For the second year in a row, HARD is bringing their night of electronic music mayhem to New York with Digitalism, Caspa, Switch, Designer Drugs and Destructo on Saturday, August 20th at Terminal 5. Each with their own brand of heavy bass drops and digital wobble, this will be an amazing way to hear what music some of the best dub-step and eletro DJs are currently producing.
Click here to purchase your tickets and check out videos from Digitalism and Destructo after the jump.
With the lengthy introduction aside, Rusko is landing on Wednesday April 27th shaking New York City with his seismic sound. Hoppin’ all throughout the nation on his 2011 USA Tour, he will be stopping at Terminal 5 to inject a bit of the nightlife into the midweek. Alongside tracks recently released from his EP “Everyday” we can assume absolute attendance of his ecstatic energy. While launching the audience into pools of bass, it is sure to see him fly from the stage, jumping hollering and raging along with the crowd. Although it lacks his appearance the tour teaser accurately portrays the sonic spectacle that will ensue.
Fueling entertainment that night will also be Doorly. An equally acclaimed act from across the Atlantic, this keystone to the music industry will be none other than exceptional. Shredded electro, warped wubs, and teched out glitches are all on the menu for his performance. He is a regular on BBC Radio 1, and Ibiza Rocks Podcast, a curator for the future sounds for all DJs. In his roster of collaborators includes but is not limited to Groove Armada, Armand van Helden, Chase and Status, Kissy Sell Out, Tiga, Fake Blood, Skream, Jon Carter, Noisia, Diplo, Proxy, Scratch Perverts, Sinden and Soulwax.
Along with the previously mentioned, Destructo will tear through the ocean of excited ears. Rooted deep in a history of music prduction and management, his taste for savory sounds is unmistakable. Founder of the electro rager HARD, Los Angeles local Gary Richards totes his experience to this night for a certainly massive set.
For Tickets and more Info on the event click HERE.
Check out photos from Rusko’s visit to Webster Hall last October HERE.
What better way to burn off thousands of excess Thanksgiving calories than to dance the night away? Last Saturday at Terminal 5, we did just that with Turkey Soup, the latest installment of the HARD series that featured Destructo, Yelawolf, Miike Snow, Flying Lotus, A-Trak and Tiga.
Destructo (aka Gary Richards, founder of HARD) started the show on a strong note, debuting Hard’s elaborate new set-up, complete with a raised DJ booth. Next up, Yelawolf took over the mic, demonstrating the chops and charisma that could catapult him to mainstream success.
When artists make the jump from band member to DJ, the results have varied considerably, ranging from amazing (Passion Pit’s Shuttle) to disastrous (I’m not naming any names). We weren’t quite sure what (or who) to expect from Miike Snow’s DJ set, but any skepticism immediately vanished once they took over the decks. Christian Karlsson and Pontus Winnberg delivered a killer set, and were appropriate representatives for the band – the duo has worked together under the pseudonym Bloodshy and Avant, writing and producing records for the likes of Madonna, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, and more.
Flying Lotus, brilliant as always, stepped up his game by supplementing his set with a bassist and drummer, making this his first New York City appearance with live instrumentalists. I’m not sure if this qualifies as his ∞ project (it wasn’t billed as such), since past ∞ appearances have included a fuller range of instruments (guitar, keys, harp, violin, saxophone, among others). Nevertheless, the band was a great addition that made his music more hard-hitting and added depth to his set.
Looking sharp in a grey tux and bow-tie, A-Trak played a set that drew heavily from his growing list of hits. The crowd was still going strong as Tiga closed out the night.
CLICK HERE to view more photos by Lauren Marsh, and HERE to check out videos from Poison Ivy.
Last Saturday, HARD Summer Tour hit New York City’s Terminal 5 as the second to last stop on their nationwide journey bringing dance music to the masses. Terminal 5, whose capacity is set at 3,000 heads, was completely sold out; packed wall to wall on every level with enthusiastic partygoers who were nearly bursting at the seams with energetic excitement. New Yorkers JDH & Dave P started off the night with an opening set of disco tinged house music, which provided the perfect appetizer for Destructo’s heavily electro influenced set, heating the dancefloor up in earnest. By the time Sinden took the stage, the crowd had been reduced to one heaving organism that was pressed up against the barrier as he spun a set of solid bass music, bring in elements of house, dubstep, and garage. Canadians Crystal Castles closed out the night with their explosive performance of experimental electronic music created through the use of a live band.
Thanks to our good friends over at URB Magazine, we were lucky enough to have the opportunity to sit down and chat with UK producer/DJ Sinden who has revitalized the club scene with his own brand of forward thinking remixes and productions, clever mash ups, and genre-melting DJ sets. Although Sinden’s sound is associated with different forms of house music, his original influences while growing up stemmed from hardcore hip-hop, the kind that you have to be over 16 to purchase (in the UK), and that your parents would confiscate and destroy if the records were ever found. He sights Public Enemy and N.W.A. as primary influences, which then lead him to branch into the discovery of electronic music through jungle and garage. Pulp Fiction’s “Alex Reece”, which he describes as soulful, sparse, quirky, minimal, and different, fundamentally changed his perception of electronic music and inspired him to truly embrace dance music.
His new label, Grizzly, is in many ways set to reflect Sinden’s own eclectic taste and his desire to keep things fresh and constantly pushing forward. Although house has always been the unifying focal point for the music Sinden has been involved in with regards to both his own production and DJ sets, Grizzly in many ways represents a move away from the traditional 4×4, and an attempt to create and experiment with new patterns and ways of looking at club music.The direction that the label will take is still very fluid, with Sinden’s own innate sense for sound acting as the primary compass – certainly nothing to complain about. Sinden’s own transition into UK Funky and more cutting edge sound has mostly stemmed from a boredom with the over-saturation of generic basslines, which stirred up a desire to move forward and keep things interesting, through tapping into unique micro scenes from all around the world, such as guarachero and old go-go rhythms. In this sense, he has never been much of a “genre” artist, preferring to dabble in many different areas and switch up his production, keeping us hanging on his every release.
Sinden will head back to the studio at the end of this year to work on some solo material, but there’s plenty from Grizzly to keep your dancing shoes moving until then. You can look forward to the release of a collaborative record between Felix Buxton of Basement Jaxx’s disco alias Jon Gionvanni and Sinden, as well as new material from Bassanova (Grahmzilla and Jess Jubilee’s project). You should also keep your ears peaked for Sinden’s remix of Lone’s “Once in a While”, which is sure to be a killer track, and as always, future releases from his role as one half of The Count & Sinden.
Check out the full photo gallery from this edition of HARD Summer HERE.
This summer, Hard is going bigger than ever, with not one, but TWO New York City visits from the LA-based party machine.
On July 24, Hard will carry on one of NYC’s favorite summer pastimes with an outdoor concert at Governor’s Island. Headliner M.I.A. will be joined by fellow Creators Project alums Die Antwoord and Sleigh Bells, along with Skream, Benga, Rye Rye, Theophilus London, Borgore, Destructo, 12th Planet, Nguzunguze and Ninjasonik, all coming together for an evening of music you won’t want to miss. [tickets + info]
This August, Hard will also hit the road for their first tour, stopping in 12 cities across the US and Canada. Crystal Castles, Sinden and Destructo will take over NYC’s Terminal 5 on August 21, with more performers to be announced at a later date. [tickets + info]
To prepare you for the madness, the good folks at Hard released a promotional mix featuring artists that will perform at Hard this summer. Though the mix is geared towards the L.A. events, the mix is not only free, but also good, so who are we to complain? Listen to the mix below, or CLICK HERE download. Peep the tracklist after the jump…
Hard Promo Mix (Produced by Nitrus)
Last Sunday, The Bloody Beetroots rocked The Palladium in Los Angeles for Hard’s second consecutive night. Led by Bobby Rifo on guitar, bass and keys, the duo-turned-trio (re-dubbed “The Bloody Beetroots Death Crew 77″) delivered nearly an hour an a half of hard-hitting electro infused with punk rock and heavy metal. Tommy Tea manipulated the live tunes through his set of mixers, while the band’s newest member, Edward Grinch, kept time on the drums. Dim Mak founder Steve Aoki made a few cameos throughout their set. Sinden, Designer Drugs, Jokers of the Scene and Destructo also performed.
Don’t miss Sinden this Saturday when he joins the Trouble & Bass Crew and Zombies for Money at Santos Party House. CLICK HERE to RSVP for reduced admission. Hard will return to New York twice this summer, first with headliner M.I.A. in July, then again in August for the first-ever Hard tour, headlined by Crystal Castles. Tickets and info HERE.
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.
Hard’s signature party went poolside at the Winter Music Conference in Miami. The sold-out event featured Erol Alkan, Boys Noize, Busy P, DJ Mehdi, Fake Blood, Jack Beats, Annie Mac, Brodinski, Destructo, Aeroplane, Boy 8 Bit, Rory Phillips and Gina Turner.
Hard Fest recently announced that M.I.A. will headline shows in both Los Angeles and in New York City this summer. The dates are particularly well-timed, given that M.I.A.’s third studio album is tentatively slated for a June release. Last January, M.I.A. took to Twitter to leak a new track, “There’s Space For Ol Dat I See”, produced by Rusko (listen to it below). We’re hoping that this new collaboration will manifest itself on stage this summer, which isn’t too farfetched – Diplo was M.I.A.’s official DJ on the People vs. Money tour in 2008.
M.I.A. + Rusko – “There’s Space For Ol Dat I See”
Hard NYC will take place on July 24 on Governor’s Island. Tickets go on sale Friday, March 26 at noon. There will be a limited number of $40 tickets available.
Don’t forget, Hard will be hosting a pool party this Thursday in Miami, and will hit NYC on April 3 with Major Lazer, Boys Noize, Buraka Som Sistema, Proxy, and Destructo.
After a successful debut last month, Hard has announced the line-up for their next New York City outing, which will once again take place at Terminal 5 on April 3rd, 2010. Hard NYC’s first event leaned heavily towards dubstep, with a line-up that included genre heavyweights Crookers and Rusko. While Destructo and Major Lazer will make repeat appearances, Hard is diversifying, adding German electro sensation Boys Noize, Portuguese quartet Buraka Som Sistema, and the US debut of Russian DJ Proxy. Like Major Lazer, Buraka Som Sistema bridges a musical and cultural gap by mixing familiar sounds with their worldly musical style.
Speaking of Major Lazer, they recently embarked on an international tour, with Jillionaire (aka Trini Chris) taking over for Skerrit Bwoy as the resident MC. Chris recently sent us this remix of Major Lazer’s “Jump Up”, which, apart from the vocals, is a totally different track with more of an electro-house vibe, done by Trinidad-based Razorshop Productions. Check it out below or download it here, and look out for more remixes and releases in the coming months from Chris’ fledgling label, Feel Up Recordings.
Major Lazer – “Jump Up” (Razorshop Funky Sax Dub Mix)
Click here to buy tickets and check out photos from Hard NYC‘s debut in October.
