Hip Hop Don’t Stop 7

Event Details

This event took place at Play Saigon, 41A Xuân Thủy, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Ho Chi Minh City 71000, from 9 PM on 2 October 2022 until 2 AM on 3 October 2022. After a short break, Scientific Sound Asia brought Hip Hop Don’t Stop back for its seventh edition with another night dedicated to turntables, classic rap foundations and underground selections.

The series returned to Thảo Điền with a free-entry format and a new setting at Play Saigon. The venue gave the event another home within an area that had already hosted several earlier Scientific Sound Asia parties and recurring Hip Hop sessions.

As with previous editions, the musical direction remained rooted in Hip Hop rather than drifting into a broader multi-genre programme. Old School foundations, party cuts and underground records gave the night a recognisable identity while still leaving room for different eras of the music to sit together.

DJ Psycho-UK, also known as Bearhead, handled the music for the seventh edition. His set was performed on the industry-standard Technics SL-1200 turntables, maintaining the connection with traditional Hip Hop DJ culture that had become a defining feature of the series.

The SL-1200s had appeared throughout earlier Hip Hop Don’t Stop events and reinforced the focus on physical DJ technique. Scratching, manual mixing and record selection remained part of the experience rather than relying solely on digital club equipment.

DJ Psycho-UK began DJing at the age of fourteen in East London with a pair of Soundlab DLP1 turntables and a four-track mixer. His early musical background developed through Hip Hop before expanding into House, Acid House, Hardcore, Jungle, Drum and Bass and the wider UK underground scene.

Hip Hop remained one of the foundations of that history even as his DJing moved through several generations of dance music. The Hip Hop Don’t Stop series gave him a dedicated format in which those original influences could return to the foreground.

His East London background also connected him with the period when Hip Hop, pirate radio, warehouse culture and early rave scenes frequently crossed paths. Rather than treating those movements as completely separate, his collection grew across them and later formed the basis of a broad underground DJ style.

DJ Psycho-UK also played on London pirate radio stations including AXE FM and Fantasy FM. Those broadcasts placed him within a culture where DJs could introduce new music directly to listeners outside mainstream radio and develop followings around underground records.

His activity also extended into warehouse and squat-party networks associated with Outcry Syndicate, OTT and London Overground. Those experiences later fed into his work as a promoter and DJ after relocating to Vietnam and establishing Scientific Sound Asia in Ho Chi Minh City.

For Hip Hop Don’t Stop 7, however, the focus remained firmly on rap music rather than the broader range of styles connected with his career. The set moved through a formidable collection of Hip Hop bangers, combining familiar foundations with party selections and harder underground material.

That balance had always been important to the series because it prevented the event from becoming purely nostalgic. Classic tracks could sit alongside later productions, allowing different generations of Hip Hop to share the same dancefloor without weakening the Old School roots behind the concept.

The Play Saigon edition also returned the series to a relaxed entry policy, with no ticket required at the door. Free admission made it easy for regular followers and newcomers to drop in, hear the music and stay for as much of the five-hour session as they wanted.

There was also no dress code, reinforcing the uncomplicated character of the night. Guests were simply invited to bring themselves, a smile and a good attitude, keeping the emphasis on music and people rather than club formalities.

That approach fitted the wider identity of Hip Hop Don’t Stop. The series had developed around turntables, selectors and direct audience connection rather than elaborate production or exclusivity.

The seventh edition also continued Scientific Sound Asia’s longer relationship with Hip Hop alongside its work in House, Techno, Jungle and Drum and Bass. The organisation’s radio station, events, DJ agency and music news all form part of that wider underground music network.

Earlier editions of Hip Hop Don’t Stop had appeared at The Lab, Sky 9 Bar and Lô 49 before the series reached Play Saigon. Moving between venues allowed the night to continue adapting while keeping the same central idea intact.

By its seventh edition, the concept no longer needed complicated explanation. Technics SL-1200s, carefully selected Hip Hop and a relaxed Thảo Điền crowd were enough to give the event a clear identity.

Hip Hop Don’t Stop – 7th Edition therefore continued the series with the same straightforward formula that had carried it through previous venues and changing nightlife conditions. DJ Psycho-UK brought the records, Play Saigon supplied the room, and the crowd was simply asked to arrive with a smile, a good attitude and a willingness to enjoy the music.