Inside Praying and Live From Earth’s intoxicating, techno-infused LA rave

Wild horses stampede across the LED walls of a high-end LA nightclub. A monk’s choir blasts out the mega speakers to a 4/4 chorus of head-spinning techno. This is what you see when you enter Praying and Live From Earth’s intoxicating underground rave, which took place this Wednesday (April 17) near Sunset Boulevard. The communion of two great minds – the iconoclastic fashion label and Berlin techno’s enfant terrible collective, behind underground artists such as DJ Gigola and horsegiirL – the night saw hundreds of party-goers, micro-influencers and It Girls descend onto the packed-out dancefloors of Academy LA for an evening of top-tier music, fashion and club visuals, directed by internet artist Jon Rafman and produced by Kaiber Studio, with lighting art direction courtesy of Rick Owens and Hedi Slimane collaborator, Sayan Benbady.

Featuring a stellar line-up of DJ Gigola, Alcatraz and Joanna Kuchta, the night saw the launch of an exclusive, techno-themed capsule collection with the slogan ‘I ☆ TECHNO’ emblazoned across hoodies and tank tops –  “I took inspiration from club old DIY flyers. I basically wanted to blow up the clothes with as much poorly ‘graphic designed’ text as possible,” explains Praying’s Alex Haddad. At the intersection of rave and fashion, the brand’s internet-coded ethos also served as the perfect entry point for Rafman’s hypnagogic visuals to be broadcast across the dancefloor and ceiling, beginning with calm shots of liminal spaces and becoming more and more unhinged and nightmarish as the night went on. “The whole installation was a fever dream,” Haddad adds, “It truly became a form of theatre in the end.”

“I think the internet has created the need for people to come together physically to release tension, to be physical with other people and to let go of stress. That has created a general momentum for techno and I think in the US it is just starting which I personally love,” says DJ Gigola. “This was the first time we threw a party here together with our friends from Praying and the vibe turned out to be great. People showed up early, the club was full, the music and the visuals worked very well together and people were dancing from the very beginning.”

Of course, no clouted party would be complete without the appearance of legendary party photographer Mark Hunter, aka The Cobrasnake – see the action for yourself in the gallery above.