Bicycle Corporation presents its seventh Roots show with guest DJ Bert Bevans on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia is an Asian electronic music radio station, DJ agency, promoter and music-news platform connecting audiences across the region and internationally.
Bicycle Corporation is the Italian partnership of DJ and producer Marco Mei and Stefano Ugliano, who is also known as 6884. The pair have made more than 50 tracks across French House, Deep House, Tech House and Techno.
Marco began his career in the early 1990s as part of the crew behind events such as Urban People. His work brought recognition within Italy before leading to bookings internationally.
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.
Electronic music and DJing became a particular focus for Stefano during his teenage years, when such records were seldom heard on Italian radio. What initially appeared a distant ambition became the basis for his work with Bicycle Corporation.
International recognition has not displaced Marco and Stefano's interest in the music that first drew them to electronic sounds. They have reviewed earlier tracks and established a Bandcamp page to distribute them.
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 7th of February, listen to the Mixcloud player below.
Bicycle Corporation's Roots 7 episode with Bert Bevans opens with We Are King and DJ Spinna's Mr. Chameleon (Galactic Soul Vocal), Alex Poet's (Where Do I Begin?) Love Story in Richard Earnshaw's Heart & Soul Mix, and Eric Kupper featuring Yasmeen Sulieman's Rain Falls. These vocal selections establish the programme's opening stretch before Night Tales' Runaway arrives in Sebb Junior's extended remix.
Night Tales' Runaway brings House Music through Tinted Records, before DJ G and Pullman Porters' You Make Me Better on Ocha Mzansi introduces Afro House. David Morales follows with I Got The Love in the DJ Spen and Reelsoul Original Mix, keeping the vocal focus in place.
The Journey Men featuring Hanlei bring Deep House to Feeling Myself on Rhemi Music, followed by Timmy Vegas' Timmy's Choir (Soulful Mix) for Nervous Records. Max Esposito's Deep on Mood Funk Records then gives the sequence a Tech House edge.
Missfly and Deep Soul Syndicate's Thank You on Sounds Of Ali leads into David Morales' Hideaway, featuring Blondewearingblack, in its Classic Mix for DIRIDIM. Bunny Mack's Let Me Love You in the DJ Gregory Pepsi Dub follows as the set moves towards its run of established club records.
Loleatta Holloway's Dreamin appears in Satoshi Tomiie's Shellshock Reconstruction Mix on EMI, before CeCe Peniston's Finally brings the A&M release into the selection. Toni Braxton's I Don't Want To in Frankie Knuckles' 12' Classic Club Remix on LaFace/Legacy adds a Nu-Disco turn to the later section.
DJ Rae and Martin Badder's Change, remixed by DJ Spen and Reelsoul for Let There Be House Records, returns to the programme's house foundation. BSTC featuring JL's Love It in Phil Asher's Restless Soul Vocal Mix on Seamless Recordings brings Electronica into view before David Morales closes with Strings on DIRIDIM, returning to Afro House.
Roots 070 show with Bert Bevans
We Are King, DJ Spinna - Mr. Chameleon (Galactic Soul Vocal)
Alex Poet - (Where Do I Begin?) Love Story (Richard Earnshaw Heart & Soul Mix)
Eric Kupper Feat. Yasmeen Sulieman - Rain Falls (Original Mix)
Night Tales - Runaway (Sebb Junior Extended Remix)
DJ G & Pullman Porters - You Make Me Better
David Morales - I Got The Love (DJ Spen & Reelsoul Original Mix)
The Journey Men Feat. Hanlei - Feeling Myself
Timmy Vegas - Timmy's Choir (Soulful Mix)
Max Esposito - Deep (Original Mix)
Missfly & Deep Soul Syndicate - Thank You (Original Mix)
David Morales - Hideaway Feat. Blondewearingblack (Classic Mix)
Bunny Mack - Let Me Love You (DJ Gregory Pepsi Dub)
Loletta Holloway - Dreamin (Satoshi Tomiie Shellshock Reconstruction Mix)
CeCe Penniston - Finally
Toni Braxton - I Don't Want To (Frankie Knuckles 12' Classic Club Remix)
DJ Rae & Martin Badder - Change (DJ Spen & Reelsoul Extended Remix)
BSTC feat. JL - Love It (Phil Asher's Restless Soul Vocal Mix)
David Morales - Strings
Listen on Mixcloud here.