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I went into this show ecstatic; full of anticipation for the mind crushing amazingness of HARD Weekend Oakland. I have found entering an event – whatever type if may be- with this attitude is a bad idea. No matter how amazing something is, how can it possible live up to fantasized expectations? I was not disappointed for a second. HARD was everything I hoped for, and more.
Entering Oakland’s newly remodeled Fox theater I was floored. The building was exceedingly beautiful and impressive. Fully equipped with somewhere around five to ten bars, a handful of floors and a terraced front room, I can’t imagine a show ever going wrong at the Fox. The terracing of the general admission floor was actually brilliant. It allowed for an extremely expansive main floor but the sub-section upfront was nice and packed with people dancing – creating a full feeling. Another note worthy part, however odd of an observation it is, is the Fox’s ceiling. If you catch a show at the fox make sure to take your eyes of the performers for a second and catch a peek of the beautifully ornamented ceiling.
Mumbai Science was first on the main floor, with Egyptrixx and Blondes in a second room. It was a good set. I enjoyed the lighting- knowing it would only get even more intense as the show rotated through the line up. For the first up, Mumbai was pretty successful in getting people off there ass and on the dance floor. I was already a fan of MS so I can’t say I was surprised, but these two guys did a good job. I found them in the audience while Fake Blood was doin his thing – cool dudes, expect an interview in the next week or two.
After Destructo’s set Fake Blood came on and people went ape shit. He dropped all the classics, but also included some tracks I wouldn’t have predicted. He really took advantage of the acoustics inside the Fox – the place was shakin.
After an extended intermission Simian Moblie Disco came on. Their set up was really awesome. All the previous sets hadn’t been live but SMD was performing all thier music totally on the spot. They arranged their equipment in a circle center stage. As they recreated for the pulsing crowd SMD ran in circles around each other frantically twisting one nob and flicking another switch. The entire show went smoothly, and the on-stage production just further enhanced the experience. I was impressed as shit.
It’s going to be tough for any upcoming shows to top my experience at HARD Weekend Oakland.
Before anything else, let me preface my portion of the review with this: the Fox Theater in Oakland is fucking awesome. The interior design and space feels super intimate and personal; almost like you get you and you friends are getting a nice show just for you -provided you’re in general admission, not balcony seating. Because of the closeness, the lights are absurdly intense (in a good way). The whole place just feels a thousand times classier and cleaner than a venue like the Cow Palace.
First up was Mumbai Science. Their whole set was fun and filled with electro energy, embodied by my personal favorite track of theirs: Gold. They got the crowd going and excited with their huge buildups and bass-heavy electro drops, even though there weren’t that many people there that early in the evening. A couple of my friends met them later in the crowd; apparently they’re both really chill guys, and that makes them killing it that much sweeter.
Destructo, the HARD Presents resident, took the decks next. His set was really basic, nothing special, and as far as I know he’s never produced anything. He threw in some fun tracks, but I ended up sitting and resting for the vast majority of his set.
Fake Blood, on the other hand, destroyed the place. He spins with time coded vinyls unlike the vast majority of DJs right now who spin CDJs. Needless to say, his mixing is on point, sophisticated, and unique. That being said, I think my favorite part about seeing Fake Blood live is his fearlessness in dropping tracks that perhaps aren’t the most usual to hear at a show, like the Dem Slackers remix of Fifty What. That track actually pretty well covers a lot of the kind of stuff that he spins live, filled with giant drops that test the abilities of the low tones of the club’s speakers. Of course everyone went insane when he dropped favorites like I Think I Like It and his remix of Stuck on Repeat, and overall spun a crowd pleasing and diverse set.
After a brief period of set-up, Simian Mobile Disco took the stage. Having seen the Chemical Brothers at the same venue, I had extremely high expectations of live performers in the same vein. I was not disappointed, and in fact was pleasantly surprised at the awesomeness that is Simian Mobile Disco live. Their light show is some sort of hexagonal pattern that makes all sorts of fun designs and backdrops for the two energetic dudes playing in the center of the stage. This background combined with a number of high-powered strobes and color changing flood lights made for easily one of the most intense light shows I have ever seen. The music, which is mostly instrumental aside from some of their older, more lyrical material, complements the show perfectly and seems to go hand in hand with the light design, just like a Chemical Brothers show but with less physical imagery. Tracks like Sleep Deprivation, Audacity of Huge, and Cruel Intentions stood out to me as highlights, where lights and music combined perfectly to hype the crowd and make us stand back in awe at the same time.
Final consensus: Go see Simian Mobile Disco if you ever get the chance. Fake Blood is and always has been dope. Mumbai Science are chill dudes whose heavy sound should not be ignored. Skip Destructo.
Nothing I can write could do HardFest the justice that it deserves. With upcoming shows in New York and Miami, I could fly across the country and relive the experience. Walking a paper thin line between concert and rave, I had never experienced anything like it before. The excitement, the energetic atmosphere and the lighting were amazing, but the music – especially toward the end of the night – was the far and away the highlight of the show. The last two performances, Fake Blood and Simian Mobile Disco, did not disappoint. At about 10 pm (the show went from 7-12) as Fake Blood was setting up, I told myself that I was done – I was too tired, sore, and had a massive headache. However, I soldiered through as Fake Blood began. Immediately, he ignited the excitement which I had partially lost 3 hours into the show. As it transitioned to SMD, my excitement continued to keep my energy level, soreness and headache on their hiatus. In my opinion, SMD was even better than Fake Blood, with the added benefit of a superior light effects. The Fox is a great venue and was a perfect for fit for HardFest with its dance floor, multiple levels of seating and infinite standing room.
Antigalactic – MixHell (Mumbai Science Remix)
I Think I Like It – Fake Blood
Stuck on Repeat – Little Boots (Fake Blood Remix)
Cruel Intentions – Simian Mobile Disco
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