Syndicate party delivers impressive beats

The frigid, dry air outside the entrance to club Space 101 on Friday night didn't keep many smokers outside for long. Others rushed up the stairs and paid the entrance fee to join over 200 of their fellow electronic music fans for the intense beats brought to them by the Bloomington Bass Syndicate and their event, "The Syndicate Strikes Back."\nOn the bill for Friday's show included two talented performers from Great Britain who made their U.S. debut here. GAIN Record's DJ Wrisk and MC Bubbla brought their smooth, dark blend of U.K. jungle to Indiana to a very enthusiastic main room crowd. "Jungle is orgasmic!" screamed sophomore Dawn Cambell as the two were well into their hour and a half-long set.\nIn the second room, DJ Chase of Bloomington offered up his turn-table trickery and break-beat style of electronica to the smaller crowd of about 30 people. Chase's skills set up a very warm and friendly vibe which remained in the second room for the rest of the night.\nVirulent, a techno DJ from Lafayette, kept things moving in the main room as he pummeled the crowd with a steady 4x4 beat that resonated throughout the entire room.\nAs people in the main room stomped and yelled in approval during the evening, two giant video screens provided by Bloomington resident "Dr. Mindbender" and an accompanying blue laser lit the stage for an eerie glow.\nSecond headliner and Negative Records artist Rob F., a Washington, D.C. native, took to the decks at 2:30 a.m. after a brief pause in sound stopped by a noise complaint under investigation by the police. As a result of the complaint, Rob F. was unable to turn up the power of Space 101's eight-cabinet sub-woofers. Twenty minutes into his set of intelligent and moody drum and bass he stopped, citing his frustration that the sound could not get any louder.\n"I can't hear anything on the mixer, there's just not enough juice going through it," he said.\nBut after a second brief gap in music in the main room, the Bloomington Bass Syndicate promoters felt secure enough in turning up the volume once again. This allowed Rob F. to perform drum and bass the way it was intended, loud and heavy.\nAfter being complimented by a crowd member on the return of Space's sound system, Bloomington Bass Syndicate member and promoter Chris Hall smiled and yelled, "It had to be done."\nWhen the drum beats began to pulsate with more power and intensity at Space 101, a large portion of the crowd returned to the dance floor and partied well into the early morning hours.