Bicycle Corporation presents episode 178 of their long-running Roots series on Scientific Sound Asia. Scientific Sound Asia operates as an Asian electronic music radio station, DJ agency, promoter and music news platform, connecting underground artists and listeners across the region and internationally.
Bicycle Corporation is the Italian collaboration between DJ and producer Marco Mei and multi-instrumentalist Stefano Ugliano, also known as 6884. Together they have developed a catalogue of more than fifty original productions and remixes spanning House, Deep House, Tech House, French House, Techno and more melodic electronic material.
Marco began his career in Turin during the early 1990s as Italy’s underground club movement was expanding rapidly. Through his involvement with the Urban People collective, he became closely connected with local events, DJ culture and the wider electronic music community.
That period gave him experience in both DJing and event organisation before his reputation extended beyond Turin and across Italy. International bookings followed as his career developed, eventually taking him to clubs and festivals across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
Stefano developed his musical background from an early age through classical piano, percussion and drums. His influences ranged from composers such as Chopin to the rhythmic traditions of West African djembe, giving him a broad understanding of melody, rhythm and arrangement.
During his teenage years, underground electronic music and the role of the DJ became increasingly important to him. At a time when many of those sounds were difficult to hear through mainstream Italian radio, production offered a direct way to explore the music that interested him.
When Marco and Stefano joined forces, they developed around those complementary backgrounds. Marco brought extensive dancefloor experience and programming knowledge, while Stefano contributed instrumentation, rhythm and studio production.
Their partnership has allowed the project to move between club-focused material and more melodic productions without being restricted to one fixed style. Releases have appeared through labels including Alchemy, Miniatures, WL77, Suka, GrooveTraxx and other independent imprints.
Despite the international reach of the project, both artists have maintained a strong connection with the music that first inspired them. That interest in earlier influences is reflected directly in the Roots series, which gives them space to revisit records, artists and ideas from across different periods of their musical development.
They have also revisited selected earlier productions through their Bandcamp page. The archive provides another way to follow the development of the project while preserving material from earlier stages of their career.
Roots 178 continues that format with another selection built around the records and influences that helped shape Bicycle Corporation’s musical identity. Rather than concentrating on one narrow genre, the series explores the wider connections between club music, electronic experimentation and the sounds that informed Marco and Stefano long before the project itself was formed.
Bicycle Corporation open Roots Episode 178 with Airto Moreira's Andei, bringing a jazz foundation into the programme before Cat Stevens' Was Dog A Doughnut shifts towards rock and DJ Herbie introduces the first clear Nu Disco turn with Disco Drum. Ronald Mesquita follows with the Latin Jazz of Balança Pema, while The Undisputed Truth begin the transition towards the soul, funk and Disco material that comes to dominate the episode.
Universal Robot Band and Fern Kinney establish a classic run before War's Dance widens the selection with a world-music influence and Sparks synth-pop with Beat The Clock. Erotic Drum Band then supply two consecutive selections with Action 78' and Jerky Rhythm, keeping the rhythm firmly rooted in late-1970s dance-floor music.
Harri Pierson's Funk Rail introduces House Music before Trax return the session to Disco with Crusader. Mandrill JB adds a Nu-Disco interpretation, while Hudson County, The Immortals and Macho build another sustained classic sequence through Bim Sala Bim, The Ultimate Warlord and I'm A Man.
Michael Amara's New Bell in Jacques Renault's edit brings Afro-Disco into the programme before Osibisa extend the African influence with Jumbo. Ronny Hammond then introduces Funky House with Drop That Beat, while Rose Royce and Stargard reconnect the set with its funk roots around Steve Miggedy Maestro's contemporary re-rub of Bey Yo.
Timmy Thomas adds a Soul and Funk passage through Funky Me before DJ Monchan's cover of Change restores the focus. TRAKS then bring House back into the closing section, followed by JKriv's selection Down Slow and Lego Edit's Sahara Adventures, which closes the episode with another Afro excursion.
Bicycle Corporation – Roots Episode 178
Airto Moreira - Andei [Buddah Records]
Cat Stevens - Was Dog A Doughnut [BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.]
DJ Herbie - Disco Drum [SoundCloud]
Ronald Mesquita - Balança Pema [Mr Bongo]
The Undisputed Truth - Show Time [Whitfield Records]
Universal Robot Band - Dance And Shake Your Tambourine [Red Greg Records]
Fern Kinney - Groove Me [WEA]
War - Dance [SoundCloud]
Sparks - Beat The Clock [BMG Rights Management (UK) Ltd.]
Erotic Drum Band - Action 78' [Prism]
Erotic Drum Band - Jerky Rhythm [Scope]
Harri Pierson - Funk Rail [Personality Edits]
Trax - Crusader [12 Inch Stars]
Mandrill JB - Can You Get It [Arista]
Hudson County - Bim Sala Bim [Eva & L.A. Records]
The Immortals - The Ultimate Warlord [RCA Victor]
Macho - I'm A Man [Prelude Records]
Michael Amara - New Bell (Jacques Renault Edit) [Bandcamp]
Osibisa - Jumbo [Pye Records]
Ronny Hammond - Drop That Beat [Hammond Stylo]
Rose Royce - Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is [MCA Records]
Steve Miggedy Maestro - Bey Yo (Miggedy's Disco Slap Re-Rub) [Miggedy Entertainment]
Stargard - Which Way Is Up [MCA Records]
Timmy Thomas - Funky Me [Polydor]
DJ Monchan - Change (Gino Soccio Cover) [Dailysession Records]
TRAKS - Long Train Running [Streetheat Music]
JKriv - Down Slow [Pantai People]
Lego Edit - Sahara Adventures (Lego Re-Edit) [Legofunk Records]
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