DJ Stingray, John Digweed, Dr. Rubinstein, Objekt, Helena Hauff, Spacetravel, Ellen Allien, Batu, Bwana, Mor Elian, The Martinez Brothers, Shanti Celeste, Silent Servant, Om Unit, Magda, Efdemin—the number and range of DJs who have featured Frustrated Funk tracks in mixes down the years is impressive, showing just how integral the Dutch label has been to electro since it launched in 2002. E.R.P., the US producer otherwise known as Gerard Hanson and Convextion, has played a large role in building the label's reputation, releasing a handful of memorable EPs on Frustrated Funk and its sub-labels Frantic Flowers and Harbour City Sorrow. Fr-Dpx, a split 12-inch that also features a remix by the label boss Klen, is a reunion with the outlet after six years.
The release might not feature enough music to satisfy Hanson's small but fiercely loyal following, but it at least finds him in decent form. His music as E.R.P. tends towards melancholy, a melody-rich vision of electro built for reflection. This isn't necessarily the case, though, with "ZRX," where the squelchy Moog bassline, cascading synth part and string-like pads are urgent and just a little paranoid. Klen, on the other hand, is in a more pensive mindframe. His remix as Ovatow of the veteran Dutch act Duplex is strictly for the warm-up or wind-down, its crisp 120-BPM beat moving forwards with all the time in the world. The depth and loveliness of the track's atmospheres suggests Klen's meagre discography should be added to more regularly.
A –E.R.P. Zrx
B –Duplex Molecular (Ovatow Reclock)
Track List
