Dancing Astronaut’s Top 5 Most Anticipated Acts of HARD SummerIMG 5048

Dancing Astronaut’s Top 5 Most Anticipated Acts of HARD Summer

Dancing Astronaut's Top 5 Most Anticipated Acts of HARD Summer

Is there any better tastemaker in this day and age than Gary Richards? The man behind HARD Presents continually caters lineups that reach across the spectrum of dance music, satisfying fans of the underground to the mainstream alike. As fast as our scene moves, Richards always appear one step ahead of the game.

This year’s HARD Summer lineup is no exception, offering everything from trap, to techno, to future bass and a wide variety of established to upcoming artists. Over 90 acts will grace the decks of next week’s festival and there are bound to be some truly remarkable sets. We give you our five most anticipated performances.

5. Justin Martin

Call it the changing tides of dance music in the US, but Dirtybird continues to get bigger every year. As we witness the uprooting of the underground onto bigger stages and bigger venues, Dirtybird is at the forefront of the exposure. Leading the charge is Justin Martin, a San Francisco producer who has been dropping delectable house tunes on the regular like his recent remix of Henry Krinkle’s “Stay.” His DJ sets are a phenomenon even easier to fawn over thanks to his clean mixing and revered taste in bass.

4. Wave Racer

With an ear for melody and obscure rhythms and a penchant for sampling old video games, Wave Racer has garnered a large fan base in a very short amount of time. Just a year ago, the young Australian burst onto the scene with a pair of originals combining future bass beats with inventive sound design. Making his Hard Summer debut, Wave Racer promises to be one of the most interesting sets of the weekend.

3. Tiga vs. Audion

Outside of Seth Troxler’s performance, Tiga and Audion’s back-to-back set will be the best techno you hear all weekend. On their own, the two artists lead widely respected careers. When they come together, however, something truly amazing happens. In the studio, their collaborations have yielded some of most iconic techno tracks to date, like the catchy groover “Let’s Go Dancing” to the more recent “Fever.” Their back-to-back performances behind the decks are just as fantastic, albeit fleeting. Outside of a festival like Movement or Sonar, this is the rare chance to catch one.

2. Jack U

This choice may be a bit more obvious, but truth be told, we couldn’t reason not putting Jack U as a top pick. With their only performance since Ultra, this will unquestionably be one of the biggest (if not the) sets of the weekend. Diplo recently spilled the beans on the duo’s impending album, and it seems only obvious that we can expect plenty of new Jack U material. Don’t be the guy listening to the live set rip afterwards and kicking yourself for missing it. It will be crowded, it will be rowdy — it will be Jack U’s biggest performance to date.

1. Nero

It had to be Nero. There’s a storm brewing, and at the head of the voltaic mass are Daniel Stephens, Joeseph Ray, and Alana Watson. When their new album finally arrives, we have no doubt it will be the only thing people are talking about. Will they change the face of electro and techno? Will they revive the spirit of dubstep? These questions will have to wait a little longer, but what we do know is that few artists can release a single and cause such a colossal stir like Nero did with “Satisfy.” The world awaits their next move, and at the moment, that includes a closing set from Hard Summer. Don’t miss it.

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