of his documentary? Let us know in the comments below!