Scientific Sound Asia presents Roots Saigon.

Event Details

Scientific Sound Asia presented the first Saigon edition of Roots Saigon at Evita Bar in Thảo Điền, bringing the concept from radio and its established Taipei events into Vietnam. The night focused on Afrocentric, rhythmic and groove-led music, giving the series a new setting while retaining the warm musical identity that had defined it from the beginning.

Roots had already developed through Scientific Sound Asia Radio and a run of events in Taipei with Bicycle Corporation, Marco Mei and Murphy Kin. Moving the format to Ho Chi Minh City extended the concept beyond Taiwan and gave Scientific Sound Asia an opportunity to interpret the idea through a different selector and audience.

The Saigon edition kept the emphasis on rhythm rather than restricting itself to a single genre. Afrocentric music, Funk-influenced grooves, Disco-derived rhythms and other warm selections could all find a place within a night designed around movement and musical freedom.

Evita Bar in Thảo Điền provided an intimate setting for the first Vietnamese edition of the event. Its aesthetically pleasing surroundings suited a night that aimed for relaxed dancefloor energy rather than a harder or more aggressive club atmosphere.

The event was built around audiophile enjoyment as much as straightforward nightlife. Good records, a sympathetic room and a carefully selected sound gave guests space to listen as well as dance, keeping the event close to the original philosophy behind Roots.

DJ Psycho-UK, also known as Bearhead, performed on the night and brought a musical background stretching across several generations of underground culture. His history includes Hip Hop, House, Acid House, Hardcore, Jungle, Drum and Bass and related styles, giving him a broad collection from which to approach the Roots concept.

For this event, however, the focus shifted towards Afrocentric and rhythm-led selections rather than the heavier bass music associated with some of his other appearances. The set allowed him to work through warmer grooves and records chosen for their percussion, swing and dancefloor character.

DJ Psycho-UK began DJing at the age of fourteen in East London with a pair of Soundlab DLP1 turntables and a four-track mixer. His early development took place during a period when Hip Hop, House, Acid House and later rave culture were rapidly changing the musical landscape around him.

That background gave him direct experience of DJ culture before digital systems became standard. Turntables, physical records and manual mixing formed the basis of his technique and remained an important part of his approach decades later.

For Roots Saigon, he returned to the legendary Technics SL-1200 turntables, often referred to as the wheels of steel. Their presence reinforced the event’s emphasis on traditional DJ craft and connected the night with the turntable culture that had shaped much of his earlier career.

The SL-1200s also suited the musical direction because the event was not built around complicated visual production or a large headline performance. Two turntables, a carefully chosen collection and a responsive crowd were enough to establish the atmosphere.

DJ Psycho-UK’s involvement also connected Roots with Scientific Sound Asia’s wider event history in Ho Chi Minh City. The organisation had already worked across Hip Hop, House Music, Drum and Bass and other areas of underground club culture before bringing the Roots format into Vietnam.

That wider history gave the Saigon edition a slightly different character from its Taipei counterpart. Rather than reproducing the HAKU events exactly, Scientific Sound Asia adapted the same groove-led philosophy to suit its own local event network and the musical background of the DJ behind the decks.

The Afrocentric direction played an important role in that adaptation. Percussion-heavy records, warm basslines and rhythm-focused selections created natural links with Funk, Disco, House and other styles without requiring the night to remain inside a narrow genre definition.

This freedom was central to the idea behind Roots. The name suggested going back towards the musical foundations behind later club genres rather than simply following whatever style was currently dominant.

Guests were invited to arrive with a good attitude and a smile rather than worry about a formal dress code. The emphasis was on feeling comfortable, enjoying the music and allowing the dancefloor to develop naturally across the night.

That relaxed approach fitted Evita Bar and helped separate the event from more rigid club formats. The surroundings, music and crowd could work together without requiring elaborate themes, costumes or major production elements.

The first Saigon edition also strengthened the relationship between Scientific Sound Asia’s broadcasting and physical events. A concept that listeners could encounter through the radio station could now be experienced directly in Ho Chi Minh City as part of the organisation’s wider events programme.

Scientific Sound Asia continues to connect that activity through its DJ agency and music news alongside radio and live events. Roots Saigon forms part of that history by documenting the point when an established radio and Taipei concept was brought into Vietnam for the first time.

The event did not need a complicated formula to establish its identity. Afrocentric rhythms, audiophile selections, Technics SL-1200s and an intimate Thảo Điền setting gave DJ Psycho-UK everything required to translate the Roots philosophy into a Saigon environment.

Roots Saigon – First Edition therefore marked a new chapter for a concept already familiar to Scientific Sound Asia listeners and Taipei club audiences. At Evita Bar, DJ Psycho-UK brought the series into Vietnam with warm grooves, rhythm-led selections and a simple invitation to arrive with a smile, enjoy the music and feel free.