It’s an indisputable fact that people in L.A. love to dance.  It’s an even more indisputable fact that the shirtless frat boys, thrill-seeking high school students, and panty-clad sexpots of our great city love to dance. Saturday night’s HARD 13 is a true testament to that.  The latest installment in this series of electro-fueled dance marathons, whose name aptly describes the manner in which its attendees like to party, serves to reinforce the notion that the P.L.U.R. ideology is alive and well, effectively resurrected from its late ’90s heyday.

Boasting two stages on two floors of Downtown’s Club Nokia, the sold-out event was not quite of a large enough scale to be considered massive, though that didn’t stop its patrons from indulging in massive-style excess.  While I did catch a glimpse of the mound of confiscated drugs at the venue’s entrance, it’s undeniable that a fair amount of mind altering substances made it past the double doors—if the sea of completely uninhibited, barely clothed dancers was any indication.  Of course, chemicals were only partially responsible for the euphoria the crowd was experiencing; the sensory overload of a production transpiring onstage would be incredibly stimulating to even the squarest of observers.  Each of the screens at Club Nokia was synchronized to display the psychedelic visuals being projected behind the DJs, the perfect complement to the sound system’s low-end assault.  Only the rapidly spinning glow sticks and neon clothing of the audience could compete for your eyes’ attention.

The music was abrasive and relentless, never allowing a break in the action.  The DJs were well aware that there is a no bigger buzz kill than the absence of a beat to pump your fists to.  The Bass Chamber, located on the fourth floor and accessible only via elevator, played host to the likes of Gaslamp Killer, Marshall Barnes, EMU, and Camo UFOs.  The lounge-like room was a more intimate affair with only about 50 audience member, most likely due to the difficulty in finding it.  Those loyal 50 were treated to a mysterious “special guest” on the bill who was revealed to be an unmasked Deadmau5.  Following Gaslamp Killer’s selection of “Everything in Its Right Place,” Deadmau5 kicked things off with Peaches’ “Fuck The Pain Away” and a mash-up of Madcon’s “Beggin’” and Amy Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good” before moving on to an impressive display of breakbeat manipulation.  He showcased his penchant for creating brutal and complex synchopations, performing what amounted to a Buddy Rich-style drum solo on the decks.  On the HARD Stage, sweaty bodies abounded to the sounds of Ali G, Destructo, Boy 8-Bit, Jack Beats, and Fake Blood.  Co-headliners/showstoppers Jack Beats captivated the audience with their surging, elastic basslines, shrill sonics, and unpredictable rhythms.  They dealt the crowd sheer brutality in the form of blistering beats.  At one point during one of their build-ups, they ran a sample beckoning the crowd to “get down”—as if anyone in the house needed instruction to do so.

—Amorn Bholsangngam