By: Haley Bosselman By: Haley Bosselman | October 2, 2024 | Culture, People, Lifestyle,
Over the summer, California-born and raised artist Sara Landry made history as the first hard techno DJ to perform on the main stage at Tomorrowland, an electronic music festival in Belgium that has attracted 70,000 concertgoers annually for nearly 20 years.
The watershed moment for Landry did not signal a moment for rest. Instead, the Amsterdam-based DJ leaned into the momentum and returned to her home state for a celebratory Los Angeles takeover over Labor Day weekend.
Her itinerary included two sold-out shows in downtown L.A. and hosting a pop-up at metaphysical shop House of Intuition along Melrose Avenue. It was a well-rounded sprint for the self-taught DJ, who has cultivated a following for her dark, divinely feminine approach to music. Her productions are known to emit subliminal healing frequencies through pulsing BPMs.
Landry performs at her Factory 93 show in downtown Los Angeles.
“Selling these two shows out in a few moments meant the world to me and the support over the weekend from everyone who brought tickets to the shows and came down to the merch pop-up was truly overwhelming,” Landry shares with Modern Luxury over email. “There were even people parked up on the bridge and helicopters circling—not part of the plan!”
Between the performances, meeting fans and catching up with friends and family, Landry had a packed few days as September began. But the cherry on top didn’t arrive until after the Monday holiday. Her Los Angeles rendezvous was capped with the Sept. 3 announcement of her debut album, Spiritual Driveby.
“It’s honestly such a joyful moment for me and my career,” Landry reflects. “It’s one thing in dance music to release a succession of singles but to be an album artist is actually quite rare these days. But with this body of work, I just felt a calling to step out of my comfort zone and work on something that would be more impactful and meaningful to me. Not only this, but also to unite some of my friends on the label to become part of one cohesive project. This was always very important to me. I’ve rallied some of the best in our scene with this album, as well as some new faces to the sound, and it feels like a meteoric moment in hard techno is inevitable.”
Just when we’re all in need of a witch soundtrack, Landry’s album arrives on Oct. 4. The avant-garde-underground project showcases both Landry’s solo artistic dexterity and collaborative magic with the likes of hip-hop producer Mike Dean, French techno artist Nico Moreno and her own hypnotist.
High Priestess of Hard Techno: Landry meets fans at House of Intution.
“It’s really all about being open when you are listening to such music,” she encourages. “Only then are you able to receive higher frequencies. You must leave your inhibitions at home and become available physically, mentally and spiritually to enjoy the experience in its most pure form.”
She adds, “I hope people listening have a truly outer-body experience. Some tracks are channeled messages with intricate spiritual meaning. Some tracks are straight-up hard techno tracks with almost hypnotic qualities. Other tracks are meditative.”
Ahead of the release of Spiritual Driveby, Landry also revealed to us some of her favorite spots in Los Angeles. Her visits home from Amsterdam are all about reconnecting with those closest to her, but she also likes to make time to shop around. Read on for Landry’s three must-visit places in Los Angeles.
Website/ Various
“It’s my go-to, one-stop shop for all the products I need for my personal spiritual growth,” Landry explains. House of Intuition has a number of locations across Los Angeles, making it easy for Angelenos to work on healing, transformation, empowerment and personal growth.
Website/ 9001 Santa Monica Blvd 90069
This Austin export is applauded for its outstanding non-traditional Japanese cuisine and seasonal omakase. “My favorite spot to eat in West Hollywood,” she reveals about Uchi. “Perfect place to get a spread of dishes for the table; all the dishes are insane.”
Website/ 90210
Even locals can’t fight the greatness of the world’s most renowned shopping district. “Whenever I’m staying in L.A., I love to head down and have a browse in the shops/boutiques,” Landry says.
See also: Chargers Kicker Cameron Dicker's Favorite Los Angeles Eateries
Photography by: Simon's Playground