Newly created underground event brand Neo Bounce offers an infectious, fresh European sound to the Los Angeles rave community.
Over the past several years, rave has been witnessing an unprecedented and simultaneous cultural expansion and rebirth. From fashion trends to talent to the participants themselves, the global rave scene has managed to seamlessly fuse both a reignited interest in ’90s culture with the post-pandemic, new-rave movement.
This burgeoning rave era has had the biggest impact on the scene by way of sound. A reignited interest in historically ’90s-favored genres and era-specific sonic mergers has led to newly created, never-before-heard subgenres. Neo Bounce, a Los Angeles-based underground project, is helping the West Coast navigate these shifts.
Hailing from Europe, one of the newest subgenres is this bouncy trance-meets-hard-dance-meets-happy-hardcore sound. It’s riddled with ’90s and aughts electronic music influences. Gen Z’s fingerprint on the genre is layering the “glory days” sound with samples of mainstream radio hits, proving that almost any pop or hip-hop song can be flipped into an infectiously fun bounce edit. It very much holds a “if you can dream it, they can edit it” type of vibe, but it works. And it works well.
I think what’s happening right now with this genre finally starting to bubble up in the US is really special, and it’s an honor to play a role in that shift, especially in a city like LA where there’s already such a strong underground scene. We’re just pushing it in a different direction, and watching people embrace it so quickly has been everything I could’ve hoped for.
Neo Bounce Founder Andrew Huerte
New Kid (and Sound) On the Block
Neo Bounce is a new event solely focused on ushering in this fresh European sound to the Los Angeles underground. As the LA scene matures, a subsequent desire (from ravers and party throwers) to dance to a different beat has followed. Neo Bounce Founder Andrew Huerte saw this opportunity for diversity and ran with it.
Andrew is a true connoisseur of the genre. His sincere love for the bouncy Eurobeat emanates from his soul — it can honestly be felt through a brief email exchange. I confirmed his authenticity while attending the Saturday, March 8 Neo Bounce event featuring special guest CHROMEBODIES.
Many times throughout the night, Andrew could be found standing front and center on the dancefloor, getting down as if he was an attendee. His effervescent rave energy acts as a bat signal for the good time club kids of the city. By extension, the aura of Neo Bounce is unparalleled. If there’s any truth to “your vibe attracts your tribe,” Andrew and Neo Bounce would be the case study.
My goal has always been to create a party that feels fun, lighthearted, and high energy. So much of the underground scene here has a darker, grittier vibe, and while that’s great in its own right, I wanted Neo Bounce to feel like a high-energy, fun, and welcoming space where people just dance their hearts out and live in the moment.
Andrew Huerte
Andrew, aka Techno Dad, raises a valid point. The darker, faster side of techno and rave has been trending for a while. Over the past few years, Los Angeles has more than responded to demand for the aggressive, anarchist aesthetic. Oversaturation of any market — especially one with a less than angelic cloud over it — naturally calls for a vibe shift.
Neo Bounce is the light at the end of the hard techno tunnel for Los Angeles. The event not only brings an objectively happier sound but also harkens back to the vibrant kandi kid era. Neo Bounce features confetti cannons and Elrow-esque inflatable horses. Teddy bears, balls, and wearable accessories can also be seen floating throughout the space.
The response has been incredible. I’ve gotten so many shoulder taps at our events and even at other parties from people telling me how much they love what we’re doing and how excited they are to see Neo Bounce grow. On top of that, the amount of DMs we’ve received from attendees expressing their love for the event, thanking us for bringing this sound to LA, and begging us to keep throwing these parties has honestly been overwhelming in the best way.
Andrew Huerte
Neo Bounce has been quite an interesting shake-up in an underground scene riddled with leather, PVC, and chains. The Eurobounce project, so far, is proving to be exactly what the rave doctor didn’t even know they ordered.
Bounce to the Future
The community’s overwhelmingly positive response to Neo Bounce and the 150+ bpm European-infused sound has only pushed Andrew to continue growing. Neo Bounce is locked in. He’s hungry and inspired. The fledgling brand has its sights set on bringing some seriously major European talent to the city.
I’ve been lucky enough to travel to Europe and experience some of my favorite artists live, and a few that really stood out to me were Part Time Killer, Malugi, Narciss, Heggeman, Paracek, Adrian Mills, Trancemaster Krause, Marlon Hoffstadt, and Funk Tribu. Their energy and sound align perfectly with the vibe we’re building at Neo Bounce, so bringing any of them out would be a dream come true.
Andrew Huerte
No matter what the future looks like, with Andrew’s taste in music, any night at the rapidly growing Eurobounce party is guaranteed to be a vibe and a half.
Neo Bounce is planning to host monthly events featuring both local and globally recognized artists of the genre. Los Angeles-based artists like Morelia and Pixie Dust are both regulars of the event, and they’re both knockout acts in and of themselves. Andrew has made sure that no matter what, one thing they’ll never fall short on is good music.
The Los Angeles underground is due for a vibe shift, and Neo Bounce is happily carrying the inflatable torch. This is definitely not an event to find out about after it happens. Make sure to keep a close eye on Neo Bounce so you don’t miss any upcoming events or announcements.
