RECAP: The Heat of HARD Summer

Posted on Aug 6, 2013 in Events, Festival, Live Sets, Reviews

They came, they saw, they twerked: the highly-anticipated HARD Summer returned to the Los Angeles State Historic Park for the fourth year in a row to a sold-out crowd of 70,000 over the weekend. The two-day festival covered almost all of its bases in terms of music: there was techno, there was house, there was dubstep and trap; there was bass, there was funk, and even some rap. Partygoers were jazzed to see that traditional carnival rides had been added to this year’s festivities, so they could view the beautiful LA skyline from way up high on the ferris wheel. Food trucks, beer gardens, and promotional vendors like Bose, Sharpie, and Activate were sprinkled throughout the vast park, but HARD made it clear that music was its main attraction.

Having arrived at the venue just before the event was scheduled to start, the heat was already on, as the sun beat down on those waiting anxiously in line. For those using the weekend as an escape from the typical 9-5, or as their summer swan song before going back to another year of school, this was their war on the weekend; once promoters opened the gates, the thumping bass of multiple stages served as modern war drums sounding amongst the battle cries of ecstatic, elaborately costumed attendees who had clearly been waiting months to get this party started. ICGYH recaps some of HARD Summer’s greatest sets:

Samo Sound Boy started off the weekend in the Underground tent by laying down some serious beats and throbbing techno to a small sea of people eager to explore that “underground sound,” while Thee Mike B threw down his hardest at the main stage. Following Mike B.’s set was Phil Kieran, whose set I had pegged as one of my most anticipated for the weekend, and he did not disappoint. Kieran, true to form, delivered a diverse arsenal of dance-floor wreckers despite his early time-slot, dropping Hot Since 82’s remix of Green Velvet’s “Bigger Than Prince,” Kieran’s “Birds & Bees” collaboration with Green Velvet, and his own “I Think I’m a Monster,” which simultaneously excited and confused the hell out of the crowd. His last song veered into industrial territory, rendering people frozen in place because no one had any idea how to dance to something without that trusty 4/4.

Daniel Avery brought his signature machine-funk to LA, starting out with his erotic single “Taste,” which he proceeded to sample a grand total of five times after actually playing it out. Nevertheless, his unique mixture of acid, electro, and techno attracted quite the crowd. Destructo had his own turn on the stage, and many seemed to be pleasantly surprised to hear not the expected bass-filled electro wub that has come to characterize HARD events, but a smoother blend of deep house, disco, and techno— Richards let Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky” build for minutes without letting it fully drop, but mixed into a deep remix of Breach’s “Jack” to compensate. Have a listen of his full set below:

Much to my own surprise, Duke Dumont was holding his own and repping hard for the underground nearby, starting out with a remix of the more mainstream “Need U (100%),” inspiring a crowd sing-along, and then delivered a house-filled playlist crammed with artists one wouldn’t expect at a festival of this kind: Ejeca, Adana Twins, Waze & Odyssey, and KiNK, among others. The play-out of “Jack” was expected, but perhaps the magical moment of his set was when he dropped “Finder” by Ninetoes that the crazed dancing audience fell into a hushed state of motionlessness as they became transported into a tropical oasis amidst the burning heat that awaited them outside of the tent. Watching everyone around me lose their minds and their inhibitions was really a heartwarming moment: perhaps electronic music can be saved, after all. Re-live the magic here:

It goes without saying, regardless if you were there or not, that UK house wünderbrothers Disclosure were the main draw of the day, as the tent was quickly packed shoulder to shoulder, chest to chest half an hour before they even took the stage. They performed a live set, inciting a crowd frenzy by beginning with “F For You,” and the craze multiplied with “When A Fire Starts to Burn.” From their older singles like “Boiling” to their new album material, they played it all, and not a song went by where the audience didn’t sing along with hearty passion. Have your own sing-along below:

LA beatmaster Flying Lotus delivered a set with multiple personalities: it brought the bass, delivered some sweet rap courtesy of his alter-ego Captain Murphy, and at the end swathed listeners in his Lover’s Melt-esque funk and R&B. From serene waves of music to rhythmic, head-thrashing explosions of noise, FlyLo gave listeners his all as he orchestrated the headlining spot for Saturday night. The air with rife with wonder (among other fragrant things), as the visuals were breathtakingly beautiful and coordinated with the music in a way that could only hypnotize a giant mass of onlookers.

Sunday was all about the dirtybird, which had its own stage for the event. From the label newcomer, Justin Jay, to ladybird J. Phlip, the tent was filled with bumping beats and bouncing bodies for twelve straight hours. To my delight, Ben Westbeech aka Breach brought some selections from his Essential Mix to the HARD Summer stage, such as Shift Key’s Cassie-sampling “Not Into It” and Iron Galaxy’s “Attention Seeker.” Also played was Dusky’s remix of CLOSE’s “My Way,” and some Pusha T rap goodness. For the most part, it was the straight house-leaning set that I was hoping for, and though a select few felt the set was lackluster for its dearth of crazy bass, it was a great set to just tune into the music and groove at cruise control. Have your own listen below:

The Ed Bangers crew hosted their own stage as well, bringing global icons like Busy P and Justice and their signature French electro halfway around the world to Los Angeles.

On the other stages, acts like Flosstradamus appeased the trapaholics and rapheads alike with a mixture of slick beats and rap/R&B edits of Missy Elliott, Miguel, and Kanye West. Dillon Francis followed the duo with his own mega mix consisting of heavy moombahton with a little trap on the side, occasionally dropping into some more low-key tracks, if only to allow dancers a few seconds to catch their breaths. A lot of Major Lazer was played in the span of three hours, and Francis made the audience howl with delight when he slipped some raunchy Ying Yang Twins into the mix, before rounding out his set with his new collaboration with Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, “Without You.” Between the two acts, it’s safe to say no tush was left untwerked before the end of the night.

With a full 24 hours’ worth of dancing done over the course of two days, HARD Summer 2013 was another one for the books, both in terms of booking talent and the sweltering heat. This being my third time attending, I admittedly expected the expected, and was happily surprised with the quality and ferocity artists brought to their performances in a city plagued with the “EDM” label. With so many choices of music from which to pick, the chances of artist discovery and new favorites were endless, and to see them against the background of the LA skyline is an image almost incomparable to any other. As we all head back into the all too normal routines of our lives of work and school, we carry the memory and rhythm of HARD Summer in our hearts… until next year.

STARTING A WEB SITE? Get $5.99 .COM domains.