Hard 13: Boyz Noize, Erol Alkan, Diplo, L.A. Riots

Also: Heart of the City with I&I Soundsystem

Comments (0) By Lina Lecaro Wednesday, Mar 11 2009

Friday the 13th is anything but unlucky for dance lovers, and two monumental mixers are sure to make both hearts and heads happy, superstitions be damned. Hard 13 takes over the Shrine, with, in our opinion, its most innovative lineup yet: Berlin’s twisted beat techs Boyz Noize (both a dude — Alexander Ridha — and a record label) crunchin’ it out with a stellar platter of label pals and electro pumpers, including Erol Alkan (the U.K. tech-rock twister known for doing disparate “mash-ups” before it was even a term) and Diplo (best credited for his deck destroying/beat-making with MIA). Also sure to shake and shine: L.A. Riots, D.I.M. and Destructo. 665 W. Jefferson Blvd.; Friday, March 13, www.hardfest.com.

A less mechanical but equally massive DJ mixture will be on hand for Heart of the City, a Soul Sessions soiree featuring reggae truckers I&I Soundsystem, Beat Junkie jammer Mr. Choc and Swedish swayer DJ Asparagus, to name a few. Held inside and outside of Chinatown’s Grand Star Club, expect this one to be like a backyard BBQ with bombastic beats. 943 N. Broadway; Friday, March 13, www.soulsessionslive.com.

Grand Star is also the place to be the next night, when the new monthly deep house happening Spirit welcomes local faves Tony Powell and Kristi Lomax for a pre–Winter Music Conference event. Live percussion and dance performances promise soul soothing, uplifting good times for all. Saturday, March 14, www.myspace.com/SpiritLA.