This event took place at Arcan, 236/29/2H Điện Biên Phủ, Phường 17, Bình Thạnh, Ho Chi Minh City, from 9 PM on 25 November 2018 until 3 AM on 26 November 2018, with the original address retained for archive accuracy even though the venue has since closed. Scientific Sound Asia brought three-time UK DMC Champion JFB to Saigon for a six-hour night of turntablism, Hip Hop, Funk, Breaks, Drum and Bass and bass-heavy party music.
The event placed one of Britain’s established scratch DJs alongside DJ Psycho-UK and Swing Master J, giving the Arcan crowd three selectors with strong backgrounds in Hip Hop and turntablism. Rather than concentrating on a single club genre, the programme connected Hip Hop, Funk, Breaks and Drum and Bass through scratching, mixing and party-focused selections.
JFB built his reputation around technical turntablism without restricting himself to competition routines or specialist scratch showcases. His sets combined beat juggling and scratching with records chosen for a working dancefloor, allowing him to move between Jazz, Funk, Soul, Hip Hop, Dubstep, Glitch Hop, Electro Swing, Ghetto Funk, Breakbeat and Drum and Bass.
His competition record had already established him as one of the leading British turntablists of his generation by the time of the Saigon appearance. JFB won the UK DMC Championship in 2007, returned to take the title again in 2011 and secured his third UK championship in 2015.
Those achievements were backed by years of festival, club and live performance experience around the world. His appearances included Big Beach Boutique in Brighton, Bestival, Lovebox, Secret Garden Party, Big Chill and the Hell Stage at Glastonbury’s Shangri-La.
JFB also performed at Boomtown’s Banghai Palace and Shindig Festival, placing his turntablism within events where bass music, Hip Hop, Funk and alternative electronic styles regularly crossed paths. International bookings took him further afield to Big Beach Festival in Japan, Shambhala in Canada, Rabbits Eat Lettuce and Rainbow Serpent in Australia, and Wicked Summer Fest in Italy.
His technical skills also found an audience outside conventional clubs and festivals. JFB scratched throughout the BMX arena at the London 2012 Olympics and later performed video scratching for the UK NFL Fan Rally in Trafalgar Square.
The development of digital DJ equipment opened new possibilities for turntablists during this period, particularly through instant sampling, video scratching and live manipulation of recorded material. JFB became closely associated with using those tools musically rather than treating technology as an end in itself.
His performances could incorporate routines, original edits, scratching and rapid transitions while still retaining the momentum of a club set. That balance between technical display and crowd-focused DJing was particularly suitable for an event at Arcan, where the emphasis remained firmly on an underground party rather than a formal turntablism competition.
JFB also developed a substantial online audience through scratch videos, live routines, collaborations and performance clips. His work can still be explored through the JFB YouTube channel, SoundCloud, Facebook and X profile.
One of his best-known creative partnerships was Battlejam, developed with beatboxer Beardyman and centred on improvised performance, live sampling and turntablism. The project allowed JFB’s scratching and video manipulation to interact directly with Beardyman’s vocal improvisation and other live elements.
JFB also worked with Fatboy Slim, who described him as “the thinking man’s Grandmaster Flash.” That association placed him alongside another Brighton artist whose career crossed Breakbeat, Hip Hop influences and large-scale electronic music culture.
Radio became another part of JFB’s work when he served as resident scratch DJ for Rob da Bank on BBC Radio 1 during 2013 and 2014. His routines for radio demonstrated how turntablism could function outside the visual environment of a live stage while retaining the musical detail at the centre of his performances.
JFB’s production and remix catalogue also stretched across Swing, Hip Hop, Dubstep, Ghetto Funk, Breakbeat and Drum and Bass. Releases and compilation appearances connected him with labels including Hospital Records, Ministry of Sound, Rat Records, Skint Records, Freshly Squeezed, Hot Cakes, Jungle Cakes and Ghetto Funk.
That broad background made the Saigon booking particularly well suited to an event where the music policy extended beyond one style. JFB could move between classic Funk or Hip Hop references and heavier bass music without abandoning the turntablist technique that had established his reputation.
DJ Psycho-UK, whose real name is Tariq Azam, represented Scientific Sound Asia and brought his own background in Hip Hop, Jungle, Drum and Bass and underground rave culture to the night. Growing up in East London, he began DJing as a teenager after becoming heavily influenced by artists including Public Enemy, KRS-One, Run-DMC and the Beastie Boys.
The arrival of Acid House and Hardcore widened his musical interests and brought him deeper into East London’s underground party culture. Through connections around Production House Records, he became familiar with artists including DMS, The House Crew and X-Static while attending events and sessions connected with the label.
DJ Psycho-UK also played on London pirate radio stations including AXE FM and Fantasy FM during a period when unlicensed broadcasting was central to the spread of underground dance music. His involvement with party networks including Outcry Syndicate, OTT and London Overground connected him with the warehouse and squat-party culture that remained active around the capital.
His DJ activity later extended beyond the United Kingdom through performances in the West Indies, Australia and Vietnam. Depending on the event, his sets have moved through Hip Hop, Drum and Bass, Deep House and other areas of underground electronic music.
London appearances included venues such as Scala, Bagley’s Film Studios, 491 Gallery, 291 Gallery and 333. After becoming based in Vietnam, he performed at Piu Piu, Basement, Indika, Cargo Remote Beach Festival, Pogo Beach Club, Dragon Beach and other venues around Ho Chi Minh City.
DJ Psycho-UK also founded Scientific Sound Asia in Ho Chi Minh City, developing it through promotion, artist representation and underground electronic music broadcasting. His recorded selections remain available through Mixcloud and his Facebook page, while his current agency biography documents his wider history.
Swing Master J, whose real name is Robert James, completed the line-up and brought another substantial turntablist background to the event. The Canadian DJ from Vancouver began playing in 1989, starting with house parties before moving into the city’s club circuit.
His musical range developed far beyond Hip Hop and included Rap, R&B, Reggae, Trap, Funk, Soul, Disco, House, Dance music, Latin styles and records spanning several decades. That flexibility allowed him to adapt his sets to different audiences while retaining the technical foundations developed through years of turntablism.
Swing Master J relocated to Asia in 2003 and subsequently held residencies or headline appearances at venues including The Nature in Tokyo, Luxy in Taipei and Bed Supperclub in Bangkok. His move placed him within several of the region’s club scenes long before his later activity in Vietnam.
He also competed as a battle DJ and finished fifth in the DMC Taiwan DJ Championships in 2005. His turntablist background connected naturally with JFB’s headline appearance, while his broader club experience made him equally suited to supporting the party side of the event.
During his career, Swing Master J shared stages with Hip Hop DJs including DJ Jazzy Jeff, DJ Cash Money, DJ Qbert and DJ IE Merge. He also worked as a tour DJ for rappers including MC Fox, MC Finesse, MC Gaweed and MC Davi.
After becoming based in Vietnam, he became known as one half of the Hip Hop pairing Swing Master J & Emcee K. His activity in Ho Chi Minh City included Piu Piu, Basement, Scientific Sound Asia events and his own nights around the city.
More of his recorded material can be explored through Swing Master J on Mixcloud and his Facebook page. He is also represented through the Scientific Sound Asia DJ agency, connecting this historical appearance with the organisation’s artist network.
Bringing JFB, DJ Psycho-UK and Swing Master J together gave the night a strong turntablist thread while leaving enough musical freedom for each DJ to work across his broader collection. Hip Hop, Funk and Soul could move into Breaks, bass music and Drum and Bass as the session developed across the six-hour running time.
The format also connected several generations of DJ culture through artists who had started at very different points in the development of the craft. Swing Master J began in the late 1980s, DJ Psycho-UK emerged from East London’s Hip Hop and rave environment, and JFB represented a later generation that combined traditional turntablism with digital sampling and video scratching.
Arcan provided an appropriate venue for that combination because its programme regularly supported underground electronic music outside Ho Chi Minh City’s commercial nightlife circuit. The room had already hosted Drum and Bass, Techno, experimental events and alternative themed parties, making it well suited to a technically focused DJ night with a broad bass-music policy.
Scientific Sound Asia’s work around this period connected international bookings with local and locally based DJs rather than presenting visiting artists in isolation. That approach can still be seen through the organisation’s current events, radio station, DJ agency and music news sections.
The JFB event documented another stage in Scientific Sound Asia’s effort to bring established underground artists to Vietnam while supporting DJs already active in the local scene. It also demonstrated that international bookings in Ho Chi Minh City could move beyond conventional House and Techno headliners into turntablism, Hip Hop and bass culture.
Arcan has since closed, but preserving the original address, running time and artist information maintains an accurate record of the venue’s role within Saigon’s underground music history. For this November session, JFB, DJ Psycho-UK and Swing Master J brought scratching, beat juggling, Hip Hop, Funk, Breaks and Drum and Bass together in a night built around both technical DJ skill and the simple requirement to keep the dancefloor moving.
Sunday, 25 November 2018
Time:
9 PM to 3 AM
Venue:
Arcan Saigon
236/29/2H Điện Biên Phủ
Phường 17
Bình Thạnh
Ho Chi Minh City
Vietnam
Scientific Sound Asia presented this archive event as part of its history of bringing international artists, underground DJs and electronic music events to Ho Chi Minh City.
Date: Sunday 25 November 2018, 12:00 AM
Venue: Arcan
Price: 300000