Bicycle Corporation present Roots Episode 17 on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia is an Asian electronic music radio station, promoter, DJ agency and music-news platform connecting audiences across Asia and internationally.
Bicycle Corporation is the collaboration between Italian DJ and producer Marco Mei and Stefano Ugliano, also known as 6884. Together, they have released music across House Music and Techno, exploring a range of electronic styles.
Marco began his musical career in the early 1990s and was part of the pioneering Italian group Urban People, which hosted its own successful nights. A residency at Pacha in Egypt brought international attention and led to DJ appearances in locations around the world.
Those performances eventually brought Marco to Taipei, Taiwan, where he is based. His work also reaches across South East Asia through bookings and a weekly Scientific Sound Asia broadcast.
Raised in Torino, Italy, Stefano showed an early aptitude for music and studied classical piano, percussion and drums. He was particularly drawn to Chopin's compositions and West African Djembes.
As he grew older, Stefano became increasingly interested in the image of a DJ blending records on turntables. The electronic music seldom heard on Italian radio during the 1990s opened a new chapter in his life.
Roots draws on the influences that inform Bicycle Corporation's productions, including Funk, Disco, Soul, Afrobeat, Electro, Rare Groove, Hip Hop and Afrocentric sounds. The programme places those references alongside the duo's wider electronic music background.
Roots Episode 17 opens with Antena’s “Camino Del Sol,” bringing bossa nova, post-punk and electronic pop influences into the programme before three consecutive Airto Moreira selections establish a strong Brazilian direction. “Paraná,” “Toque De Cuica” and “Celebration Suite” draw from Moreira’s Brazilian jazz and percussion background while later edits reshape the material for the dancefloor.
Lee Oskar precedes Asphalt Jungle and T-Connection before Tania Maria’s “Come With Me” reconnects the programme with Brazilian jazz-funk. Touré Kunda then shifts the geographical emphasis towards West African music, setting up a section where Funk, African rhythms and disco edits begin to overlap.
Earth, Wind & Fire, Timmy Thomas and KC & The Sunshine Band move the selection further into Disco and soul before Manu Dibango appears twice. His material strengthens the African side of the programme through jazz, funk and African dance rhythms, linking naturally with the Afrobeat material that follows later.
Jimmy Bo Horne and Brooklyn Dreams continue the funk and disco emphasis through Michael The Lion edits before Kongas’ “Tattoo Woman” adds another African-influenced disco cut. Jermaine Jackson follows with “Erucu,” keeping the closing section rooted in funk and dance music rather than moving towards modern house styles.
Fela Kuti closes Roots Episode 17 through Mr. Mendel’s edit of “Fela’s Fight,” bringing the set firmly into Afrobeat for its final selection. Fela’s music is central to the development of Afrobeat, combining West African rhythmic traditions with funk and jazz, making the track a natural endpoint for a set already rich in African and Brazilian percussion.
Across Roots Episode 17, Brazilian music, funk and disco form the strongest strands, supported by Afrobeat, African music and rare-groove material. The repeated Airto Moreira cuts dominate the opening while Manu Dibango, Kongas and Fela Kuti give the second half a stronger African identity.
Bicycle Corporation Roots 17
Antena - Camino Del Sol (Vox Version)
Airto Moreira - Parana (Mushrooms Project Edit)
Airto Moreira - Toque De Cuica (DiscoBody Edit)
Airto Moreira - Celebration Suite (Dan Shake Cut)
Lee Oskar - 0ur Road (FJ Edit)
Asphalt Jungle - Freakin Time (ADN Edit)
T Connection - At Midnight (Remix A.U. )
Tania Maria - Come With Me (Lego Unreleased Mix)
Touré Kunda - Em-Ma
Earth-Wind & Fire Feat. Tonga - Anik Ana (V's Savannah Ride Edit)
Timmy Thomas - Why Can't We Live Together (LNTG Rework)
KC & The Sunshine Band - Black Water Gold (V's As It Used To Be Edit)
Manu Di Bango - Big Flow (V's Can't Cool Edit)
Manu Di Bango - Superkumba (M.Caporale Re-Edit)
Jimmy Bo Horne - Is It In Michael The Lion Feat. Amy Douglas (Funk Train)
Brooklyn Dreams - Street Man (Michael The Lion Rework)
Kongas - Tatoo Woman (Maxi Rework by Yohann Levems Edit)
Jermaine Jackson - Erucu (Extended Version)
Fela Kuti - Felas Fight (Mr. Mendel Edit)
Listen on Mixcloud here.