Scientific Sound Asia X Barcade Taiwan ~ Electronic Roots 2

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 22 April 2023 until 3 AM on 23 April 2023. Scientific Sound Asia and Barcade Taiwan presented Electronic Roots 2, continuing the club series that grew from the success of the Bicycle Corporation radio show.

The second edition brought together Electronic Roots founder Marco Mei, guest Vivienne Wu and Barcade resident VDJ RoBeat. Their combined styles allowed the night to move through Melodic Techno, Hard Techno, Techno, House, open-format selections and mash-ups without locking the event into one narrow electronic genre.

Vivienne Wu brought the harder side of the programme and was still relatively new to DJing at the time of the event. The Canadian Taiwanese selector had already become active within Taiwan’s electronic music scene through sets built around dark energy, fast tempos and a direct dancefloor focus.

Her principal styles included Melodic Techno, Hard Techno and Techno. Those influences gave her room to move between atmospheric melodic passages and heavier material designed to maintain intensity as the night developed.

Vivienne had already performed at respected events and venues around Taipei despite the relatively recent start to her DJ career. Her rapid development and high-energy approach made her a strong fit for an Electronic Roots edition that leaned further into the tougher side of club music.

Marco Mei returned as the founder of the Electronic Roots concept and brought more than three decades of international DJ experience behind the decks. The Italian selector began his career in 1991 after being influenced by the early waves of Afro and House music, later developing a much broader approach to underground electronic music.

His international career included appearances at Woo Bar in Bali, The Mansion in Shanghai, Fuse in Brussels, The Observatory in Ho Chi Minh City, Vervo Club in Kunming, Pacha in Dresden, Cha Cha Moon in Koh Samui, NLO in Minsk, Time in Manila and Global Dance in Russia. That experience gave him a wide understanding of different club environments and audiences across Europe and Asia.

Marco also shared line-ups over the years with artists including Roger Sanchez, David Morales, Ralph Falcon, Sander Kleinenberg, Harry “Choo Choo” Romero, Justin Berkmann and Funk D’Void. His background therefore connected Electronic Roots 2 with several generations of House and underground electronic music.

As one half of Bicycle Corporation, Marco had already developed a long relationship with Scientific Sound Asia Radio. The Electronic Roots events gave that radio concept a physical Taipei setting where the music could be shaped directly around a club audience.

Within the Barcade line-up, Marco provided the strongest link between House, Techno and the broader musical philosophy behind the series. His ability to move between deeper material and more direct club tracks helped connect the contrasting styles brought by Vivienne Wu and VDJ RoBeat.

VDJ RoBeat represented the venue and added a much broader open-format approach to the event. A regular performer around Taipei, he had become known for eclectic sets that could move from funky material into heavier dancefloor music through mash-ups and rapid stylistic changes.

His background included appearances at festivals, clubs and sports bars around Taiwan. That range gave him experience adapting to different crowds rather than relying on one fixed musical identity.

VDJ RoBeat had also performed alongside DJ Chamber, DJ Robi Roka and DJ FAMOUS. His wider activity included work with global DJ networks such as Underground Sounds and Sideshow Kuts, extending his connections beyond the local Taipei circuit.

Radio formed another part of his profile through an appearance on The Party, broadcast nationwide on ICRT FM 100. That experience made his inclusion especially suitable for an event already built around the relationship between broadcasting and physical club nights.

His open-format and mash-up style gave Electronic Roots 2 another direction beyond the House and Techno foundations of the series. Funkier selections could appear beside harder dance music, allowing the night to shift character without losing momentum.

Barcade Taiwan again provided a deliberately informal setting for the event. The venue combined music with American comfort food, craft beer, craft cocktails, infused moonshine shots, adult boozy gummy bears, arcade games, pool, foosball and darts.

That environment gave the night a different character from a conventional nightclub. Guests could move between the dancefloor, games, food and drinks while still following the progression of the DJs.

The venue also asked visitors not to bring outside food or drinks out of respect for its operation. Guests were reminded not to drink and drive, keeping the relaxed party atmosphere connected with a straightforward safety message.

Musically, the second edition pushed Electronic Roots into broader territory than a single-style Techno event. Vivienne Wu brought dark and high-tempo energy, Marco Mei supplied the House and underground electronic foundations, and VDJ RoBeat added open-format and mash-up flexibility.

That combination made the line-up effective because each artist approached the dancefloor differently. Melodic Techno could give way to harder material, House could reconnect the programme with the radio series, and eclectic mash-ups could shift the mood without breaking the flow of the night.

Scientific Sound Asia’s wider platform connects these historical events through its events, radio programming, DJ agency and music news. The Barcade editions show how the organisation extended its Bicycle Corporation broadcasts into recurring physical events within Taipei’s electronic music community.

Electronic Roots 2 therefore continued the concept with a line-up that balanced experience, new talent and venue representation. Vivienne Wu, Marco Mei and VDJ RoBeat brought Melodic Techno, Hard Techno, Techno, House and open-format selections together for five hours at Barcade Taiwan, giving the second edition its own identity while retaining the musical freedom at the centre of the series.