Scientific Sound Asia X Barcade Taiwan ~ Electronic Roots

Event Details

This event took place at Barcade Taiwan 台灣, B1, No. 177, Section 1, Heping East Road, Da’an District, Taipei City 106, Taiwan, from 10 PM on 24 March 2023 until 3 AM on 25 March 2023. Scientific Sound Asia and Barcade Taiwan presented Electronic Roots following the success of the Bicycle Corporation radio show, bringing founder Marco Mei together with previous guests Molly Lin and Migo Lee.

The event translated the Scientific Sound Asia Radio series into a physical Taipei setting while retaining its broad electronic direction. House, UK Garage, UK Bass, Minimal and Techno formed the main musical framework, with each DJ bringing a different interpretation of the Electronic Roots concept.

Barcade Taiwan provided a deliberately informal setting for the night, combining music with arcade games, pool, foosball and darts. The venue also offered American comfort food, craft beer, cocktails, infused moonshine shots and adult boozy gummy bears, giving the event a character removed from a conventional nightclub.

Guests were asked not to bring outside food or drinks in respect of the venue’s operation. The organisers also included a reminder not to drink and drive, keeping the party atmosphere connected with basic responsibility throughout the night.

Taipei DJ and producer Molly Lin brought one of the broadest contemporary club selections on the bill. She had spent several years working as an in-demand A&R in Taiwan and was also involved as a producer with the electro house band NekoJam.

Her background inside the music industry gave her experience beyond simply performing behind the decks. DJing, production and A&R work combined to give her a wide view of Taiwan’s electronic scene and the different styles circulating through it.

Molly’s selections move through House Music, UK Garage and UK Bass. That range made her particularly suitable for Electronic Roots, where the music was designed to move across related underground styles rather than remain fixed to a single tempo or genre.

The UK-influenced side of her collection also gave the programme a different rhythmic character from straight four-to-the-floor House or Techno. Broken beats, swinging percussion and bass-heavy club music could sit beside more conventional House selections while keeping the dancefloor connected.

Migo Lee brought another Taipei perspective to the event and had been DJing since 2015. Her sets had developed through House, Minimal and Techno, with acid touches, trippy selections and strong groove-led basslines becoming recurring parts of her style.

Her experience around Taipei included appearances at B1, 23 Music Room, Pipe, Studio 9 and Evaporate. She was also a resident DJ at CÉ LA VI Taipei, giving her experience across both underground rooms and more polished nightlife environments.

That range allowed Migo to adapt her selections while retaining a recognisable preference for groove and hypnotic electronic music. Minimal structures could gradually build into tougher Techno, while acid elements added another layer of movement and tension.

Marco Mei completed the line-up and brought more than three decades of international DJ experience to Barcade. The Italian selector began his career in 1991 after being shaped by the early waves of Afro and House music, eventually developing a broad style that could move through several areas of underground dance music.

His career had already taken him through clubs and events across Europe, Asia and beyond by the time of this event. Appearances included Woo Bar in Bali, The Mansion in Shanghai, Fuse in Brussels, The Observatory in Ho Chi Minh City, Pacha in Dresden, Cha Cha Moon in Koh Samui, NLO in Minsk, Time in Manila and Global Dance in Russia.

Marco had also shared line-ups with artists including Roger Sanchez, David Morales, Ralph Falcon, Sander Kleinenberg, Harry “Choo Choo” Romero, Justin Berkmann and Funk D’Void. That international experience gave him a particularly wide reference point for an event built around the different roots and directions of electronic club music.

His work through Bicycle Corporation also connected the night directly with the original Electronic Roots radio programme. Alongside producer Stefano Ugliano, also known as 6884, Marco had developed a long-running relationship with Scientific Sound Asia through radio shows, production activity and club events.

At Barcade, Marco’s role helped connect the different musical approaches represented by Molly Lin and Migo Lee. House could provide common ground, while Minimal, Techno, UK Bass and more groove-driven material allowed the three DJs to take the night in different directions.

The line-up therefore represented three different perspectives on Taipei electronic music rather than a single headline-and-support structure. Marco brought international experience and the Bicycle Corporation connection, Molly added House and UK-influenced bass music, and Migo contributed Minimal, acid and Techno.

That balance suited Barcade Taiwan because the venue itself encouraged a less formal approach to club culture. Guests could move between the dancefloor, games, food and drinks without the event losing its musical focus.

Electronic Roots also demonstrated how Scientific Sound Asia’s radio programming could move into physical events outside Vietnam. The organisation’s wider activity now connects events, radio, a regional DJ agency and music news across underground electronic music in Asia.

The March 2023 edition brought that network directly into Taipei through artists already connected with the radio show. Instead of simply repeating a broadcast format, the event gave Marco Mei, Molly Lin and Migo Lee a room where their different approaches could meet in front of a live audience.

Electronic Roots at Barcade Taiwan ultimately combined House, UK Garage, UK Bass, Minimal and Techno inside one of Taipei’s more playful nightlife settings. Marco Mei, Molly Lin and Migo Lee supplied the music while arcade games, craft drinks and the relaxed Barcade atmosphere gave the event an identity of its own.