Music-wise, summer on the East coast can kind of suck. Other than the inimitable beachside fun-in-the-sun that is Siren, compared to our comperes across the pond, we ain’t got shit going for us on the festival circuit, and I for one am sick of shedding wistful tears over the line-ups of Glastonbury and the like. Always the festival-goer-maid, never the festival-goer… or something.

Thankfully, West-coast-based dance party HARD is beginning to rethink the American festival where numerous others have failed. This summer, they’ll be taking over the Los Angeles State Historic Park and Governors Island’s South Island Field in New York on July 17th and 24th, respectively. Instead of trying to emulate typical summer rock fests, it looks like HARD are staying true to their roots and have create a monolithic dance-oriented line-up that’s already got our skulls joyously throbbing. Headliner M.I.A (who, despite what some New York newspapers would like you to believe, remains an amazing live performer), will be joined by cream of the crop dubstep producers Skream and Benga in New York, along with our current sweaty rock favorites Sleigh Bells. In LA, legendary hip-pop producers/performers N.E.R.D. will be holding it down, with Flying Lotus, Switch and Joker. As if that weren’t enough, South African rap act Die Antwoord will present on both coasts, as well as Rye Rye, who will be repping her hometown of Baltimore.

I mean, the Dance Tent is always the best part of festivals anyway, right?