These five artists on this year’s HARD Summer lineup are shifting the current EDM sound

Starting as a grimy party scene and a space to find community. Rave culture may have originated in the underground, both as a raw, grimy party scene and a space to find commmunity, but EDM far transcends those boundaries today. As promoters like Insomniac Events now hold massive, multi-day events catering to the unique tastes of thousands of people. 

And within that festival circuit, there is a growing wave of diverse tastes from fans in the scene. While the height of the EDM festival scene (2012-2016) is associated with big room house, and, in more recently years, trap then dubstep, a new wave seems to be taking over the festival scene: hard dance.

Hard dance can be defined as an umbrella genre, consisting of genres like hardstyle, uptempo, and, of course, hard techno, which has several subgenres of its own: acid, industrial, trance, and gabber, to name a few.

Techno music’s fast pace and heavy energy and high BPMs are no stranger to the U.S., with roots dating back to warehouse parties in Detroit in the 80s, with The Belleville Three being credited for spawning the genre and the late 80s and early 90s leading way to the work of icons like Jeff Mills, Juan Atkins, Kevin Saunderson, and more. 

Modern hard techno is more closely associated with European techno, which emerged in countries like Germany (birthing the iconic Berlin techno scene), the U.K., Belgium, and The Netherlands following the distribution of Detroit techno music to the continent in the late 90s. 

As techno and other EDM genres started developing their own unique flavors in individual European countries, Berlin became the de facto techno capital of Europe, and later, the world, following the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989, as new nightclubs and warehouse parties celebrated the new, unified Berlin and symbolized a time of celebration and freedom, the culture that still defines techno parties and other raves today. The city particularly became characterized by its hypnotic, fast-paced, darker sound.

However, hard techno as we know it today is something of its own genre, combining elements of big room EDM (massive buildups and intense drops) with harder dance genres containing even faster BPMS than traditional techno, hardstyle kicks, and distorted sounds. 

The rise in hard techno has seen rifts both from fans of other EDM genres and even within the genre of techno itself, with purists of the techno genre calling hard techno a false form of techno, the build and drops detracting from the traditional trance aspects of techno. 

But that stance isn’t stopping hard techno’s prominence in the scene. While harder dance genres have long been mainstream in Europe’s dance scene, the 2020s have seen a shift into more hard techno names being added to major U.S. festival lineups (Coachella, Ultra Music Festival, etc.) and touring the States for the first time as techno rises in popularity both on social media and through local rave scenes. 

The newfound mainstream of appeal has shifted the lineups and shows of major EDM show promoter, Insomniac Events, with Sara Landry, Nico Moreno, and I Hate Models, to name a few, being promoted on numerous festival lineups this year including Electric Daisy Carnival (EDC) Las Vegas and Orlando, Beyond Wonderland Chicago, and the Los Angeles-based HARD Summer.

While HARD Summer has always been known as a multi-genre festival, fans couldn’t help but notice the prominence of industrial techno on this year’s lineup. The festival, which will take place August 2 and 3 at Hollywood Park (adjacent to the Sofi Stadium), features performances by five of the most prominent hard techno artists across its many stages (including one headlining set on the Harder stage!)

 Here’s a deeper dive into the five artists on this year’s lineup who  are, subjectively, taking hard techno to unparalleled heights in the States and across the world and reshaping the understanding of the genre of techno as a whole. 

Sara Landry 

Even if you aren’t particularly familiar with hard techno as a genre, if you’re a fan of EDM, you’ve probably heard of Sara Landry, whose euphoric trance and heavy drum beats have graced the stages of major stages across the globe. Born in Austin, Texas, Landry is particularly known for her unique, dramatic sound, consisting of heavy, repetitive drum kicks paired with melodic or ethereal vocals, and introspective themes, paired with her dark, seductive aesthetic and playful, invigorated stage presence, always singing, dancing, and totally feeling her own mixes, has earned Landry the nickname of “High Priestess of Hard Techno.” 

Since releasing her debut album “Spiritual Driveby” in October, Landry’s global rise to fame has been evident.  This year alone, Landry performed on the Kinetic Field stage at Las Vegas’s EDC, making her the first hard techno artist to take the mainstage at the largest EDM festival in the States (this year garnered over 525,000 attendees). During EDC week, Landry also performed a special b2b set with French producer Nico Moreno for the largest Factory 93 party to date.

 The producer and DJ also made appearances this summer at numerous festivals, including Awakenings (Netherlands), Coachella, Electric Forest (Rothbury, Michigan), and Movement Festival (Detroit), as well as touring the globe, including the States, Europe, Asia, and Latin America as part of her Eternalism tour. The past few months also included some of her most iconic shows to date, including a series of four Brooklyn-based warehouse shows following a cancellation at the Brooklyn Mirage and an 8-hour set at Club Space, a 24-hour nightclub in Miami. 

Whether its flips of popular tracks like her remixes of Lady Gaga’s “Perfect Celebrity” or M.I.A’s “Paper Planes,” to the hypnotic dance tracks in her own discography, Landry always knows how to play to an audience, both through her mixing and performance no matter the setting. And while no one can say what to expect for her headlining set on the Harder stage on Saturday, fans can likely expect a set filled both with classic industrial techno mixed with hints of both more aggression and more trance, and definitely a few fun surprises.

Nico Moreno

If what separates hard techno as a genre is its intense kicks and racing beats-per-minute (BPM), then Nico Moreno might be one of the most prominent examples today of artists who are revitalizing the genre globally. Having gotten his start DJ-ing more commercial genres  in nightclubs at 16, the French producer started to rise to prominence as he shifted to playing techno in 2017. In 2024, he released his highly anticipated debut album, “You Can’t Stop The Movement,” arguably Moreno’s most defining project. The work features the rhythmic drums, heavy gabber kicks, and intense hi-hats that form Moreno’s musical style into a cohesive 12 tracks, with features from other hot names in the industrial techno genre, like Reiner Zonneveld and Holy Priest. Additionally, Moreno boasts his own record label, Insolent Rave Records, which his debut album is released under.  

While Moreno has been a familiar name in the techno genre for years, his debut album has solidified his household status and the past year has proved it. This summer alone, Moreno has travelled the globe performing at numerous festivals including b2b performances during EDC week with Sara Landry and I Hate Models. Other major performances this summer include Serbia’s Exit Festival with techno artist Dyen, Teletech (U.K.), and a headlining show in Moreno’s hometown in Lyon, France, with over 10,000 ravers in attendance. 

Not only has Moreno been making his presence known globally, this year marks several accomplishments for his reputation in L.A. alone. Not only will Nico Moreno headline HARD Summer’s Green stage on Sunday, August 3, but on November 14 and 15, the DJ will also perform a nearly sold-out headlining weekend at The Hollywood Pallidium, with the second night being added by popular demand., making him the first hard-techno headliner to take over the iconic venue. Attendees of this year’s HARD can expect  aggressive kicks pummeling straight to your chest, cohesive transitions, and dynamic, adrenaline-fueled build-ups on the stage during the DJ’s hour-long ending set, accompanied possibly by a lit cigarette, some energetic dance moves, and Moreno’s iconic, tongue-out smile.

999999999 (pronounced 9x9)

A name meant to characterize the infinite possibilities behind their music, the Italian duo’s music carries every bit as much creativity and spontaneity as their namesake. Since getting their start in 2016 and seeing breakout success in the scene with their 2018 track “300000003”, their music and performance style has taken a shift from vinyl-based acid sets to hardcore techno that still carries on their original acid flavor. 

The duo released single in June,  “ACID BLOOD,” with FLKN, combinimg elements of undeniably dance-worthy and aggressive hardcore and hardstyle elements with smooth, captivating industrial techno. At the beginning of this year, the duo dropped “IN MY HOUSE,” a speedcore collaboration with Rian Wood, initially debuted a year previously live, demonstrating a cohesive sonic identity with subtle variations that make both perfect for their summer performances. 

And summer performances, they have had plenty of. Aside from HARD, 999999999 has kept themselves busy the past few months touring Europe and the U.S., launching their audio-visual show “DOMINION” at Rave Rebels in Brussels, Belgium in May, closing out Awakenings Festival in the Netherlands in June, and performing at Les Ardentes in Belgium this past month, an EDM festival that garnered over 245,000 attendees this year. Opening for Nico Moreno on the Green stage and directly following I Hate Models set, 999999999 can be expected to provide a rhythmic transition to IHM’s journeyful sets and create the ideal amp-up for Nico Moreno’s booming, bass-filled, heavy-energy sets. 

I Hate Models

Recognizable both by his black face mask, often shirtless appearance, and lively dance moves on stage is semi-anonymous French DJ I Hate Models (IHM), whose name represents the idea of not wanting his music to be bound by a “model” or “pattern.”  And over the course of the artist’s 10-year discography, starting by his iconic 2016 track “Daydream,” to his most recently released project, “Forever Melancholia,” a five-track EP that’s equal part angst-ridden, dreamy trance and heart-racing industrial techno, showcasing his versatility and his craftsmanship in techno production. I Hate Models dubs himself an “emotional alchemist,” or otherwise, someone who can channel raw emotion into something greater, more powerful, which is I believe what makes his particular brand of techno–emotionally abrasive, otherworldy and melancholic but still with dance floor energy behind it the whole time. 

IHM has been touring the globe this summer, both as part of his FACE II FACE Tour, a promotion for “Forever Melancholia,” and across multiple U.S. and European  festivals, including EDC Las Vegas, where he performed b2b with Nico Moreno as well as his own solo set on the Circuit Grounds stage, Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia. IHM is also set to perform at the mass-scale Tomorrowland Festival in Boom, Belgium, and perform a Boiler Room set in London on August 2, just a day before he is nearly sure to deliver a set of hard-racing and emotionally resonant tunes the night after at HARD. 

Alignment

A slightly more underrated name in the hard techno/dance scene, Italian DJ and producer Alignment is known for his post-apocalyptic/futuristic-tech aesthetic combined with his introspective, experimental sound. Alignment has released several singles and his “GRAVITATIONAL WAVE” EP under his label, Orbital Records, which launched January of 2024 with his debut single “Malfunction,” which gained support from some of the DJs mentioned above like Sara Landry and Nico Moreno. 

Since then, the artist has released an EP, “GRAVITATIONAL WAVE,” on KNTXT, a techno label owned by artist Charlotte De Witte. Alignment also made his North American debut and performed since in the country several times, including at this year’s EDC, performed a Boiler Room set in Lyon, France for a crowd of 10,000, and performed at other major music festivals this year, including EDC Thailand, Rotterdam Rave in the Netherlands, and Rave Rebels. He’s set to end the summer with numerous U.S. shows, including a show at The Ground Miami on August 1, his HARD Summer set on August 3, and tying the bow with the Chicago-based house-and-techno ARC Music Festival. If you’re an enjoyer of 9x9’s pulsing intensity, Sara Landry’s haunting melodies, or I Hate Model’s emotional grit, Alignment’s earlier set on the Green stage might have something to offer you.