HARD Summer: Top 10 moments from a hot, sweaty weekend at Whittier Narrows
By Joe Giuliano
HARD Summer turned out to be bigger and harder last weekend – the popular electronic music festival moved east of downtown L.A. to Whittier Narrows Recreation Area (because of construction at its former home, L.A. State Historic Park) and expanded to five stages spread out across the larger wooded grounds.
The two days of EDM and hip-hop attracted a crowd estimated at 40,000, most of whom were undaunted by either the heat and humidity or the freak storm that doused attendees with rain on Saturday. And some of the logistics made it tricky and seemingly unsafe for pedestrians – from one parking lot, attendees had to cross active on-ramps to a major highway. Still, between audacious sets from the Skrillex-Diplo collaboration Jack U, Flosstradamus, Disclosure, Pusha T and A$AP Mob, most fans went home satiated.
Following are my Top 10 Moments from HARD:
Gorgon City at the Pink Tent
British production duo Gorgon City was definitely the highlight of the weekend, with sleek beats and one of the best light shows of the festival. I had not heard of these guys before seeing them, but I’m a fan now. The crowd slowly picked up momentum and seemed to forget they were two days into the heat and humidity. You could literally see steam blowing out the sides of the tent. Those lucky enough to be going to Outside Lands in San Francisco should make it a priority to see these guys tear it up.
What So Not at the Purple Tent
As expected, Australian What So Not’s crowd blew out far past the Purple Tent’s small boundaries. Missing his counterpart Flume didn’t seem to affect attendance ,and What So Not could have easily fit over on the secondary stage. I don’t think another tent show came close to this energy all weekend. To the girls with the pasties jumping nonstop in front of us, I’d be surprised if you weren’t in the promo video for next year.
Maya Jane Coles at the Pink Tent
Slowly becoming a HARD favorite, rising British DJ Maya Jane Coles returned for the second year in a row, this time with a closing set on the last night. Her deep house set was the perfect way to close out a hot, sweaty weekend. I wouldn’t be surprised if she started playing main stages state-side next summer. For the uninitiated, do not miss an opportunity to see this pro. She never disappoints.
J. Phlip at the Pink Tent
San Francisco record label Dirtybird’s first lady, J. Phlip, played house at its finest on Friday afternoon. Her crowd was even larger than the main stage’s crowd at that hour. One of multiple Dirtybird artists on the HARD bill this year, J. Phlip’s technical understanding of the decks is just one reason why DirtyBird has garnered so much respect in the last few years. If a few more of their artists had been on the lineup, the Pink Tent could have been renamed the Dirtybird Tent. Hell, I basically did rename it the Dirtybird Tent.
Disclosure at the HARD Stage
British electro pop brother duo Disclosure probably would have had a closing slot if they weren’t too big for the tents and up against superstars like Tiesto and Nero on the main stages. Still, they made good use of their early evening set, playing all of the tracks that have propelled them to huge international success, all in only a year. They even brought out surprise guest Mary J. Blige for “F for You.”
Goldroom at the Green Tent
Los Angeles DJ Goldroom, a Buzz Bands LA favorite, brought more energy with a mere DJ set than half of the Saturday DJs on the bill. The crowd wasn’t huge, but he far exceeded my expectations of a DJ set. It was the perfect set to soundtrack a break in the beer tent. With the rain beginning to swell, no one in the crowd gave a damn about anything except their feet. Gold is the operative word here.
Justin Martin at the Pink Tent
Continuing with the Dirtybird DJ’s was label superstar Justin Martin. I was surprised by the slow start with a small crowd, but that was most likely due to multiple competing spots by hard-hitters Axwell, Baauer, Jack Beats, and Josh Wink. Still, with an hour set he managed to draw the crowd I’ve come to expect from a Dirtybird artist, showering us with the beloved tech house that was prevalent most of the weekend in the tents.
Alex Metric at the Purple Tent
Back to the Purple Tent again, proving the “buzz bands” mantra extends to EDM. British electro DJ Alex Metric has become a regular fixture at HARD. This year he moved up the food chain to a better time slot, and with good reason. He is consistently proving himself to be a heavy hitter. He was even featured on one of this year’s few coveted HARD mix-tapes in the months leading up to the festival (link: http://www.hardfest.com/mix_tapes/hard-summer-2014-mixtape-4-alex-metric/)
Griz at the HARD Stage
Unfortunately we walked in late after the insane commute in 94-degree humidity, but we were lucky enough to catch the tail end of one of the more eclectic artists on the bill, the saxophone wielding Griz. The highlight of Griz’s set was the remix of The Throne’s “Ball So Hard” with Fedde Le Grande’s “Put Your Hands Up for Detroit.” Fitting for a Detroit native.
Jack U at the HARD Stage
While I’ve seen more than enough of Skrillex and Diplo in the past few years, I didn’t want to miss an opportunity to see the two of them together as Jack U close out the first night. With the crowd sufficiently soaked from the rain at this point, Jack U successfully closed the book on Night 1 one with their tried-and-true signature styles of bass. We were all buzzing hard enough from their set to nearly forget the commute we had to re-trace all the way back to the parking lot and then back to L.A. Let’s just hope we get the L.A. State Historic Park back for next year.
Photos by Zimo Huang