Sound Tribe Sector 9 (STS9) is an

instrumental An instrumental or instrumental song is music without any vocals, although it might include some inarticulate vocals, such as shouted backup vocals in a big band setting. Through Semantic change, semantic widening, a broader sense of the word s ...

band whose sound is based heavily on

instrumental rock Instrumental rock is rock music that emphasizes instrumental performance and features very little or no singing. Examples of instrumental music in rock can be found in practically every subgenre of the style. Instrumental rock was most popular f ...

and

electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

drum and bass Drum and bass (commonly abbreviated as DnB, D&B, or D'n'B) is a genre of electronic dance music characterised by fast Break (music)#Breakbeat (element of music), breakbeats (typically 165–185 Tempo, beats per minute) with heavy Bass (music) ...

psychedelia Psychedelia usually refers to a Aesthetics, style or aesthetic that is resembled in the psychedelic subculture of the 1960s and the psychedelic experience produced by certain psychoactive substances. This includes psychedelic art, psychedelic ...

, and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, originating in Georgia, United States. Self-described as "

post-rock Post-rock is a subgenre of experimental rock that emphasizes Texture (music), texture, atmosphere, and non-traditional song structures over conventional rock techniques. Post-rock artists often combine rock instrumentation and rock stylings wit ...

dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...

," the band mixes standard live rock instrumentation with electronics, favoring group

rhythm Rhythm (from Greek , ''rhythmos'', "any regular recurring motion, symmetry") generally means a " movement marked by the regulated succession of strong and weak elements, or of opposite or different conditions". This general meaning of regular r ...

over individual solos. STS9 has released 11 albums, two remixed albums (''Artifact: Perspectives'' and ''Peaceblaster: Make it Right Remixes''), and multiple live DVDs (''Live as Time Changes'', ''Axe The Cables'', and various live performances) on their own label, 1320 Records. STS9 has toured the US and internationally.

History

STS9 was formed in

Snellville, Georgia Snellville is a city in Gwinnett County, Georgia, Gwinnett County, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States, east of Atlanta. Its population was 20,573 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is a developed suburb of Atlanta and ...

(just outside Atlanta), in 1997. They played their inaugural show on October 3 of the same year. The band has headlined stages at festivals such as

Summer Camp A summer camp, also known as a sleepaway camp or residential camp, is a supervised overnight program for children conducted during the summer vacation from school in many countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer residential camps ...

, Wakarusa, Moogfest, Bonnaroo, Outside Lands Festival, Regeneration,

Lollapalooza Lollapalooza () is an annual American four-day music festival held in Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park in Chicago. It originally started as a touring event in 1991, with Chicago becoming its permanent location beginning in 2005. Music genres i ...

, Camp Bisco and Electric Forest Festival. The group has raised significant amounts of money towards activism efforts, including $150,000 to the Make it Right Foundation, paving the way to rebuild a house in the Lower 9th Ward of New Orleans. In the band's 2016 studio album ''The Universe Inside'', which is the twelfth in their full discography, STS9 continues to grow by incorporating dance and disco styles into their music. STS9's self-owned record label, 1320 Records, currently boasts over 300,000 unique downloads and over 1,000 releases by over 100 artists including Pretty Lights, Big Gigantic, ESKMO, and the Glitch Mob.

Social work

STS9 has partnered with a variety of

non-profit organizations A nonprofit organization (NPO), also known as a nonbusiness entity, nonprofit institution, not-for-profit organization, or simply a nonprofit, is a non-governmental (private) legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public, or so ...

throughout their career. Over the last decade, they have partnered with Conscious Alliance to bring food drives to various concerts and festivals on their tour. In exchange for fan participation in these events, STS9 and Conscious Alliance thank patrons with limited edition artwork posters, often created by the same artists who accompany the band on stage. In 2005, STS9 put on a benefit concert where they raised over $20,000 for

Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a powerful, devastating and historic tropical cyclone that caused 1,392 fatalities and damages estimated at $125 billion in late August 2005, particularly in the city of New Orleans and its surrounding area. ...

victims. Beginning in the fall of 2006, as part of their ''Live as Time Changes'' tour, STS9 traveled across the country in a carbon-neutral tour bus and powered their live concerts using

renewable energy Renewable energy (also called green energy) is energy made from renewable resource, renewable natural resources that are replenished on a human lifetime, human timescale. The most widely used renewable energy types are solar energy, wind pow ...

. The band hoped to offset 100%, or about 138,000 pounds, of their carbon dioxide emissions from their tour by donations of

Renewable Energy Credits Renewable Energy Certificates (RECs), also known as Green tags, Renewable Energy Credits, Renewable Electricity Certificates, or Tradable Renewable Certificates (TRCs), are tradable, non-tangible Energy certificate, energy certificates in the Unite ...

from their partnership with environment-friendly companies. STS9's remix album, ''Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make It Right Remixes'', features 30 remixes of material from their 2008 album, ''Peaceblaster''. All proceeds from this album went to the Make it Right Foundation, in an effort to build a home in New Orleans, which has since been completed and taken up by a family displaced by Hurricane Katrina. The home has many eco-friendly features, including solar panels, a high-efficiency HVAC system, wire-free lighting panels, tankless water heater, dual flush toilets, low emissivity windows and doors, a rainwater collection system, and water-absorbing native landscaping. For protection against future storms, the home has walls that can withstand 130 mph winds, Kevlar hurricane shields for the windows, and a roof hatch in case an escape is necessary.

Notable concert performances

STS9 has gained acclaim, as well as a distinctly loyal fan base over the past decade. Their 2005 album ''Artifact'' reached #12 on ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

''s Top Electronic Albums. AllMusic Guide chart information/ref> They have moved from playing and opening in small clubs and bars to headlining major music venues and festivals. In 2003, the band reached new heights by opening for The String Cheese Incident in their first amphitheater performance, at majestic

Red Rocks Amphitheatre Red Rocks Amphitheatre (also known colloquially as simply Red Rocks) is an open-air amphitheater in the Western United States, western United States near Morrison, Colorado, approximately southwest of Denver. It is owned and operated by the c ...

Morrison, Colorado Morrison is a home rule municipality in Jefferson County, Colorado, United States. The population was 396 at the 2020 census. History This small foothills settlement is named after George Morrison (April 16, 1822 – June 11, 1895), a builde ...

. A concert scheduled for the previous night at the Fox Theater in

Boulder, Colorado Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...

, sold out in less than fifteen minutes. The band has now sold out numerous headlining Red Rocks shows, along with many other venues across the country. In the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

, the band has built a following with frequent performances at The Fillmore, Warfield Theatre, and the historic Regency Center. They have performed at the Fillmore on ten occasions, including three two-night stands, a three-night stand for

Halloween Halloween, or Hallowe'en (less commonly known as Allhalloween, All Hallows' Eve, or All Saints' Eve), is a celebration geography of Halloween, observed in many countries on 31 October, the eve of the Western Christianity, Western Christian f ...

in 2004, and a four-night stand in early 2009. They have performed at the Warfield Theatre on five occasions, including a two-night stand. The band performed at the Regency Center on five occasions, including two consecutive

New Year's Eve In the Gregorian calendar, New Year's Eve refers to the evening, or commonly the entire day, of the last day of the year, 31 December, also known as Old Year's Day. In many countries, New Year's Eve is celebrated with dancing, eating, drinkin ...

shows in 2002 and 2003. The band has also put on performances at the Independent, Great American Music Hall,

Golden Gate Park Golden Gate Park is an urban park between the Richmond District, San Francisco, Richmond and Sunset District, San Francisco, Sunset districts on the West Side (San Francisco), West Side of San Francisco, California, United States. It is the Lis ...

, and the Stern Grove Festival. The band also performed at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado, for a five-night stand in March 2007.

Santa Cruz, California Santa Cruz (Spanish language, Spanish for "Holy Cross") is the largest city and the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, Santa Cruz County, in Northern California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the city population ...

, has been home to various members of the band since moving to California. The band has performed at the Catalyst on nine occasions since 2002, including two two-night stands. The band frequently played a club called Palookaville, until it closed in 2002. In 2003, the band headlined the Santa Cruz Civic Center. In their home state of

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

, the band continues to ride their popularity. On October 3, 2006, the band marked the ninth anniversary of their first ever show with a celebration at the historic Georgia Theatre in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

. The band has performed many multiple-night stands at the Georgia Theatre since 2002. For many years they have performed at the Tabernacle in Atlanta on New Year's Eve as part of multiple-night stands. The band has also built their own fan base in Chicago, Illinois, after performing multiple times at North Coast Festival and Lollapalooza with late night performances at the House of Blues Chicago. Also making frequent trips to the Aragon Ballroom and the Congress, STS9 has made Chicago a go-to city for performances. The band chose Denver as the host for their three 2009 New Year's Eve concerts. December 29 marked the band's first acoustic show ever, called "Axe the Cables." The band performed two sets at the University of Denver's Gates Hall. The remaining two nights were standard "electric" shows played at the Wells Fargo Theater. STS9 returned to Denver for New Year's Eve 2010, playing three shows at the Fillmore Auditorium. The December 29, 2010, show opened and closed with a cover of the Grateful Dead's "Shakedown Street". For New Year's 2011, STS9 returned to the Tabernacle in Atlanta. They performed a five-night run starting on December 27. STS9 has continued to perform in Atlanta and Denver for New Year's since 2011. In August 2012, STS9 played another "Axe the Cables" acoustic show at the Mountain Winery in Saratoga, CA. In the summer of 2013, the band co-headlined a 14-city tour with

Umphrey's McGee Umphrey's McGee, sometimes stylized as UM, is an American rock band originally from South Bend, Indiana. The band experiments with many musical styles, including rock, metal, funk, jazz, blues, reggae, electronic, bluegrass, country, and ...

, alternating the closing slot each night. In September 2014, STS9 returned to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado to play two nights to a sold-out crowd. This run included two Axe The Cables sets. STS9 ended 2014 with a four-night stand at the Fillmore Auditorium in Denver. The band turned New Year's Day into a benefit for Conscious Alliance, inviting 600 fans to a sit-down dinner and a full improv set. This performance was later released through BitTorrent with the full 2014 catalog. Returning to Red Rocks Amphitheatre in Colorado in September 2015, the group once again sold out both nights.

Festival appearances

STS9 has a steady presence in the music festival circuit, headlining several festivals across the country each season. In 2007, the band announced they would return to Deerfields for a new festival titled Re:Generation. The two-day festival included additional performances from the Join and Telefon Tel Aviv. According to the band's website, this event promised to be "a unique celebration of music, nature, family, mind, body, and spirit." In 2011, STS9 re-created the Re:Generation festival in its second incarnation held at Horning's Hideout in North Plains, Oregon, with a lineup that included Glitch Mob,

Beats Antique Beats Antique is a U.S.-based experimental world fusion and electronic music group. Formed in 2007 in conjunction with producer Miles Copeland III, Miles Copeland, the group has become noted for their mix of different genres as well as their liv ...

, and Tycho. In May 2008, the band performed at the Summer Camp Music Festival in Chillicothe, Illinois. On Saturday June 7, 2008, the band headlined the Sun Down Stage at the Wakarusa Music Festival at Clinton State Park, Lawrence, Kansas. At Rothbury 2008, the band performed a three and a half hour show, which packed a capacity crowd. In June 2011, the band performed at Bonnaroo in Manchester, Tennessee. Their show began at 2:30 am and played until sunrise. In 2012, the band performed at the Hangout Music Festival, Electric Forest, High Sierra Music Festival, and North Coast Festival. From 2013, STS9 has performed at festivals including High Sierra Music Festival, Moonrise Festival, Suwannee Hulaween, Pemberton Music Festival, All Good Music Festival, Bonnaroo, Wakarusa, Summer Camp Music and Camping Festival, BUKU, The Voodoo Music + Arts Experience, Hangout Music Festival, Beale Street Music Festival, Counterpoint, Summer Set Music Festival and McDowell Mountain Festival. In 2018, STS9 organized and headlined the first annual Wave Spell Festival in Belden Town, CA. During this festival they played 9 sets of music, 3 of which were entirely improvised. A variety of musical performers joined STS9 at Wave Spell, including: Sunsquabi, eDIT and Ooah of the Glitch Mob, Manic Focus, Charlesthefirst, Antennae, and others. In addition to these guests, David Phipps and Zach Velmer of STS9 performed solo sets. The band has announced the second year of Wave Spell, which will occur in August 2019.

Members

* Hunter Brown – guitars, keyboards * David Phipps – keyboards, synthesizers, programming * Zach Velmer – drums, electronic percussion, programming * Jeffree Lerner – percussion, keyboards, programming * Alana Rocklin – bass guitar ;Former * David Murphy – bass guitar, keyboards, programming

Discography

*1999: ''Interplanetary Escape Vehicle'' – Landslide Records (Live) # Moon Socket (10:05) # Hubble (7:10) # Wika Chikana (12:56) # H. B. Walks to School (6:00) # Four Year Puma (6:39) # Tap-In (2:45) # Quests (5:36) # Evasive Maneuvers (5:50) *1999: ''Sector 9 – The Brown Album'' – Landslide Records (Live) # Tap-In # T. W. E. L. V. E. # Kamuy # Frequencies Peace 1 # Frequencies Peace 2 # Frequencies Peace 3 # Surreality # Lub Duh Earf *2000: ''Offered Schematics Suggesting Peace'' – Landslide Records # Foreword (0:22) # Squares and Cubes (6:10) # Otherwise Formless (6:13) # Kamuy (5:34) # Water Song (3:40) # Common Objects Strangely Placed (2:19) # ...And Some Are Angels (6:16) # Turtle (3:16) # Mischief of a Sleepwalker (5:37) # Inspire Strikes Back (8:05) # EB (10:33) *2002: ''Seasons 01'' – 1320 Records (Live release, double CD) # A Gift for Gaia (12:13) # Jebez (15:28) # Ramone & Emiglio (19:18) # Satori (10:51) # Good for Everyday (8:34) # Equinox (8:41) # Kaya (12:17) # Eclipse (5:13) # Thread (15:40) # Breach (2:57) *2003: ''Live at Home'' – 1320 Records # Intro (0:48) # Kotamo (2:47) # Manatee (5:33) # L1nQs (2:02) # Since 7th (1:48) # Luma Sunrise (5:30) # Believe (2:07) # Haiku (2:14) # Oceans Ride (3:40) # N'terlude (0:23) # Havona Ascent (2:09) # Midwest (6:11) # Midwest Sky (1:31) # Egil (5:57) # Like That ? (1:14) # Purity Too (3:50) # Linguistics (4:41) # Care Too (2:44) # Power Is The People (2:29) # Tact (4:00) # Summit (7:08) # Drone Slowly (a Walk Through Philly) (3:35) # Slight Shift (Firetrucks Outro) (1:19) *2005: ''Artifact'' – 1320 Records -- #12 on ''

s Top Electronic Albums chart # musical story, yes (0:28) # Better Day (4:49) # By the Morning Sun (3:35) # Tokyo (7:03) # ARTiFACT (2:12) # Native End (4:31) # ReEmergence (5:01) # Peoples (4:19) # GLOgli (5:20) # Today (4:21) # Tonight the Ocean Swallowed the Moon (2:51) # Forest Hu (0:50) # Somesing (6:49) # Trinocular (4:44) # Vibyl (3:00) # 8 & Extra (1:28) # Possibilities (3:45) # Peoples part II (4:02) # first mist over Clear Lake (0:56) # Music, Us (3:11) # Bonus track: Tokyo (radio edit) (4:04) *2005: ''Artifact: Remixes Vol.1'' (iTunes exclusive, 4-tracks) – 1320 Records *2005: ''Artifact: Perspectives'' – 1320 Records (Remix album) # Better Day Remix (Sub-id) (4:05) # Tokyo Remix (Machinedrum) (5:01) # Possibilities Remix (Collective Efforts) (3:47) # Tokyo/Better Day Remix (Ming+FS) (5:07) # By the Morning Sun Remix (Slicker) (5:31) # Somesing (Eustachian 24hr. White Knuckle Mix) (3:45) # Possibilities Remix (Eliot Lipp & Leo 123) (4:17) # Better Day/Trinocular STSDevine Remix ( Richard Devine) (6:03) # By the Morning Sun Remix (Metrognome) (5:04) # Possibilities Remix ( Mr. Lif) (3:38) # Tokyo Shinjuku Flashback Mix (

Bill Laswell William Otis Laswell (born February 12, 1955) is an American bass guitarist, record producer, and record label owner. He has been involved in thousands of recordings with many collaborators from all over the world. His music draws from funk, wo ...

) (9:12) # Somesing Remix ( Bassnectar) (2:38) # ReEmergence, Beat the Science Remix (

Karsh Kale Karsh Kale (pronounced ''Kursh Kah-lay'', ''कर्ष काळे'' in Marathi; born 1 November 1974) is an Indian-American musician born in England. Known primarily for his experimental tabla playing within electronic music contexts, Kale ...

) (6:43) # Peoples, Cause & FX Remix (Lowpro Lounge: Audio Angel & ill45) (5:49) # Better Day Remix (Genetic) (4:19) *2008: ''Here...Catch Essential Live Recordings'' (Live Compilation, distributed only in Japan) *2008: ''Peaceblaster'' – 1320 Records *2009: ''Peaceblaster: The New Orleans Make it Right Remixes'' – 1320 Records *2009: ''Ad Explorata'' – 1320 Records *2010: ''Axe the Cables'' – 1320 Records (Live acoustic set) *2011: ''When the Dust Settles'' 1320 Records (EP) *2015: ''One/One'' – 1320 Records (Live improvs) *2016: ''The Universe Inside'' – 1320 Records *2020: ''Visions Tapes'' – 1320 Records *2024: ''Chromalight'' – 1320 Records *2025: ''Human Dream 1'' – 1320 Records

Video and DVD

*2008: ''STS9 Live in Santa Cruz – GrooveTV #201'' (VideoCD, MPEG download); GrooveTV.net

DVD

* 2006: ''Live As Time Changes'' (DVD) – 1320 Records; recorded Live December 29–31, 2005 * 2009: ''Axe the Cables'' (on-demand streaming) – * 2007–2010: ''STS9 Live'' (free streaming, on-demand streaming) iclips.net
/ref>

References

* http://www.relix.com/articles/detail/back_to_the_future_an_oral_history_of_livetronica * http://www.ew.com/article/2005/02/21/sixty-second-lesson-livetronica * http://www.jambase.com/article/sts9-coming-full-circle * http://digital.1320records.com/search/?artist=STS9 * http://www.jambase.com/article/sts9-returns-with-alana-rocklin-on-bass-new-material * http://goodtimes.sc/uncategorized/it-takes-a-tribe-sts9/

External links

STS9.com - Official site
{{Authority control American instrumental musical groups American musical quartets Livetronica music groups Rock music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Electronic music groups from Georgia (U.S. state) Musical groups established in 1998 Jam bands