Dancing Machine: Starting a Sound System Journey

SYSTEM OVERVIEW

SYSTEM FAMILY: VAS Carbon Series

CONFIGURATION: 2 × VAS Carbon Scoop 118 / 2 × VAS SK 118 / 1 × VAS Q360 LA

AMPLIFICATION: Wharfedale Pro DP-2200F and Wharfedale Pro DP-4100F MK2, both configured with VAS DSP presets.

SIGNAL & CABLING: Complete system cabling with Neutrik Speakon connectors.

INTENDED USE: Sound system events, club installations, and rental applications.

FINISH: 15mm precision-cut WISA® birch plywood

DESTINATION: Reims, France

 

In underground music culture, building your own sound system is rarely an impulsive decision. It is usually the result of years spent listening, learning, and imagining the moment when the music finally plays through equipment that belongs to you. For the French crew Dancing Machine, that moment arrived this January in Cologne, Germany.

After months of planning, discussions, and anticipation, the crew travelled to the headquarters of VAS Audio to collect their first system, a compact but powerful VAS Carbon series setup designed for touring and heavy output. When the first track finally played, the reaction was immediate. “We were expecting a lot from the system,” Simon says, smiling. “But this… this is crazy. The cleanest sound. We heard many sound systems, and this is serious.”

A Project That Started With an Idea

Dancing Machine may be a new name on the scene, but the project has been developing for years. The crew, formed by friends Simon and Maxime, entered the music world around four years ago. Not long after, conversations about owning their own sound system began. “After about two years, we started thinking seriously about it,” Maxime explains. “If we want to do things properly, we need our own system.”

Their ambitions reach further than organizing occasional events. The long-term vision is to create a cultural space, a venue where music and art can meet. “One day we want to build a music & art space,” Simon says. “A place where artists can promote themselves through different kinds of art. With a sound system like this, we can already start helping artists perform and share their music.”

Discovering the Sound

Like many modern crews, their first encounter with the system that would eventually power their project happened online. Videos of VAS systems circulating within the audio and sound system community caught their attention, including sessions featuring established crews such as Blackboard Jungle. “I was researching scoops,” Maxime recalls. “I saw the VAS Carbon system and thought: this could be what we’re looking for.”

Shortly, an email was sent, and a conversation began.

At first, the crew was not planning to buy a complete sound system. Their original idea was simple: find the right scoop subwoofer design and integrate it with other equipment. But the search came with a specific requirement. “We wanted something powerful,” Maxime says, “but warm. Not something that just hits you in the face.” For them, bass needed to remain musical. “Something joyful to hear,” he continues. “Warm, spiritual, and not aggressive.”

One Call That Changed the Plan

The turning point came during a technical consultation with Sady, an engineer and system designer at VAS Audio. Conducted in French, the call lasted nearly an hour and covered everything from musical preferences to event formats and budget constraints. “We talked about our project and what would be the best system for our journey,” Maxime says. Initially, the crew considered designing their setup piece by piece, selecting subwoofers, kicks, and tops individually. But during the discussion, they began to reconsider.

“We realized something important,” Simon explains. “We are still young, and we don’t have unlimited resources. We didn’t want to make big mistakes.” Instead of experimenting with separate components, they chose a system that had already been engineered to work as a whole. “What we wanted, actually, was something ready to play. Something we could trust.” The decision was made: they would go for a complete VAS Carbon system.

Building the System

Once the order was confirmed, the system entered production in Cologne. Throughout the process, the crew received regular updates with photos and videos documenting the construction. “It was really exciting,” Simon recalls. “We could see the system being built step by step.” For the crew, the communication mattered just as much as the equipment itself. “We never felt alone during the process,” Maxime explains. “We always knew what was happening.”

When the system was finally ready, the crew travelled to Germany to hear it for the first time. The setup included two VAS Carbon Scoop 118 subwoofers, two VAS SK 118 upper bass cabinets, one VAS Q360 LA-style mid-top cabinet, a VAS Q360 LA platform, two amplifiers with cabling, and DSP presets ready to run.

The crew helped connect the setup. Music started, and the reaction was immediate. “That’s way too much,” Maxime laughs. “We didn’t expect such a big sound from a system this size.” Multiple genres were tested during the listening session from jungle, drum & bass, and bass music to electronic music. “Everything sounded great,” he says. “It works with everything.” Simon nods toward the stack. “The sound is clean, pure, heavy. The whole system is magic.”

The crew tested the system’s projection as well. Walking further away from the stack, they noticed something that immediately impressed them. “The bass was still there,” Maxime says. “And the sound stayed balanced. Not just bass, not just highs, everything stayed in place.” The kicks, another critical element in sound system culture, did not disappoint either. “The kicks are dangerous,” Maxime says with a grin.

Ready to Play

For a young crew entering the scene, usability was essential. Neither Simon nor Maxime considers themselves engineers. “We have some technical knowledge,” Maxime explains, “but we’re not sound engineers.” The goal was a system that could be operated confidently without deep technical expertise. “Everything is easy to understand,” he says. “Easy to plug, easy to set up.” Once connected, the system simply works. “You just put the boxes down, plug everything, press play… and that’s it.” Simon laughs. “And then spirituality comes.”

Back in France, Dancing Machine is preparing its first events. The crew plans to start locally in Reims, gradually expanding to other cities.

Paris may not be far behind. “First, we start in Reims,” Maxime says. “Then little by little we move around.” Within the next year or two, they hope their system will be shaking dance floors across the country. For now, the mission remains simple. “We just want to see people happy,” Simon says. “People enjoying the music together.”

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