HARD SUMMER Music Festival Returns To Los Angeles State Historic Park With Skrillex, Chromeo And More

Following the success of the free, sold-out HARD x MOUTH TAPED SHUT shows (London, Stockholm, New York, Chicago and San Francisco) and the maiden voyage of HARD’s HOLY SHIP!, the world’s first three-day electronic music cruise, now comes news for the return of HARD SUMMER. For the first time in its 5-year history, the downtown Los Angeles destination festival will expand to a two-day event, Friday, August 3 and Saturday, August 4, and returns to the Los Angeles State Historic Park, this time with four stages and 60-plus artists. $99 two-day passes go on sale this Saturday, January 21 at10:00 a.m. PT at www.hardfest.com. Check out the HARD SUMMER 2012 official trailer here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0of4wmY6v3Y.

In 2011, HARD SUMMER—the largest ticketed music festival in the city of Los Angeles—took on a larger-than-life identity that culminated with 30,000 fansdescending upon the Los Angeles State Historic Park to experience performances from an elite group of progressive electronic music artists, includingSkrillex, Chromeo, Ratatat, Duck Sauce, Boys Noize, Odd Future and more. “This is the best welcome home party I’ve ever had,” said Skrillex in a piece at LAWeekly.com.

What can fans expect for HARD SUMMER 2012, a music festival known for its diverse lineup of the most cutting-edge, innovative electronic artistson the scene accompanied by trailblazers from both hip-hop and rock ‘n’ roll?  Says HARD founder, promoter and DJ (as Destructo) Gary Richards: “My motto for this year is ‘Trust me.’ This is our fifth year, and I think by now we’ve shown the fans we bring the big names and we introduce the newest of the new every time. We want people to know that we’re so confident about this event that you can start making plans. Book your hotel, pick your outfits, reserve a car because there’s no doubt this is going to be the music event of the summer.”

As a two-day event, “there’s a new element of exploring downtown, meeting people from other places, and creating a whole weekend of adventures,” saysRichards. “That’s on top of the 16 hours of madness inside HARD Summer’s boundless acres.”

Adds Richards: “It’s important to me that we as a city and as a company look at this as a destination festival and welcome the people who are going to travel here to our hometown to be a part of this experience. I’ll be happiest to see the boost to the local economy because this isn’t a car-camping, mud-puddle festival; this is right in the middle of gorgeous downtown LA. You’ve got Chinatown, Little Tokyo and all these wonderful places to visit here.”

HARD maintains a strong bond with its audience: “For our loyal L.A. fans, I think most of them already know why the success has grown with us,” saysRichards. “HARD’s total ticket price is less than a fraction of other festival tickets, but you’re getting to see 60 amazing artists that I’ve hand-picked for you. You can get to and from the park quickly and safely on the Metro for mere pocket change. The park itself is beautiful, and I’m glad we’ve been able to bring it so much attention (and I can’t wait to surprise you all with some of the improvements we’re making).”

The 2012 line up will underline HARD’s commitment to exposing new talent. Explains Richards: “I’m always happy to give more exposure to the great acts that people haven’t necessarily gotten to see yet. But for the most part, this line-up is going to be about pairing some of the new talent you might not know yet with the legends of electronic music that have yet to play a HARD event. 2012 promises to double the experience.”

Keeping it fresh and on the edge—that’s what makes it HARD.

Tickets for HARD SUMMER 2012 go on sale this Saturday, January 21 at 10 a.m. PT at www.hardfest.com.