Sara Landry: Hard Techno Incantations in Los Angeles

Tucked away between warehouses in the shadow of the Sixth Street Bridge near Downtown Los Angeles, throngs of black-clad techno devotees descend upon a derelict parking lot turned open-air dance music arena.

It's night one of Sara Landry's Los Angeles takeover with Insomniac's leading-edge brand, Factory 93 — the crowd is rampant, jolted, and feeling devilish. Initially locked in for a single night in The City of Angels to kick off her two-month tour, the ticket demand grew so large that a second date was added to her LA showcase. It sold out in minutes, with a total of 9,500 coming out to support across the weekend.

Such passion sends a clear message about the state of Hard Techno in the United States. The genre's high-octane appeal is here to stay, and US native Sara Landry is the chief spellcaster bringing legions of fans into the fold.

"When I first started pushing the sound back in July of 2020, everybody thought I was fucking crazy," Sara Landry tells Beatportal. "In these initial agency discussions, they told me, 'the US doesn't like techno, you'll never be able to get booked here' — which is totally crazy because techno is from Detroit. I straight-up told them they were wrong. I knew the appeal, and I knew my sound was going to be part of a massive movement."

An NYU graduate who attended high school in Austin, Texas, Sara Landry doubled down on her techno passion after an inspiring visit to the Netherlands for its annual ADE (Amsterdam Dance Event) gathering. She would spend countless hours learning the ins and outs of music production and the art of DJing with no prior musical training. In Texas, she was throwing raves and carving out a homegrown scene in a state that is by no means known for its thriving techno culture. She has made huge strides to change that — not just in Texas... but across the United States and beyond. With blistering speed and witchy allure, Sara Landry has become an irrefutable figurehead of the Hard Techno scene and Beatport's #1 best-selling female producer in the genre.

Currently living in Amsterdam, Landry has quickly taken the European club and festival circuit by storm — culminating in a historic mainstage performance at Tomorrowland this summer. Now back in the US on tour, her triumphant return to Los Angeles for this hotly-tipped two-day showcase held a special significance of its own.

"The first time I ever played with LA was also my first time doing a party outside of Texas," Landry explains. "It was a sold-out show with the 6AM crew, and I got to play in front of 1000 people when the most I would get to come out in Texas would be around 150. Coming to a new city and having the show sell out is such a special experience."

Since her first booking in the city, Los Angeles' thirst for Sara Landry's sonic alchemy has only frenzied in size, as demonstrated by the two-night takeover this past Labour Day weekend. With support from US-based talents Selective Response, Jenna Shaw, AK SPORTS, and acts coming from abroad like Charlie Sparks, Raven, Farrago, and Godtripper, the stage was set for a no-holds-barred techno incursion. One after the other, each performer brought a flurry of rigorous dance floor weapons that hyped up Landry's headlining hard techno ceremony to a fever pitch. Taking the stage with an enchanting smile and acclamation from the crowd, Landry conjured up her high BPM, high-powered tunes with a divine purpose. Standouts from the first night included "Hardcore Impression" by Metz.R, "You Can't Hide" by SIKOTI, and Landry's all-attitude collaboration with HEKATE regular Alt8, "Funk Em."

As Sara Landry gears up for the release of her debut album, Spiritual Driveby — set to drop on October 4th via her HEKATE Records imprint, the anticipation among her fans is palpable. Her set was stacked with new gems, offering a tantalizing glimpse into the sonic journey that her album promises to be.

It was only earlier this year that Landry decided she wanted to release an album. With two tracks already set for the record, she locked in at her new studio and formulated the album's ten additional tracks in just under five months, mixing everything down herself and mastering "a good chunk" of the record as well. Additionally, Spiritual Driveby features a no-nonsense unit of heavyweight techno talent, including Restorative Hypnosis, Alex Farell, Alt8, Nico Moreno, Diøn, LEGZDINA, Shlømo, Aaron Hibell, Godtripper, and Mike Dean.

"This year has been filled with a lot of deep, creative work, but overall, it was a super rewarding and exciting process," says Landry. "I feel so connected and re-centered in my creative process and flow. I had such a blast writing it. It's really strong and I'm so happy that everyone's going to get to hear it."

Packed with true-to-form hard techno slammers like "Prisoner" and "Speaker Freaker," other cuts from her forthcoming album, such as "Pressure" and "Play With Me," demonstrate Landry's outstanding knack for weaving hip-hop and pop influences into her productions. A ferocious clashing between mainstream appeal and underground grit that is as heavy as it is both playful and inviting for those who are just starting to dip their toes into the sonic maelstrom that is techno music.

It's at this crossroads between Los Angeles' clandestine warehouse scene and the city's manifest dance music orbit that Sara Landry meets her mark.

"I love the warehouse. I love the rave. But it's also super amazing teaming up with Insomniac and Factory 93 to do something like this, with custom productions, stage concepts, a higher budget, a bigger stage, and space for a large crowd," says Landry. "They are two different experiences that I appreciate equally."

After night one of her LA takeover, we link with Landry at her HEKATE pop-up at House of Intuition in West Hollywood. A line stretches down the block as her coven of enthusiastic followers await their turn to meet the techno provocateur, take photos together, secure swag, and finally... get their fortune told. With Oracle Deck in hand, Landry takes the time to look into the eyes of her devoted fans one by one and lend them her powers of divination.

But we don't need a soothsayer to know what the future holds for Landry's musical career. Much like the Greek goddess HEKATE, whom she named her label after, Landry is a titan whose potent and aural magic will continue to usher us to the darker side of techno for years to come.

Sara Landry's debut album, Spiritual Driveby, drops on October 4th via HEKATE Records. Listen below and buy it on Beatport.