STS9 take over The Bellwether in LA for two nights to celebrate 20 years of ‘Artifact’ & the release of their new album ‘Human Dream’

By Josh Herwitt //

STS9 with Thought Process (Night 1), Random Rab (Night 2) //
The Bellwether – Los Angeles
November 21st-22nd, 2025 //

What do you get when you combine the sounds of rock ‘n’ roll, electronic music, funk, jazz, drum and bass, psychedelia and hip-hop all into one band?

Well, that’s the kind of music Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) have been creating for almost 30 years now.

The Georgia-bred, Northern California-based quintet made up of Hunter Brown (guitars, keyboards), David Phipps (keyboards, synthesizers, programming), Zach Velmer (drums, electronic percussion, programming), Jeffree Lerner (percussion, keyboards, programming) and Alana Rocklin (bass) has garnered a loyal following in the jam scene over that span thanks to its live performances, regularly evoking more than just one adjective to accurately describe them.

Words such as “electrifying”, “dynamic,” “groovy” and “immersive” immediately come to my mind when I reflect on my previous experiences seeing STS9 that included a couple of two-night runs at Red Rocks Amphitheatre in the early 2010’s with some impressive support — from hip-hop legend Snoop Dogg to more electronic-focused acts like Thievery Corporation, Ghostland Observatory and Big Gigantic. There were a number of subsequent visits to The Wiltern too, which had become a favorite venue in LA for the outfit to book when it came through my hometown.

But considering it had been a while since the last time I saw STS9 onstage and plenty has changed for the five-piece, I couldn’t have asked for a better opportunity to reacquaint myself after a long layoff with two shows at The Bellwether and the first falling on the same day that its new LP Human Dream would be released.

There was actually even more of a reason to celebrate STS9’s return to the City of Angels in more than six years — before the COVID-19 pandemic rocked the world, completely upending the entertainment and music industries — with 2025 marking the 20th anniversary of their seminal album Artifact, which reached as high as No. 12 on the Billboard chart for Top Electronic Albums.

Opening only more than two years ago as one of LA’s newest music venues, The Bellwether has quickly become a welcome addition in one of the world’s biggest entertainment capitals that has no shortage of options when it comes to hosting and presenting live music. We have witnessed several concerts across a variety of genres — from heavy metal and alternative rock to New Orleans funk and now livetronica — inside the multi-level, 1,600-capacity room (read our venue review here) that Prince purchased back in the 90’s to serve as his purple-shaded Grand Slam palace and can say assertively Michael Swier and Gregg Perloff have already turned the 45,000-square-foot property into one of the city’s best for its size.

Along those lines, what made this latest LA stand a little extra special in addition to the aforementioned was the grand opening of The Bellwether’s brand-new space Camille’s on Saturday for those who were looking to keep the party going past midnight with more dancing after STS9 had played their final notes for the weekend and left us awestruck by their perpetual laser light show.

Tribe fans in attendance, which included some who traveled from out of town, certainly seemed pleased with what unfolded as the group mixed and matched offerings primarily from Artifact and Human Dream, with the former bookending Friday’s gig that also boasted the live debut of the latter LP’s “Reminisce” by the first set’s midway point. Saturday’s setlist, meanwhile, followed a similar pattern as STS9 alternated between tracks from both albums prior to unleashing live standout “Muir Soul” and an apropos cover of the “Beverly Hills Cop” theme song that had the crowd hooting and hollering as soon as its iconic synth melody kicked in.

STS9’s touring schedule over the past 12 months hasn’t been nearly as rigorous as it used to be, yet with three more dates lined up at Chicago’s Ramova Theatre to ring in the new year and many more slated for 2026, the future remains bright for one of the hardest-working instrumental bands out there.

NOVEMBER 21ST

Setlist:
Set 1
Musical Story, Yes (>)
Strange Games (>)
Somesing
Portal to the Starry Path (>)
Reminisce (live debut) (>)
Real & Imagined
Like I Do (>)
Vibyl
Presence of Light

Set 2
Forest Hu (>)
Never, Never
ReEmergence
Lift You Up (>)
Balancing (>)
It’s Alright (>)
Life’s a Symphony in Unity
It’s Alright
Year Infinity

Encore:
Music, Us