After an unforgettable run as a radio series on Scientific Sound Asia and nine successful live editions, Bicycle Corporation and Scientific Sound Asia returned to HAKU Taipei for the tenth edition of Roots. The night continued the established focus on Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Disco Re-Edits, bringing the warm and groove-led identity of the programme back onto a Taipei dancefloor.
Reaching a tenth edition showed how firmly the concept had settled into the HAKU programme. Marco Mei and Murphy Kin remained at the centre, giving the series continuity while allowing each event to develop through different records and combinations.
The series originally grew through Scientific Sound Asia Radio, where Bicycle Corporation used Roots to explore the warmer side of dance music. Afrobeat, Disco, Nu Disco, Funk, Soul and re-edits gave the programme a distinct character while keeping rhythm and movement at its core.
Italian DJ and producer Marco Mei returned with more than three decades of international experience behind the decks. Based in Taipei, his career had taken him through clubs, festivals and underground scenes across Europe, Asia and beyond.
Marco is also one half of Bicycle Corporation alongside Italian producer Stefano Ugliano, also known as 6884. While their production work has moved through House and Techno, Marco’s DJ sets extend into Deep House, Disco House, Nu Disco, Tech House and other groove-led styles.
That broad collection suited Roots because the event was based on musical connections rather than rigid genre boundaries. Afro-influenced rhythms could move towards Funk, Disco could lead into House, and modern re-edits could introduce older material to a contemporary dancefloor.
Disco remained one of the principal foundations of the night. Its basslines, percussion, soulful vocals and extended arrangements continued to provide common ground between classic dance music and later forms of House.
Nu Disco provided the contemporary side of that relationship. Producers could draw from classic Disco while reshaping its rhythms, melodies and instrumentation for current club systems and DJ sets.
Disco Re-Edits added another layer by restructuring older recordings for the dancefloor. Extended introductions, longer instrumental sections and altered breaks allowed familiar tracks to work differently without losing the character of the original music.
Afrobeat widened the rhythmic direction further and remained central to the Roots identity. Layered percussion, repeated grooves and live instrumentation connected naturally with Funk, Disco and House while giving the selectors another route through the night.
Murphy Kin returned alongside Marco Mei with his own long history across House, Disco and regional club culture. Originally from Shanghai and later based in Taipei, he had become active through DJing, music curation, record-label work and independent events.
Also known as DJ Lucy, Murphy developed a broad approach rather than restricting himself to a single electronic genre. His interests stretched through Disco, House, Soul, Jazz, R&B, Hip Hop, Rock and other styles depending on the setting.
Within Roots, that wider background could be focused on the warmer and more groove-led side of his collection. Older Disco could sit beside contemporary House, while Afrobeat and Funk gave the programme room to move in less predictable directions.
The partnership between Marco Mei and Murphy Kin had become one of the defining features of the series by the tenth edition. They shared enough musical ground to keep the night coherent while their different backgrounds and collections prevented the format from becoming repetitive.
HAKU Taipei remained the physical home of the club series while Scientific Sound Asia maintained the connection with the original broadcasts. The same musical idea could therefore exist both as a recurring Taipei event and as a radio programme reaching listeners elsewhere in Asia and internationally.
That relationship between radio and events fitted Scientific Sound Asia’s wider activity across underground music. Its current platform brings together events, the radio station, a regional DJ agency and music news.
By the tenth event, the strength of Roots came from a format that no longer needed constant reinvention. Marco Mei and Murphy Kin could continue exploring Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Re-Edits while finding fresh ways to connect those sounds for the HAKU crowd.
The invitation remained as simple as ever: dress cool, dress sassy, dance, feel free and bring a nice smile and attitude. That relaxed message captured the spirit of a night built around experienced selectors, strong records and an uncomplicated love of groove.
Roots 10 therefore marked another milestone for a concept that had grown from radio into a recurring Taipei event. Marco Mei and Murphy Kin once again brought Afrobeat, Nu Disco, Disco and Disco Re-Edits together at HAKU for a night centred on warm rhythms, classic influences and dancefloor freedom.
Haku Taipei, No. 1號, Yumen Street, Zhongshan District, Taipei City, Taiwan 10491
Date: Friday 21 October 2022, 12:00 AM