The Journey to HARD Summer 2015: A Musical Narration + RB’s 86-Track HARD Summer 2015 Playlist

A resonating squeal makes its way into the depths of your ear canal. Your eyes shoot open and you realize that that sound is the howl of your alarm clock, reminding you that it is 6am on Friday morning and that its time for you to become mentally prepared to take on one of Los Angeles’ biggest music festivals, HARD Summer. The only problem is that you’re still in Phoenix! Thankfully you were prepared, its Friday morning and you have 30 hours before the festivities begin. Keep in mind the drive, that long drive to LA (the I-10 is one lane near the border) means that you need to start now, you need to GO!

Go (feat. Q-tip) – The Chemical Brothers

As you hop out of bed, everything you need to get done suddenly jumbles your thinking process. Do I shower first? Am I completely packed? Did I put the aux cord in the car or is it still plugged into my computer? I got my ticket already, right? You’re running around your room attempting to make sure everything is in order and ready to go for your epic weekend, when suddenly it hits you… square in the stomach. Bursting through the door, your fam tackles you to the floor in a celebratory fashion. You look at the door where they burst in and see your packed suitcase ready to go, you notice the wet towel on the floor of your room and remember you took a shower last night, one of your friends has all of your tickets in his hand and is waving them in your face. At this moment everything is clear: you’re going to HARD Summer, and the yesterday you was prepared. OKAY, bags in the car and on to the road!

Okay – Shiba San

You and your squad have officially made it into the car and are on the road to Pomona or wherever you may be staying in the surrounding area. You drive through our own personal metropolis approaching the outskirts where city meets desert. As you drive through the city, you picture yourself in any even grander cityscape, Los Angeles. You stare out the window and it drives you crazy that there are six hours between you and being in the same city as a handful of your favorite artists, but there’s nothing you can do about it. As you approach the desert, you kick back and just remember that you’ll be there eventually, chillin’ in CLOUD CITY.

Cloud City – Sweater Beats

In every road trip there comes a point where there is nothing left to talk about. You have exhausted every point of conversation that you can think about and all of the talk about how excited you are has become redundant. Where do you go from there? Road trip games! However, you soon realize that road trip games are just as redundant as having the same conversation over and over again. I guess that just means that you do exactly what you’re going out of town for, listen to some killer music and blow out your speakers… and BREAK YOUR NECK banging your head to the beat!

Break You Neck – GTA x Valentino Khan

You knew it would happen, someone would have to go and slow you down by having a bladder. Your friend way in the third row seating of the car won’t stop complaining about how bad he has to go, but there is not a stop for another 10 miles. You refuse to pull over to the side of the road, because if you have to make a stop, you’re gonna make it somewhere that sells food. Therefore, you need to drown him out with something more pleasant to listen to. Thankfully he is all the way in the back so his voice is already of a slightly lower volume. You’re determined to get there and you’re not looking to have a bug in your ear for the next 10 miles, so you turn up the music and FEEL THE VOLUME.

Feel the Volume – Jauz

You finally reach the one and only pit stop your willing to make. You make sure your friends know that if they don’t go to the bathroom here, they ain’t going again until you reach the hotel. Each of them no you’re a no-nonsense person so they scurry off to the bathroom. Meanwhile, you take this opportunity to stock up on snacks. Oh how great gas station food can be: $1 taquitos, soggy sandwiches, and day old pastries… you decide to stick with the packaged goods. You grab your AZ green tea, a pack of corn nuts, and the oh so delicious Famous Amos COOKIES.

Die Antwoord – Cookie Thumper [Song Only]

Back in the car, everyone is either relived, satisfied, or terrified that they may have to go to the restroom again. You check the clock and realize that you don’t have much further to go. In fact you didn’t even realize that you crossed the state line, that is until you see the windmills. You take a second, sipping on your AZ green tea, to look around and let it all sink in. You’re here, you’ve made it to the state where you will witness some of your favorite acts and have the time of your life with some of your best friends. You look around the car and watch as everyone takes it in. You’re not in Arizona anymore, you’re in CALIFORNIA, baby!

California (Chris Lake & Matroda Remix) – SNBRN feat. Kaleena Zanders

As you continue down I-10, the fact that you’re getting closer becomes more and more evident. The temperature has cooled, the foliage is no longer a barren desert, the cars on the freeway are of a higher-class, and you’re friends no longer care that they may have forgotten to use the bathroom at the last stop. You bask in the fact that only 1 more hour separates you from your hotel where you will be sleeping after a long day of listening to music and bouncing around. You are thankful that you have the privilege of this experience, but at the same time hope that everyone back home is looking at your Snapchat story and getting extremely JEALOUS.

Jealous (Dillon Francis Remix) – Chromeo

Your phone notifications are going off with Snapchats of people sending you sad face pictures with the camera way too close to their nose. You bask in this moment, that is until you drive right by the Fairplex, aka HARD Summer 2015’s grounds, aka the Castle of Musical Purity. The moment has finally arrived, you have reached your destination. The festival may still be about 18 hours away, but that is as close as it has ever been. You can’t stop thinking about how Skrillex and Diplo are going to burn up the stage, how Ratatat will mesmerize you with their funky riffs, how Fetty Wap is going to call you his Trap Queen. You roll down the window as you drive by and shout: I’ve WAITED 4 U all my life!!!

Waited 4 U – Slow Magic

From here the story picks up. You pull into your hotel, party all night, meet some people who are also going to HARD, add to your crew, party some more, and next thing you know it’s morning. You high tail it over to the Fairplex, taking an Uber of course, and get dropped off front and center. The line seems like nothing as you can hear the opening acts taking to the stage. Bass fills the air and everyone around you is just as excited as you are. In you walk, the grass is green, the sky has a few clouds but nothing too discerning, there are bright lights everywhere you look. Your heart beats faster than its ever beat before. “Where do I start?” you ask yourself. As you scan the HARD Summer grounds all you can think to yourself is “LOOK AT ME NOW”.

Look At Me Now – London Future x Djemba Djemba

I hope everyone who is headed out to HARD Summer today has an amazing and safe trip! If your trip ends up being anything resembling the story above, I’d say you had a very successful trek across between states. Check out this playlist for the car ride I made consisting of one song from most of the billed artists below, its just over 6 hours long so just enough time to last the entire ride. Have an amazing time at HARD Summer 2015. See you there!

Stay Connected with HARD Summer:

Website: www.hardsummer.com
Facebook: www.facebook.com/hardfest
Twitter: www.twitter.com/hardfest
Soundcloud: www.soundcloud.com/hardfest