Last Saturday, Hard brought their signature party back to the east coast for a blowout that drew a sold-out crowd to Terminal 5. The unstoppable line-up of Destructo, Proxy, Buraka Som Sistema, Major Lazer and Boys Noize delivered five straight hours of pulsating electro that made Hard’s second outing in New York City a raging success.

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Hard Fest founder Destructo (aka Gary Richards) was playing to a packed room when we arrived. He heated things up with Stanton Warriors’ remix of “Good Vibrations”, which toggled between versions by the Beach Boys and Marky Mark.

Hailing from Russia, Proxy’s long-awaited U.S. debut did not disappoint. The music selection was peppered with his own work, including remixes of “Shottieville” by Zombie Nation  and “What You Need” by Tiga, and The Bloody Beetroots’ remix of Proxy’s “Who Are You?” (listen to it HERE).

Buraka Som Sistema’s high-energy performance was led by J-Wow (João Barbosa) and DJ Riot (Rui Pité) behind the decks with Andro Carvalho and Kalaf Ângelo behind the mic. They played several favorites from their last album, Black Diamond, including “Sound of Kuduro”, “Aqui para Voces”, and “Kalemba (Wegue Wegue)”. They also dropped “Sweet Secousse of Mine (B.S.S. Mix)” from The Blood Diamond Mixtape, a mash-up of “Secousse” by Radioclit and “Sweet Child of Mine” by Guns n Roses. J-Wow took the opportunity to debut his new track, “O Dedo”. Check out J-Wow’s most recent mix on the Mad Decent blog for a preview.

We were concerend that Major Lazer wouldn’t be able to top their all star blowout at Hard in October, but they quickly proved that we had nothing to worry about. Skerrit Bwoy and Jillionaire brought Diplo’s tunes to life onstage with the help of the Columbia University Lion Dance crew.

Highlights included several songs from their debut album, including “Hold the Line”, “Pon di Floor”, “Keep it Going Louder” and “Jump Up”, as well as a preview of their upcoming EP, Lazers Never Die. Diplo also dropped crowd pleasers like “Rude Boy” by Rhianna, “Warp” by the Bloody Beetroots, “Welcome to Jamrock” by Damian Marley and “All that She Wants” by Ace of Base.

Overall, the show felt much tamer than previous Major Lazer appearances – daggering was kept to a minimum, and there were no ladders in sight – but these guys know how to engage the audience and keep a party going. Look for Lazers Never Die when it is released this spring, featuring remixes by Thom Yorke and Buraka Som Sistema, among others.

After seeing Boys Noize three times at the Winter Music Conference last week, we stand by our original assessment: he kills it every time. During a mix of “Billie Jean”, Canadian DJ/producer Rynecologist took the stage for a dead-on Michael Jackson impression. Other highlights included “Oh!”, “Waves” and a snippet of “It Takes Two” by Rob Base & DJ E-Z Rock.

Hard will return to NYC on July 24 with M.I.A., Theophilus London, Skream, Benga, 12th Planet, Sleigh Bells, and more. This summer also marks Hard’s first tour, which will feature Crystal Castles, Rusko, Sinden and Destructo. The twelve-city tour will hit NYC’s Terminal 5 on August 21. Tickets and info HERE.