Roots and Culture 2 Reggae Festival

Event Details

This event took place at The Local Saigon, 28 Đường Thảo Điền, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Ho Chi Minh City, from 1 PM until 11 PM on 6 August 2023, with the original address retained for archival accuracy even though the venue has since closed. Scientific Sound Asia and Delight Hifi presented the second edition of Roots and Culture, bringing Reggae, Dub and sound system culture into a daytime festival format in Thảo Điền.

The event was designed as more than a conventional DJ session, with music running alongside Jamaican food, clothing, apparel and market stalls throughout the day. Guests could move between the garden, food, drinks and music while selectors supplied Reggae and Dub in a relaxed daytime setting.

The second edition continued the broader Roots and Culture idea by placing Jamaican musical traditions at the centre of the programme. Reggae and Dub provided the main musical foundations, while the event also celebrated the wider social and visual culture connected with sound systems.

The Local Saigon’s garden gave the festival a different feel from an enclosed late-night club. The outdoor setting suited a programme built around bass-heavy music, food, stalls and a crowd able to spend several hours moving between different parts of the venue.

Drinks specials were provided by Mekong Brewing Company and Huda between 2 PM and 6 PM. The offer gave the afternoon section a clear social focus while the music continued through to the 11 PM finish.

DJ Psycho-UK performed on the day and brought selections shaped by Hip Hop, Reggae, Dub, Jungle, Drum and Bass and wider sound system culture. His background in East London connected the event with several generations of UK underground music influenced by Jamaican bass culture.

He began DJing at the age of fourteen after getting his first pair of decks and has continued performing ever since. Hip Hop formed one of the earliest foundations of his musical development before Acid House, Hardcore, Jungle and Drum and Bass expanded his collection during the growth of British rave culture.

That history made Roots and Culture a natural setting for the Reggae and Dub side of his record collection. Jamaican music had an enormous influence on Hip Hop, Jungle and Drum and Bass, giving the event a direct connection with many of the styles already present in his wider DJ background.

Dub in particular provided an important bridge between those traditions through its use of bass, space, effects and studio experimentation. Those production ideas later became central to many forms of UK bass music, making them especially relevant to Scientific Sound Asia’s long-running work across Jungle and Drum and Bass.

LightofTunnel also performed at the second edition, even though the surviving original event page had only stated that more DJs were to be announced. His inclusion is retained in the archive because he did perform on the day, while no further unverified names have been added.

The original listing therefore remains important as a record of how the event was promoted before the final line-up was completed. Rather than inventing additional DJs from memory, the archive preserves DJ Psycho-UK and LightofTunnel as the confirmed performers.

Delight Hifi’s involvement strengthened the sound system identity of the event and helped place Reggae and Dub at the centre of the programme. The collaboration with Scientific Sound Asia brought together two strands of underground music culture with a shared interest in bass weight, selectors and community-led events.

Jamaican food gave the day another connection with the culture surrounding the music. Rather than presenting Reggae and Dub in isolation, the festival brought food, clothing and market activity into the same space so that guests could experience a broader cultural programme.

Clothing and apparel vendors added another visual and social element around the garden. Market stalls gave independent sellers room to take part in the event and helped create the feel of a small daytime festival rather than a standard bar booking.

The structure also made the event accessible to people who did not necessarily want a late-night club session. Starting at 1 PM allowed guests to arrive early, eat, browse the stalls and spend time around the garden before the evening portion became more focused on music.

Free-flowing movement between the different elements helped maintain the relaxed character of the day. People could dance close to the sound system, sit with food and drinks, or browse the stalls without leaving the event environment.

Scientific Sound Asia’s broader history includes events across Hip Hop, House, Techno, Jungle and Drum and Bass, while Roots and Culture gave Reggae and Dub their own dedicated space. The event also connected naturally with the organisation’s radio station, where bass music and sound system culture have long formed part of the wider programming.

The organisation now preserves these events alongside its current events, DJ agency and music news activity. Keeping historical pages such as this one helps document the range of music and community events that moved through independent venues in Ho Chi Minh City.

The Local Saigon has since closed, but preserving the address, running time, partners and confirmed performers keeps the second Roots and Culture edition accurately documented. The event remains part of the archive as a ten-hour gathering where DJ Psycho-UK and LightofTunnel supplied Reggae and Dub while food, clothing, market stalls and drinks specials filled out the wider festival programme.

Roots and Culture 2 ultimately brought sound system culture into the garden in a format built for listening, dancing and spending the day together. Reggae, Dub, Jamaican food and independent stalls gave the event a strong identity while Scientific Sound Asia and Delight Hifi kept the emphasis on bass, community and the roots behind the music.