Some like it HARD

Kid Sister is a flake, but we still love her. Holla! (Credit: Andreas Larsson)

No one expected the onslaught of humanity that crammed in and around the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum last month for the  Electric Daisy Carnival, the annual rave that has played all over the West Coast since 1997. An estimated 60,000 party people danced to such DJs as Moby, Paul van Dyk and Benny Benassi, and it seems any rumors of rave’s demise have been greatly exaggerated.

As a new generation of electric youth weaned on Ed Banger beats, Kanye West productions and blog-hyped DJs is eager to leave its own cultural mark, the freshly minted HARD festivals aspire to be a sort of Coachella for SoCal’s after-hours underground set.

“HARD represents the continuing evolution of underground culture, drawing as much from the rave scene as it does from punk rock, pop and early hip- hop,” says KCRW DJ Jason Bentley, who played at the first event and is scheduled to spin again this Saturday. “It's a renegade cultural mash-up that takes measured doses of the old school to realize something fresh and exciting. It's important for any emerging music movement to make a strong statement in L.A. As a global entertainment capital, Los Angeles is a springboard to international visibility.”

No act epitomizes that renegade cultural mash-up as succinctly as N.E.R.D., the technicolored rock-hop superstars featuring Pharrell Williams of production pioneers the Neptunes. Now that Williams has generated an entirely new kind of fame as a fashion icon, helming the successful Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream streetwear lines, his celebrity status is huge—but he has yet to hit critical mass.

“I have always been a huge fan of Pharrell and Chad (Hugo), and think they are some of the best producers of our generation,” says event producer Gary Richards. “N.E.R.D. is the perfect band for HARD, as they don't fit into any one category of music, yet they embody everything I love about music. Plus, they know how to get the party started right.”

The HARD brand launched with a mostly successful New Year’s Eve party on the streets of Downtown L.A., despite a few logistical setbacks (such as an extended scrum at the door and a featured 2 Live Crew set that didn’t include group leader Luther Campbell).

“The addition of Bill Silva Presents as HARD’s partner/promoter will have a huge impact on the basic logistics of the event,” Richards promises. “Lines and ticketing issues will not be a problem this time around.”

The summer festival has already encountered some minor drama, with featured attraction Kid Sister threatening to pull a no-show (it's not longer a threat--she won't be performing after all--Ed.) and a volatile economy that has even diehard party people pinching pennies.

Still, Richards remains optimistic that his vision of new-millennium PLUR (the rave ethos of “peace, love, understanding and respect) will thrive.

"The mission of HARD is to replace the distracting negativity of life with a big fuck-off party,” he says. “The equation is simple: The larger the floor, the more people to share it with, the greater the impact of its pure positivity."

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