Scientific Sound Asia presents ‘Roots’ 3

Event Details

After an unforgettable run as a radio series on Scientific Sound Asia and two successful live editions, Bicycle Corporation and Scientific Sound Asia returned to HAKU Taipei for the third edition of Roots. The night continued the series with Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Disco Re-Edits, carrying the warm and groove-led character of the radio programme back onto a Taipei dancefloor.

The third edition kept the musical identity established by the first two events rather than changing direction. Marco Mei and Murphy Kin returned with selections built around rhythm, classic dance music influences and records capable of moving freely between older Disco traditions and contemporary club production.

Roots had originally developed through Scientific Sound Asia Radio as a platform for Bicycle Corporation to explore music beyond the harder House and Techno associated with some of their other work. Afrobeat, Disco, Nu Disco, Funk and re-edits gave the programme a warmer identity while still remaining firmly connected with dancefloor culture.

Bringing the programme into HAKU Taipei allowed the radio concept to develop in front of a physical audience. The club editions gave Marco Mei and Murphy Kin the freedom to build longer selections, respond directly to the room and connect records that might otherwise have appeared separately within a broadcast.

Contemporary promotion from HAKU confirms that Roots continued at the Taipei venue with Murphy Kin and Marco Mei from Bicycle Corporation, supported by Scientific Sound Asia. The recurring pairing showed that the event had developed beyond a one-off experiment and established its own identity within the venue’s programme.

Italian DJ and producer Marco Mei returned for the third edition with more than three decades of international experience behind the decks. Based in Taipei, his career had already taken him through clubs, festivals and underground music scenes across Europe, Asia and other parts of the world.

Marco is also one half of Bicycle Corporation alongside producer Stefano Ugliano, better known as 6884. While the production project has covered House and Techno, Marco’s own DJ sets extend through Deep House, Disco House, Nu Disco, Tech House and a much wider collection of groove-led dance music.

That breadth was central to the idea behind Roots. The event allowed Marco to move away from a rigid peak-time club formula and instead draw connections between Disco, Afro-influenced rhythms, House and contemporary reworks of older music.

Disco provided one of the strongest foundations for the night because its influence reaches through several generations of electronic dance music. Basslines, strings, percussion, soulful vocals and extended arrangements created a musical language that later fed directly into House and modern Disco-derived production.

Nu Disco gave that heritage a contemporary direction. Producers working in the style could retain the warmth and groove of older Disco while reshaping it for modern clubs, digital production and current sound systems.

Disco Re-Edits added another layer by taking existing recordings and changing their arrangements for DJs and contemporary dancefloors. Extended intros, longer instrumental passages and restructured breaks could give older tracks new functionality without removing the character that made the originals memorable.

Afrobeat brought a different rhythmic tradition into the programme and broadened the musical roots being explored. Repeated grooves, layered percussion and live instrumentation allowed those records to sit naturally beside Funk, Disco and House while giving the selectors another route through the night.

Marco’s experience as an international DJ made him particularly comfortable with that kind of movement between musical cultures. Rather than presenting the different genres as isolated sections, his sets could follow shared rhythms, instrumentation and mood from one record into another.

Murphy Kin returned alongside Marco and brought another deeply eclectic record collection to the third edition. The Taipei-based DJ, curator and record-label figure had developed a long relationship with House, Disco and independent club culture across the region.

Originally from Shanghai and later based in Taipei, Murphy became involved with bars, clubs, independent parties and music curation across both cities. His background made him particularly well suited to Roots, where knowledge of different styles mattered more than strict allegiance to one genre.

Murphy Kin has also been known as DJ Lucy and became associated with the Ting Ting Disco project. That work connected him with Disco-focused events and a wider network of nightlife activity in Taipei, Shanghai and other Asian cities.

His musical interests extend considerably beyond Disco alone and have included House, Soul, Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, Rock and other styles. Within Roots, however, those broader influences could be channelled towards warmer dancefloor music and records with a strong rhythmic foundation.

That flexibility gave Murphy the ability to shift from an older Disco recording into House or an Afro-influenced groove without forcing the transition. Modern re-edits could appear alongside original records while still sounding like part of the same musical conversation.

The partnership with Marco worked because the two selectors shared enough musical territory to maintain continuity while approaching it from different backgrounds. Both understood Disco and House deeply, but their individual collections and influences prevented the night from becoming predictable.

By the third edition, that relationship had become part of the identity of Roots. Audiences returning to HAKU could expect Marco Mei and Murphy Kin rather than a constantly changing guest format, allowing the event to build familiarity around the selectors themselves.

The recurring partnership also strengthened the link between Taipei and Scientific Sound Asia’s wider Asian network. A radio programme associated with Bicycle Corporation could develop into a regular club event in Taiwan while remaining connected with an organisation broadcasting internationally.

This relationship between radio and nightlife was one of the strongest aspects of the series. Listeners could first encounter Roots through Scientific Sound Asia Radio and then experience the same musical outlook as a physical event at HAKU.

HAKU Taipei gave the night a consistent home in which that concept could develop. Contemporary venue promotion specifically identifies a Roots session featuring Murphy Kin and Marco Mei from Bicycle Corporation and credits Scientific Sound Asia for its support.

The music itself remained deliberately positive and accessible without moving towards mainstream commercial programming. Warm basslines, percussion, soulful vocals and familiar Disco structures could keep the dancefloor active while leaving room for deeper or less obvious selections.

Afrobeat also prevented the event from becoming simply a celebration of European and American Disco. Its rhythmic influence opened the programme towards another important strand of dance music history and highlighted relationships between African grooves, Funk and later club production.

Nu Disco and contemporary edits then brought those older influences into a modern DJ context. The combination meant Roots could acknowledge history without functioning as a retrospective or nostalgia night.

The organisers’ invitation to dress cool, dress sassy, dance and feel free reflected that uncomplicated approach. The event was not designed around strict dress codes, underground seriousness or technical demonstrations, but around selectors with strong collections and a crowd willing to move.

Bicycle Corporation’s involvement also gave Roots a distinct place among its other projects. The series showed another side of Marco Mei’s musical identity and allowed the broader influences behind his House and electronic music work to come into clearer focus.

Scientific Sound Asia continues to connect that history through its current events, radio station, DJ agency and music news sections. The Taipei editions of Roots demonstrate how the organisation’s activity extended beyond broadcasting into physical events elsewhere in Asia.

Marco Mei’s continuing relationship with Scientific Sound Asia also provides a direct connection between these events and the platform today. His DJ agency profile documents the international career that sits behind his long-running radio and event activity with Bicycle Corporation.

Murphy Kin likewise became a recurring part of Bicycle Corporation’s Roots programming rather than appearing only for the HAKU events. His involvement strengthened the relationship between Taipei’s club culture and the international listeners following the radio series.

By its third edition, Roots had therefore developed into a recognisable format rather than simply repeating a successful first party. Marco Mei and Murphy Kin returned to HAKU Taipei with Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Disco Re-Edits, keeping the emphasis on warm rhythms, musical freedom and a dancefloor driven by groove.

The third edition continued the simple philosophy established from the beginning of the series. Dress cool, dress sassy, dance and feel free remained an appropriate invitation for a night where classic influences and contemporary selections met through two experienced DJs and the shared musical roots behind modern club culture.