Presented by System Error, Vision Recordings’ debut US showcase touched down at 1720 for a DnB dance party featuring Ternion Sound, Rohaan, Posij, The Gaslamp Killer, and ØNYX.
The bass scene in LA is still largely deep underground. When I moved here from Boston last year, I observed that house and techno are most clubbers’ genres of choice by day. This is in stark contrast to the teeming culture of in-your-face wookery that has grown rampant in the Northeast. Although I love a sunny afternoon tech house rager as much as anybody, my soul will always hold space for bass.
After poking around the LA party circuit, however, I eventually found System Error. I was thrilled and relieved.
Founded by Tony Merino and Shailee Ben-David, System Error is an independent, grassroots bass music collective that fosters experimentation and inclusion. The outfit sprung out of post-pandemic malaise and helped reinvigorate the underground bass scene in LA.
System Error curates events that can only be described as mindful bangers. Their December 14 collaboration with NOISIA’s Vision Recordings at 1720 was no exception.
In line with Vision Recordings’ constantly curious, forward-focused brand, their US debut introduced us to fresh underground sounds from across the pond. With over 60 artists on their rap sheet of releases and playlists — including Hamdi, Eprom, HOLLY, and Tsuruda — the label nurtured their legacy with the historic showcase.
ØNYX got the ball rolling with a thoughtful and deep set, providing the audience with a welcoming, explorative atmosphere. Her experimental sound was refreshing and vibey, a smoke signal from the underground.
The Gaslamp Killer hopped on stage next and began MCing. “It’s a full moon tonight,” he announced. A few people howled back to set the tone. Once he reached the decks, it was full steam ahead. The bass immediately rattled my knees, and the whole room seemed to rock back and forth. I grabbed hold of my camera, steadied my footing, and tried to snap photos, but his constant, jolting movement proved to be a worthy foe for my novice photography skills.
The set was chaotic and scattered, which paired well with his eccentric stage presence. The only constants were our heads bobbing and feet moving. He pulled out an eclectic variety of exclusive tracks with Jason Wool, drops from Tsuruda, Machine John, and HOLLY, as well as a few unreleased tunes.
To stir things up, he dropped into “Bohemian Rhapsody” smack dab in the middle of his performance. It caught my attention and made me smirk since the song is usually reserved for pre-show music or a wide-eyed finale. No one drops Queen in the middle of a set. It made me pay attention.
After that, things heated up as he spun into a fire flip of “Hellafornia” by Gesaffelstein. He then had us all craning to watch his iconic live scratching skills against the backdrop of his dark, psychedelic, and surrealistic visuals.
Posij then quietly took the stage and went off with a minimal, inviting drum beat. He threw down some unreleased music, introducing the track by exclaiming, “Yo! This is brand new!”
The crowd approved, as evidenced by the sea of heads bouncing side to side with hands raised above. He cued up a new VIP next, turning the dancefloor into bass face city. He read the room and said, “I’ll just keep going with the new stuff, specially made for y’all.”
The set went by in the blink of an eye, time lost to the rhythm of the drums. It was a cohesive, introspective, kind-hearted set.
“Who loves drum and bass? I doooooo!” Posij exclaimed as he proceeded to lay down some nasty, wobbly, wet bass. His set ended on a vibey note, with soft vocals over a melodic beat. It was all smiles and good vibes from both sides of the stage.
From the get-go, Rohaan positioned himself as a drum and bass machine, raising the energy from the moment he stepped behind the decks. The audience kept dancing away like we were born ready for his relentless bass, always hungry for more. Rohaan was diligent in his mixing and kept dishing it out for us.
For how much energy and dancing there was in the room, it was a chill and courteous crowd. It was easy to move around and get right up to the subwoofers.
Throughout the set, Rohaan deftly weaved between BPMs, raising the temperature and letting it cool down again. Midway through, he tested out a punchy, driving, four-on-the-floor techno beat with a drum and bass tinge. He switched up the vibe with a sped-up flip of Flowdan’s “Welcome to London,” hitting the refresh with a crisp, clean, minimal drop that got the crowd cheering. He steered the show back into the rave cave with a deep, patient, bass-heavy version of “Push” by Skrillex, Hamdi, TAICHU, and OFFAIAH.
All three Ternion Sound members then appeared behind the decks. It was my first time seeing the three-headed beast on full display, and boy was it a treat.
There was a bit of a shuffle at the start of the set. In a daring, avant-garde manner, the entire mixer was swapped out right as Ternion Sound took the stage. But an unplugged mixer didn’t stop them from blasting the roof off with their fat, rippling sound. The audience whooped in awe and excitement at the bold beginning, and Ternion Sound gave the energy right back, roping us into a tornado of a dance party filled with sultry samples and a filthy “Simon Says” flip.
“Let’s give it up for the sound system,” one of the Ternions said as they dropped into their final song of the night, “Artifice.” They got it right — hearing the track over the decked out sound system was a magnificent, victorious, iconic epilogue. After leaving 1720, I got in the car and immediately turned on “Artifice,” reliving the highlights of the show on the way home.
It’s always good to go to a show made just for the homies. System Error and VISION delivered just that. Their gathering allowed revelers to let go for a few hours, an opportunity that is so important in an ever-accelerating world. I firmly believe that sometimes the most important thing to do is to move, find joy, and smile at strangers who know as well as you do that there is nothing quite like the shared experience of a dancefloor.
