HARD: DAY OF THE DEAD

The Saturday after Halloween, SoCal club kids flocked to Los Angeles State Historic Park to throw down at HARD Haunted Mansion Presents: Day of the Dead. A one night event host to 28 electronic dance music acts, across four stages. One thing’s for sure, the kids weren’t burnt out on Halloween parties. They came prepared to go hard (pun intended). 

You know that sinking feeling you were told it was a costume party, but when you get there you’re the only one dressed up?  

You don’t have to worry about that at HARD. These kids wore a standard uniform of thong underwear, bra tops, furry boots, fishnets, and tutus. Day of the Dead face paint was probably the only addition to “normal” festival attire. Whether they knew it or not, with nearly everyone dressed the same, the party people were upholding the Unity pillar of the rave credo, Peace Love Unity Respect (PLUR).

The entry gates were packed throughout most of the night, with long lines at the ID check point. Looking back, this makes sense because the audience was mostly 25 and under. But if you're a music fan on the up and up, you got there early for one of the first - and most hyped - sets of the night. UZ, like the gun, went on right at 6:00 PM. Having just hit SoundCloud this year, UZ's a newcomer to the burgeoning EDM scene with his own genre, trap muzick, and an EP by Diplo's Mad Decent imprint, Jeffrees.

Speaking of Diplo - he's everywhere! Not only were multiple artists from his label on the bill, but he performed two headlining sets that night: one as Diplo, the other as part of Jamaican dancehall duo, Major Lazer. 

Stage-hopping at HARD, one thing became clear. This is a community that understands the value of a good remix. Justice essentially created a two hour mash-up of their entire catalogue, with some tracks flowing in and out over the course of the set. It makes sense though considering these artists are really producers, not mere “DJs”, as some folks like to argue.

All in all, if you’re going to go to HARD be prepared for some seriously harsh tunes because this brand of music can be very aggressive. Not unlike death metal. The kids didn’t seem to notice though and I can’t blame them, sometimes the harder, the better.