This event took place at Tonic Rooftop Bar, 5th Floor, Vi House Building, 79 Quốc Hương Street, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Ho Chi Minh City, from 9 PM on 25 January 2025 until 4 AM on 26 January 2025. Scientific Sound Asia presented 35 Years of Formation Records with Grooverider, DJ SS and a substantial support line-up for a celebration of UK Jungle and Drum and Bass history.
The event marked Scientific Sound Asia's return to major international Drum and Bass programming in Ho Chi Minh City after a lengthy break. Formation Records provided the historical focus, connecting three and a half decades of British bass culture with locally based selectors and the developing Vietnam Drum and Bass community.
Grooverider arrived with a career closely tied to the emergence of Jungle and Drum and Bass in the United Kingdom. His activity across pirate radio, early rave culture and the influential Rage nights at Heaven helped establish the darker, more futuristic direction that developed as Hardcore evolved into Jungle and later Drum and Bass.
His work as a DJ and producer continued through the genre's expansion during the 1990s and beyond. Projects including Prototype Years reinforced his position within underground electronic music while his long career behind the decks connected several generations of ravers with the music's origins.
DJ SS brought the Formation Records story directly to the event as the label's founder and one of the original figures in UK rave, Jungle and Drum and Bass. Formation began in 1989 and became an important outlet during the transition from Hardcore into the faster breakbeats, heavy basslines and production techniques that would define the emerging genre.
DJ SS also built an extensive catalogue as a producer, with The Lighter becoming one of the records closely associated with his name. His appearance in Saigon therefore represented more than an anniversary DJ booking, placing the person behind Formation Records at the centre of a night devoted to the label's history.
MC Felon was originally billed to host alongside Grooverider and DJ SS but did not appear after missing his flight to Vietnam. His name remains in the archive with that clarification so the page accurately reflects both the original advertised line-up and what occurred on the night.
Support came from Chelsea Singh, Skitty, Throe, DJ Psycho-UK and Dobbo, giving the event a strong connection between international guests and DJs active around Vietnam's bass community. Chelsea Singh represented MixSingh Records, while Throe brought another UK-rooted Drum and Bass connection into the programme.
Skitty added direct UK label history through releases associated with Metalheadz, Renegade Hardware, Subtitles and his own Foundation X imprint. His involvement placed another experienced Jungle and Drum and Bass producer alongside Grooverider and DJ SS while also representing the locally based scene in Ho Chi Minh City.
DJ Psycho-UK brought his East London background in Hip Hop, Hardcore, Jungle and Drum and Bass to the support programme. Dobbo completed the line-up with raw bass selections and a more experimental approach, adding another locally connected selector to the seven-hour session.
The event also established momentum for Scientific Sound Asia's 2025 bass programme, which continued with Sublow Hz live in Ho Chi Minh City in March. That later booking brought Sublow Hz and Bangkok veteran Mista C together with several of the same local selectors, extending the international Drum and Bass activity that had restarted with the Formation celebration.
April then brought General Levy's Jungle and Drum and Bass special, adding UK sound-system and Jungle heritage to the developing programme. Together, these events showed different sides of the music rather than repeating the same style of international booking throughout the year.
Tickets for the Formation anniversary were offered at 300,000 VND for Super Early Bird, 400,000 VND for Early Bird and 500,000 VND for Standard online admission, with the archived listing recording the event as sold out. The structure reflected the scale of the booking while Tonic Rooftop Bar retained the open-air character that became closely associated with Scientific Sound Asia events during this period.
Scientific Sound Asia's wider work connects these events with its radio station, DJ agency, events programme and music news. 35 Years of Formation Records marked a significant return to international Drum and Bass promotion in Ho Chi Minh City, bringing Grooverider and DJ SS together with regional and locally based selectors for a night grounded firmly in the history and continuing culture of Jungle and Drum and Bass.
Super Early Bird: 300,000 VND
Early Bird: 400,000 VND
Online Standard: 500,000 VND
Door admission: higher price on the door
Tonic Rooftop Bar, 5th Floor, Vi House Building, 79 Quốc Hương Street, Thảo Điền, Quận 2, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Date: Saturday 25 January 2025, 12:00 AM
Venue: Tonic Rooftop Bar
Price: 500000