2025 has been a wonderful year already in many ways for Suburban Sound Syndicate. It started on January 18 with a slamming event at Rookie’s Rochaus featuring top notch production and headlined by industry standouts kLL sMTH and Freddy Todd. That was followed with another outstanding occasion on February 22, held at Bass Station in Waukegan, featuring the talents of Random Rab and Rhizomorphic spearheading a collection of twelve musical performances. Next up, we’ve got a spectacular happening set to return to Rookie’s Rochaus in West Dundee on March 29. I hope you’re ready to once again get down with us at Suburban Sound Syndicate, because The Rust Music forces are coming to town with some of their most talented artists for this one. From what grandly transpired during episodes 006 and 007, Syndicate Sound Session 008 is set to continue the dominating trend of presenting top tier elements of production and entertainment for excited onlookers.

If you’ve never heard of The Rust Music, let me bring you to the know. Ever hear of the Submersion Festival? They’re the organizers behind that celebration. Furthermore, they’re a digital record label, artist management and production company, as well as a music publication committed to illuminating and uplifting undiscovered talent within the realms of music. Mainly electronic genres, but they represent hip-hop, too. It makes sense, their origins are in New York, if you know anything about DJ Kool Herc, one of the pioneers of hip-hop in the Bronx circa 1973. Flash forward, and back, to 2014 when Wyler Sanca decided to start his own music blog dedicated to sharing personal perspectives about the kinds of music he favors. A few years later, in 2017, Francisco Ferran and Malakai Linden joined Wyler, and they formed The Rust Music, LLC. Humble beginnings for this cooperative, much like Suburban Sound Syndicate, and they’ve been banging, balling, and building upwards ever since.

That’s why having The Rust Music come to town for a showcase of their uber talented roster is so significant. It’s more than a head nod from one music company to another. It’s a handshake, high five, and a hug all rolled into one. It’s a celebration of what this scene is all about between a couple crews of cool cats who know that building something magnificent and marvelous takes time, effort, and patience. It also takes vision, organization, and a dedicated community of collaborators. Suburban Sound Syndicate has been building momentum with each announcement and every concert thrown, and this episode is set to be the best yet with support from The Rust Music enterprise.

Let’s talk about some of the talent set to dominate the stage. Smigonaut, Entangled Mind, Ovoid, Esok, and the debut of the potent triple entente, Gunk, are all representatives of The Rust Music collective’s talented roster. These five acts will be joined by Dub of Kush and Macro in filling out this evening’s lineup. These seven performances will ensure Syndicate Sound Session 008 grooves, grinds, mashes, and mauls with bass-heavy beats and exceptional, one-of-a-kind presentations.

Smigonaut delivers a style that I will simply describe as “healthy fun” to start, filled with beats spanning genres like downtempo through drum and bass. Very nice, and he’ll be performing double duty in this episode. In addition to receiving top-billing, Gunk is Smigonaut’s newly formed side project alongside standout producers Asteroids and Earthquake. Whoa, it feels like Gunk’s debut is sure to coat the dance floor with planet shaking fun emitting slick wobbles and slimy bobbles. Sounds like it’s going to be tasteful and delicious in ways words struggle to describe, but I’ll do more than my best to try.
Entangled Mind is a moniker that connotates a brain brimming with revealing threads to this listener, like soundscapes expertly woven with textured frequencies. I imagine a room filled with sophisticated vibrations serenading souls with soothing rhythms and melodies. I like to think of artists as sonic storytellers, and Boston based Marissa Barbato is a lifelong musician who harbors affinity for electronic composition. Her productions come across as intricate, instinctual, and intelligent. I expect her live performance to be engaging and enchanting filled with enticing and enthusiastic offerings.
Likewise, Ovoid is another producer who has been honing his craft and capabilities for most of his life. His background as a guitarist laid the foundation for his transformation into a world class producer. With a vigorous understanding of songwriting and recording fundamentals, his productions are eager and earnest reflections of his potent prowess in the studio. You can be sure Ovoid’s flare for demonstrating his dynamic composition of soundscapes rife with bass laden rhythms will be on full display when he takes the stage.

Every Syndicate Sound Session sees the talents of many from our community represented through the services they provide, and this episode is no different. Once again, Birdsigh is supplying an LED Wall, Nuvotion is providing a TV wall, and Deep Frequency Corp is bringing lasers. Andrew Massih and Chicago AMP, along with Olivia Morgan Graphics, will both be on site handling videography and photography duties, respectively. Josh Melfi and WeMakeThings3D will erect their fabled Mushroom Forest for patrons to explore, and Celestial Ember Collective will once again lend their stellar talents for flow artistry. As always, Funktion-One sound will be provided by Sub Valley Sound. However, this time around, Sub Valley Sound’s founder, Akemi Almeida, will be performing with her homegirl, Sofia Sutor, under their electric duoship, Dub of Kush. I love a double entendre, and you’re certainly in for a treat!

Syndicate Sound Session 008 is slated to be one heckuva of a cerebral experience. With The Rust Music enclave travelling to our neck of the woods, this is an event signifying the approach of bigger things beyond the horizon. Growth and progression in the pursuit of dreams and goals. That’s how it goes within our electronic community. When you put in work over the long run, people take notice, and recognition is gained. Respect and prestige. That’s one of the things we prize and appreciate within Suburban Sound Syndicate. Reverence and admiration for our fellow human beings. That’s why we want you to join us for this event, our biggest and most badass presentation to date.

These episodes are special because of those who come out to celebrate with us, so why don’t you make your plan to join us at Rookie’s Rochaus on March 29 for Syndicate Sound Session 008? Buy your tickets online to save $5 over the door, because having some extra greenbacks in your pocket is always a healthy decision. If you haven’t already, sign up for our newsletter to stay up to date on announcements and details, and even get involved in future events. If you’ve got talent, a brand, a business, or ideas that you want to share with our community, we want to hear about it! Bring your best, and let’s build our community even better through our efforts and interactions with one another. Syndicate Sound Session 008 featuring The Rust Music takeover is quickly oncoming, so make sure you’re on hand to bear witness to this elite production.

--Electro Scribe--