Scientific Sound Asia presents Roots 2

Event Details

After an unforgettable run as a radio series on Scientific Sound Asia and a successful first live event, Bicycle Corporation and Scientific Sound Asia returned to HAKU Taipei for the second edition of Roots. The night again centred on Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Disco Re-Edits, carrying the musical identity of the radio programme back onto a Taipei dancefloor.

The second edition continued the idea established by the first event rather than changing direction. Warm rhythms, classic dance music influences and groove-led selections remained at the centre, with Marco Mei and Murphy Kin returning as the two selectors responsible for shaping the night.

Roots had developed through Scientific Sound Asia Radio as a programme allowing Bicycle Corporation to explore music beyond the harder edges of House and Techno. Afrobeat, Funk, Disco, Soul, Nu Disco and contemporary re-edits gave the series a broader musical vocabulary while retaining a strong connection with dancefloor culture.

Moving that radio concept into HAKU Taipei gave listeners an opportunity to experience the same approach in a physical setting. The club format allowed the music to develop over a full night, with both DJs able to move between older records, modern interpretations and different rhythmic traditions.

Italian DJ and producer Marco Mei returned for the second edition with more than three decades of international experience behind the decks. Based in Taipei, he had already built a long career across clubs, festivals and underground music scenes throughout Europe, Asia and beyond.

Marco is also known through Bicycle Corporation, the production partnership he formed with Italian producer Stefano Ugliano, also known as 6884. The project has released music across House and Techno, while Marco’s own DJ selections extend much further through Deep House, Disco House, Nu Disco, Tech House and related styles.

That wider range made Roots especially suited to his approach as a selector. He could move from Disco and Afro-influenced records towards modern House without forcing the set into one narrow category, allowing rhythmic connections between the genres to guide the progression.

Disco played an important role because so much later club music developed from its structures, instrumentation and approach to the dancefloor. Basslines, strings, percussion, extended arrangements and soulful vocals all provided material that producers would later reinterpret through House, Nu Disco and re-edit culture.

Nu Disco provided a contemporary bridge to those older influences. Producers working within the style could retain the warmth and musicianship associated with classic Disco while adapting the production for modern clubs and sound systems.

Disco Re-Edits provided another important part of the Roots identity. By extending introductions, restructuring breaks or changing arrangements, editors could make older recordings function differently inside contemporary DJ sets while preserving the character of the original music.

Afrobeat added a different rhythmic foundation to the night and helped connect the programme with music outside the conventional European and American Disco tradition. Percussion, repeated grooves and layered instrumentation allowed Afrobeat selections to sit naturally beside Funk, Disco and more recent dancefloor productions.

Marco’s experience working across international scenes gave him a large musical reference point from which to make those connections. Rather than treating Roots as a specialist retro night, his selections could draw relationships between older records and contemporary club music.

Murphy Kin returned alongside Marco and brought another wide-ranging perspective to the second edition. Based in Taipei and active as a DJ, music curator and record-label figure, he had developed a long relationship with House, Disco and alternative club culture in the region.

Originally from Shanghai and later based in Taipei, Murphy became active across bars, clubs and independent parties in both cities. His work also included music curation and projects focused on Disco, giving him an ideal background for the Roots concept.

Murphy is also known as DJ Lucy and became closely connected with Ting Ting Disco, a party project that developed events in Taipei and Shanghai before extending into other locations. Scientific Sound Asia’s later coverage of Murphy describes a broad musical outlook reaching through House, Disco, Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, Rock, Punk and other styles.

That breadth allowed him to approach Roots without remaining locked into a predictable sequence of Disco records. Soulful tracks could lead into House, an Afro-influenced groove could shift towards Funk, and contemporary re-edits could sit alongside older recordings without disrupting the flow.

His approach also complemented Marco Mei because the two DJs shared musical ground without sounding identical. Both could work comfortably with Disco and House, while their individual collections introduced different influences and directions throughout the night.

The pairing became central to the identity of the live Roots sessions at HAKU Taipei. Contemporary traces of later Roots parties continue to associate Marco Mei and Murphy Kin with Afro, Funk, Disco and House at the venue, showing that their musical partnership extended beyond a single event.

For the second edition, that continuity allowed the night to build on an audience already familiar with the first event. The organisers did not need to redefine Roots but could develop the same musical language more deeply through another extended session.

HAKU Taipei provided the physical environment for that development. The venue gave Roots a home within Taipei nightlife where a programme that had started on radio could become a recurring club experience.

This relationship between broadcast and event culture was particularly important to Scientific Sound Asia. Radio could introduce listeners across different countries to the programme, while events allowed the same selectors and musical ideas to operate directly in front of a local crowd.

Bicycle Corporation’s involvement also linked the event with several other radio concepts developed through Scientific Sound Asia. Roots represented the warmer, more Disco and Afro-focused side of that activity, providing contrast with programmes centred more heavily on House, Techno or electronic experimentation.

The second edition confirmed that the concept had enough identity to continue beyond its initial launch. A radio series had become a live event, and the successful first edition had created enough momentum for Marco Mei and Murphy Kin to return to HAKU.

The night’s invitation to dress cool, dress sassy, dance and feel free captured the uncomplicated attitude behind the event. Roots was built around music with strong rhythmic foundations, but it was never intended to turn those influences into something overly academic or serious.

The emphasis remained on records capable of moving a dancefloor. Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Re-Edits gave the selectors plenty of history to draw from, but enjoyment and groove remained more important than demonstrating musical knowledge.

Scientific Sound Asia continues to document this side of its history through its events, radio station, DJ agency and music news sections. The Roots series represents an example of the organisation extending a radio concept into a physical event outside Vietnam and strengthening its connections with underground music communities elsewhere in Asia.

Marco Mei’s continuing role within Scientific Sound Asia also maintains a direct link between these Taipei events and the organisation today. His Scientific Sound Asia DJ profile documents his international career and his long-running involvement with Bicycle Corporation.

Murphy Kin would also continue appearing through the Roots radio programme and Bicycle Corporation’s wider activity. That continuing relationship reinforced the musical compatibility first demonstrated by the HAKU events and allowed the same partnership to reach both club audiences and international radio listeners.

Roots – Second Edition therefore continued exactly where the first night had left off. Marco Mei and Murphy Kin returned to HAKU Taipei with Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Disco Re-Edits, transforming the spirit of the radio series into another warm, groove-driven night built simply around dressing cool, dancing and feeling free.