Bicycle Corporation presents Bert Bevans in Roots 74 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 Italian partnership of DJ and producer Marco Mei and Stefano Ugliano, better known as 6884. Across their years of releasing music, the pair have produced more than fifty tracks in French House, Deep House, Tech House and Techno.
Marco began his career in the early nineties, working on House Music and Techno events with the Urban People crew. His growing profile in Italy led to bookings beyond his home country and an international schedule.
Stefano, who is from Torino, Italy, showed an interest in music from childhood and devoted much of his spare time to it. He studied classical piano, percussion and drums, while also developing an appreciation for Chopin and West African djembe.
Alongside these musical interests, Stefano was drawn to DJs and the records they played. Many of those beats were seldom heard on Italian radio stations at the time.
Marco and Stefano have revisited some of their earlier tracks and established a Bandcamp page to distribute them. The archive provides a route back to material from the pair's earlier catalogue.
The weekly Roots programme features artists based in Asia whose Afrocentric roots have influenced their electronic music careers. Its House Music and Afrocentric selections have formed part of the Asian radio and electronic music landscape over recent years.
Guest DJ Bert Bevans.
This week the guest DJ is Bert Bevans, Bert Bevans is a British Honduras-born DJ who started out playing "Block Parties" in Hollis, New York (NYC) followed by other legendary NYC clubs such as Studio 54, Paradise Garage, Xenon, Electric Circus, Bonds and the Playboy Club.
Bert's family immigrated to New York on July 27, 1969, and settled down in Jamaica, Queens and later moved to Hollis, Queens, where he lived during his teens. After school, he studied aviation, but he never finished his education, as he tells me himself: "If I had graduated, I would have had to go to Vietnam, so I left. I still love flying though!".
Bert explains that becoming a DJ was a "Natural Progression". He started out doing "Block Parties" in Hollis and then things more or less just happened.
He never planned to be a DJ, but when he worked in Melody's Record Shop, most of the NYC DJs came there to get the latest releases. They liked him and would invite him to their clubs, and the rest is history.
In April of 1977, the most famous club of all time opened up its doors in New York, the club was of course Studio 54. It didn't take long before Bert played his first private party in the club and it was not his last one in '54'.
The Studio 54 DJ Richie Kaczor was sent down to St.Thomas in the Virgin Islands to open up a '54' there. After a few months he was hired to open up another '54' in Barcelona, Spain and when leaving St.Thomas Richie turned the residency of Studio 54 in the Virgin Islands over to Bert.
After 2 years in the Virgin Islands, Bert was back in New York and soon he was given an offer by Steven Hatter of a residency at his club The Embassy in London, UK. This led to another residency at the other new London hot spot Xenon.
He moved along in the London club scene, playing in Camden Palace, a club owned by Rusty Egan and Steve Strange [of Visage], where he DJ'ed along with Colin Favor and "Evil" Eddie Richards. Bevans was travelling back and forth between London, New York and other cities all over the world for many years.
Then 1991 he met his old friend Justin Berkmann who was building a new "Paradise Garage type sound system" in a new club in London, which was to open up in September, the club was no other than the Ministry of Sound. Bert still travels extensively around the globe performing at various venues and nightspots.
For the past few years, he has helped Santeri build “Seduction” in Phuket which had the Ministry of Sound and Hed Kandi tours and just completed a deal with Café del Mar Ibiza. Recently, he helped open Ice and Spice Bar Ho Chi Minh City. This show originally aired on Sunday 14th of March, listen to the Mixcloud player below.
Bicycle Corporation Roots 74 with Bert Bevans opens with Urban Soul's What Do I Gotta Do in the Eric Kupper Mix, a Deep House selection on King Street Classics. The Discoboxers' Mary J Blige vs Doctor Love follows before Nickodemus brings Obeah Woman from Giant Step into a Nu-Disco setting.
Jimpster's Echoes in My Head on Freerange Records keeps the early section focused and spacious. Yoyohoney and MANI-S then contribute Sing Hallelujah before Mike Shawr and Lazaurusman's DJ Spen and Jahad Muhammad Remix of Story of Something on unquantize introduces Afro House percussion.
Jason Walker's David Morales Mix of All to You on i Am House turns towards House Music, followed by David Morales and Elle Cato's And I'm Telling You I'm Not Going from DIRIDIM. Junior Jack and Jocelyn Brown's Hold Me Up keeps that emphasis in place on Defected, while Jack Back and CeCe Rogers take Freedom into Tech House territory on the same label.
The middle stretch brings Jackson 5 and Frankie Knuckles' Forever Came Today together with Lisa Shaw's Timmy Regisford Mix of Always. Bunny Mack's DJ Gregory Pepsi Dub of Let Me Love You follows, with Catsinka's Jalouise and SEAL Timmy's Love You extending the vocal-led section.
DJ Spen's I Got The Love leads into Natasha Kitty's Days of My Life from Midnight Riot. Soul Avengerz then bring Heard It All Before before Marvinmarvelous and Vanessa Hawkins add Aquarius to the later movement of the set.
Sahib Muhammad closes the programme with Afro Orbit on unquantize. Its low-slung finish brings the selection back to the deeper electronic character established at the opening.
Roots 074 show with Bert Bevans
Urban Soul - What Do I Gotta Do (Eric Kupper Mix)
DiscoBoxers - Mary J Blige vs Doctor Love
Nickodemus - Obeah Woman [Giant Step]
Jimpster - Echoes in My Head
Yoyohoney, MANI-S - Sing Hallelujah
Mike Shawr, Lazaurusman - Story of Something (DJ Spen & Jahad Muhammad Remix)
Jason Walker - All to You (David Morales Mix)
David Morales & Elle Cato - And I’m Telling You I’m Not Going
Junior Jack & Jocelyn Brown - Hold Me Up
Jack Back & CeCe Rogers - Freedom
Jackson 5, Frankie Knuckles - Forever Came Today
Lisa Shaw - Always (Timmy Regisford Mix)
Bunny Mack - Let Me Love You (DJ Gregory Pepsi Dub)
Catsinka - Jalouise
SEAL Timmy - Love You
DJ Spen - I Got The Love
Natasha Kitty - Days of My Life
Soul Avengerz - Heard It All Before
Marvinmarvelous Feat. Vanessa Hawkins - Aquarius
Sahib Muhammad - Afro Orbit
Listen on Mixcloud here.