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
NOVEMBER 22ND
Setlist:
Set 1
Menacer (>)
Peoples (>)
GLASS-Z13 (>)
Peoples
Peachtree
Muir Soul
Dusk
Better Day (second half housey remix)
Set 2
By the Morning Sun
Walk the Sky
Native End (>)
Tokyo
Beverly Hills Cop (Axel F cover)
Big Basin
Shaky Ground
GLOgli
Encore:
Today
Originally recorded by The Coasters in a 1965, Ray Charles made “Let’s Go Get Stoned” a #1 hit a year later. This classic blues track was released after Charles was released from rehab, as he was attempting to kick heroin. It’s assumed that Charles smoked copious amounts of marijuana as well…Thanks Billy Preston!
Jamaican reggae singer Eed-A-Mouse is about two things: repetition and weed. His concerts often consist of “a-Wa-Do-Dem” being repeated for 65% of the time, but he placates the stoner rastas and trustafarians with his biggest tracks “Ganja Smuggling” and “Sensee Party.” “Ganja Smuggling” still has the mouse’s patented repetition and sends positive irie vibes.
Sublime made this track famous, but it belongs to The Toyes. According to The 
Snoop Dogg, or Snoop Lion as he wants to be called now, must legally be included in this list, as he is the current cultural ambassador of ganja. Just check his 
“I got five on it” refers to throwing down with your buds on a sack and puffin’ away. Just check the lyrics: “Kinda broke so ya know all I gots five, I got five. Unless you pull out the fat, crispy five dollar bill on the real before its history. I got 5 on it, let’s go half on a sack.”
“Yeah bring me champagne when I’m thirsty. Bring me reefer when I want to get high…Well you know there should be no law on people that want to smoke a little dope.” The Rolling Stones 
Rick James may be more well known for his addiction to cocaine thanks to The Chapelle Show, but “Mary Jane” proved that Rick James was multi-faceted in his drug use. History proves that Mary Jane was an actual girl Rick James loved, but she left him. In this case, music fans have spoken, and Chapelle’s movie Half-Baked help solidify this song and the woman Mary Jane into pot popular culture.
Bob Dylan was an early cannabis supporter – hell he 
No one has owned Weed Music more than Cypress Hill. Just look at the way they’ve described the details of their love for herb in tracks such as “I wanna Get High” & “Dr. Greenthumbs.” But it’s “Hits from the Bong” that has left the biggest impact. Remember, ‘just like chong, I hit the bowl and I reload it.’
