HARD EVENTS ANNOUNCES HARD PREGAME FOOD & BEVERAGE COLLABORATIONS, PLUS NIGHT MARKET WITH GRAND CENTRAL MARKET AHEAD OF HARD SUMMER MUSIC FESTIVAL

FEATURED LA FOOD & BEVERAGE PARTNERS INCLUDE THE BIGG CHILL, CAFE DULCE, FAT SAL’S, HIFI KITCHEN AND LOVE HOUR

HARD SUMMER AND GRAND CENTRAL MARKET PRESENT NIGHT MARKET ON JULY 21
317 S BROADWAY, LOS ANGELES, CA 90013
8:00PM – 12:00AM

HARD Events has announced a series of food and beverage collaborations, along with a pop-up night market event in collaboration with Grand Central Market, in celebration of HARD Summer Music Festival’s return to Los Angeles this August 5-6. Ahead of its monumental 15th edition, HARD has teamed up with some of Los Angeles’ favorite food and beverage vendors to present the ultimate HARD Pregame for fans of all tastes.

HARD Pregame offerings include food collaborations with Fat Sal’s on The Fat HARD Attack sandwich including pulled pork, mac and cheese bites, and fried pickles, along with Love Hour on a HARD Smash Combo specialty chili burger combo with curly fries and FatBoy ice cream sandwich, and HiFi Kitchen on The HARD Summersilog which includes chicken adobo, beef tapa, and talib kawali over garlic rice topped with two sunny eggs and their "Joints & Jams" drink which is a Hibiscus Kalamansi Fresca. HiFi Kitchen will also offer a vegan option with kali tofu, adobo, greenbeans, and eggplant bistek. HARD will have a Not So “HARD” Summer lemonade on the Cafe Dulce menu and a dessert with The Bigg Chill on The HARD Summer Sundae.

Each of these products will be available at its corresponding store from July 17-August 13.

HARD Summer has also announced a pop-up event in collaboration with Grand Central Market taking place July 21 from 8:00pm to 12:00am and open to the public. Activities will include surprise pop up DJ sets to soundtrack the night, over twenty food and beverage vendors, cocktails, a flea market, games, tattoo artist, photobooths, and much more. This is the first installment of Night Market, a brand new series introduced by Grand Central Market this summer, which has over 100 years of history, brand recognition, and community support from and throughout Los Angeles.

HARD Summer Music Festival will utilize a brand new venue combination with various stages spread out across the campuses of the historic Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, Exposition Park, and BMO Stadium.

The festival lineup includes Skrillex b2b Four Tet, Kaskade b2b John Summit, 21 Savage, Kid Cudi, Diplo b2b BLOND:ISH, Dillon Francis, Black Coffee, MK b2b Sonny Fodera, The Martinez Brothers, Ludacris, Bicep (Live), Giolì & Assia, Oliver Tree, Fat Joe, Gorgon City, Kayzo b2b Sullivan King, Boys Noize, Emo Nite, Netsky, Blossom, SIPPY, and many more. HARD Summer has also announced the stage by stage lineups for its five stages - Pink, Purple, Green, HARDER, and HARD.

HARD Summer continues to invest in creating a comfortable experience for attendees, with this never-before-used venue complex providing the perfect canvas to expand this mission. Fans can hop on the LA Metro for an easy journey to and from the event, or taste some of the city’s most celebrated food vendors at the foot of the Coliseum Torch.

HARD Summer has also announced official afterparties and pre-parties taking place at a variety of key venues in Los Angeles including Exchange LA, Academy LA, The Belasco, 930 Mateo St Warehouse, 1720, and Sunset at Edition with various parties on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.

Remaining tickets are currently available via HARD Summer’s official website.

PAUL KALKBRENNER SHARES GROUNDBREAKING VIDEO “SCHWER”

Creative Agency Mother Berlin Uses Cutting Edge 4D Volumetric Video Capture Technology
Kalkbrenner’s First New Song in 2 Years 

Independent Creative Agency Mother Berlin partners with award-winning director Jovan Todorović and production company BWGTBLD to bring techno icon Paul Kalkbrenner’s new single to life with a groundbreaking music video. The track, “Schwer,” Kalkbrenner’s first release since 2021, takes inspiration from the German word “Fremdkörper“ or foreign body, which is used as the film concept. 

“Schwer” builds as an ongoing loop of scenes we all know from our daily lives. Each appears completely normal at first, but every time we revisit a scene the content slightly alters, building an arc from normal life to complete absurdity. The camera moves through these scenes, making the viewers wonder if what they see is real or not. All empty backgrounds of the video are shot throughout Berlin to which the characters are added. 

Rather than using actors, digital technology was deployed to render 4D-volumetric people in place. This used 42 camera capture to lock the motion of each person, making it possible to be used as a 3D element within the final film. The technology allowed each scene to be a canvas, where we could paint carefully created compositions that match the part of the songs and the overall arc of the video. Anima, the AI-powered design-to-code software, was behind the work, which is usually deployed for architectural visualizations but was repurposed for this project. 

For the cover art, the concept of the video was expanded with a shot of Paul Kalkbrenner being recorded in the 4D-volumetric-scanner, holding his hands over his face and covering his eyes. A moment that can be interpreted in many ways - from disbelief to hilarious laughter. Shutting himself off from the reality around him.

Commenting on the film, Paul Kalkbrenner said: “Incredible. This volucap technology is really another level. I feel very privileged to be able to work with Jovan, Mother Berlin, BWGTBLD, and everyone else involved in this video. It couldn't be more on point.”

“Schwer,” as its English translation suggests (hard/heavy/tough), is a hulking track suited for the massive stages that Paul Kalkbrenner is most familiar with. A minimal but dancefloor-ready synth line takes the lead while calculated hi-hats tick like clockwork at a cool 131 beats per minute. The track is unequivocally PK, leaning into his well-established sound for his first independent release following his stint with Sony Music. 

Over the past two decades, Kalkbrenner has built a reputation unlike any other electronic music artist, releasing 8 albums, headlining stadiums typically reserved for rockstars, and creating a transcendent journey with his live performances using only his own music. An uncompromising talent whose career remains intertwined with techno, Paul’s pioneering ideas have cemented his position as a figurehead of his generation. In 2023, Paul is back on the festival circuit, bringing his unique live show for performances across both weekends of Tomorrowland in Boom, Belgium (and Tomorrowland Brazil), as well as several stops in Ibiza and a homecoming show at Berlin Wuhlheide. 

Connect with Paul Kalkbrenner 
Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | YouTube | Spotify 

TIEDE NIGHT’S AND GLOBAL TRANCE STAR NIFRA REVEAL INCREDIBLE NEW LIVE STREAM FROM ISRAEL'S UNESCO WORLD HERITAGE SITE MASADA NATIONAL PARK

Slovakian trance star DJ Nifra is once again partnering with Tiede Night’s for a unique new live stream from UNESCO World Heritage Site the Masada National Park.

The first stream shot from the Dead Sea last year was a huge success and the team behind the concept have now taken things up a level as they take over the ancient fortress in southern Israel’s Judean Desert. The set premiered on Nifra’s YouTube channel on Friday 7th July 2023. 

Nifra is a global trance titan, globe-trotting DJ and tastemaking producer who has released on the likes of Black Hole Recordings and Coldharbour, hosts her own Rebel Radio show, and gets support from the biggest names in the game for her incredible melodies, future-facing production and energetic anthems. This year she plays the likes of Tomorrowland and Creamfields, has a big run of exciting new releases read to drop and made the #10 spot as the highest ranked female trance artist on Trancepodium.

It was during the pandemic lock downs of 2020 that Nifra found herself embracing the virtual world as an outlet to showcase her love for art and beyond. She shot performances at unique locations such as Landschaftspark in Duisburg, Toren7 in Roermond and Papierfabriek in Nijmegen among others before teaming up with Israel’s Tiede Night’s collective for her first live stream in the country at the Dead Sea and her relationship with the team and country has continued to evolve ever since.  

Masada; the location for this new production, is unrivalled in its beauty and history. It is a vast plateau overlooking the Dead Sea, with a cable car and a long, winding path climbing up to the historic fortifications that were built in around 30 B.C. Among the ruins are King Herod's Palace, which sprawls over three rock terraces, and a Roman-style bathhouse with mosaic floors. The Masada Museum has archaeological exhibits and recreations of historical scenes and it is sure to form a breathtaking setting for this live stream. 

Tiede Night’s establishes connections in the global music industry between top nightlife figures and club owners to work on creative projects like no other, and live streams are a crucial part of that. They say, “once again we give fans and viewers a high-quality performance in a stunning setting. We have overcome plenty of challenges to make this happen but that is sure to make it all the more enjoyable and exciting."

Nifra adds, "after working with Tiede Nights on production of the live set from the Dead Sea last year, I knew I wanted to go back and record something together this year as well. I’ve seen some pictures and footage of Masada and as crazy as this idea was, I got in touch with Lidor from Tiede Night’s. We are talking about a very special location that I can’t even believe we got permission to shoot. After the recording it took me some time to realise what we actually did here and the result is breathtaking. I’m very excited about once again pushing the boundaries with an incredible team of people that worked on this project."

This is a live stream not to be missed and one that invites you deep into the musical world of Nifra in a stunning setting. 

WATCH THE FULL STREAM HERE