Sold-Out LA Crowd Marks Sara Landry's Album Debut
The producer’s second record, Divine Intervention, arrived on her own label following a successful career shift from delivery driver to global headliner.
By Nadia Singh ·
Sara Landry performed an encore at Ace Mission Studios on Oct. 16 to a sold-out crowd that had gathered for the release of her second album, Divine Intervention. The record arrived that day on HEKATE, her independent label. After her main set ended, Landry played a track she did not produce, an edit of Calvin Harris and Florence Welch’s “Sweet Nothing” by collaborator Alt8, before climbing onto the decks to dance with the audience.
The album consists of 14 tracks spanning hard bounce, psy-techno, and psytrance. Landry mixed the record herself and retained ownership of the masters. She stated that the creative process involved a tension between control and surrender, noting that the record made its own decisions. The production work took roughly one year and occurred across several continents. Initial ideas formed during the 2025 Amsterdam Dance Event, where she held idea sessions with artists on her label. She later worked with Australian producer Ali James in Melbourne and German producer Electric Universe in Amsterdam.
Landry’s career has expanded rapidly in recent years. Widely known as the “High Priestess of Hard Techno,” she previously delivered food in Texas. A 2023 Boiler Room set has accumulated over 11 million views. In 2024, she became the first hard techno artist to appear on Tomorrowland’s main stage. Last October, she became the first woman to headline the Sphere in Las Vegas. This year, her headline shows have sold approximately 100,000 tickets, alongside more than 50 festival appearances. Six days before the Ace Mission show, she headlined Red Rocks for the first time.
Los Angeles has served as a consistent venue for her live performances. Her first show outside Texas took place in 2021 at a warehouse party organized by 6am Group. In 2024, she and Insomniac’s Factory 93 held an open-air rave beneath the Sixth Street Bridge. Tickets for the first of those two sold-out nights sold out in less than an hour. She also played HARD Summer at Hollywood Park and Coachella for two consecutive years. The recent show at Ace Mission was a smaller, intimate setting compared to her recent large festival appearances.
Fan Ivan V., a Serbian resident of the United States, attended the show after discovering Landry was performing. He had pre-saved the album and realized she was playing only when he pressed play on the opening track. He purchased a resale ticket and danced throughout the event. He described the musical tension as otherworldly and stated that the music lifted him up. Another fan, Jasmine, who has raved for five years, noted that Landry was one of the first artists who made her fall in love with electronic music.
Landry maintains a hands-on approach to her music. She performs about 90% of the vocals on the new album. She records vocal ideas using phone voice memos, then processes them through vocoders. She tests new tracks in live sets without announcing them, observing crowd reactions before releasing them. She speaks from her studio in Amsterdam, a converted guest bedroom containing her production equipment. She describes her process as fully independent, allowing her to work at her own pace.
The artist’s background includes roots in Mexico City and Austin, Texas. Her mother raised her on diverse music and spoke Spanish in the home. Landry travels to Mexico regularly, having headlined a solo show in Mexico City this year. She is scheduled to play Ultra Mexico in a few weeks. She attributes her connection to the divine to a personal pagan practice, drawing on Wiccan ideas. She believes all religions discuss the same concepts through different narratives.
Landry’s label, HEKATE, is named after the Greek goddess of witchcraft. Her personal hypnotist voiced the prelude on her 2024 debut album, Spiritual Driveby. She explained that sound waves move through the body at the scale of festival sound systems. She argues that sacred music has served a similar purpose across religious traditions. A well-built club night can create a comparable experience, according to Landry.
