Roel Funcken :: Data Curation 2 (EC Underground)

Whatever I may have thought about the interesting structures of the start of this release, I can’t deny there’s a special place in my heart for taking it up a notch and I bet there’s one in yours too.

Not solely electronic music for the sake of it

I had a lot of fun the last time Roel Funcken decided to collate some works together and this time’s different—but only with regard to the type of fun I’m having. Spanning a collection of EPs between 2021 and 2023, the focus certainly appears to be on Funck’d, whose prominent trait appears to be that of slower, yet engrossing, pieces that highlight the need to think about what goes where and when—not solely electronic music for the sake of it. His approaches to composition are clearly non-fleeting and serve as a bed for constant development, evidently spanning several of his releases—once again curation is at the fore of what’s laid out in front of me.

From “Texensis” to “Phronima Sedentaria,” the flow is seamless, lovingly marking the half-way point with all the build up culminating in eastern scales, a beautiful use of Ney-like wind instrumentation and articulation. It reminds me of the very polished Overcolour by Will Dutta/Plaid, components happening where you expect them, but not quite where you expect them, this one’s on repeat.

Of particular interest to me is the inclusion of the versioned-pieces “Gown” (parts one & two). That which may have come out of similar sessions in time but differ in structure I truly love – they are the original remixes, the real nature of the artist and a valuable insight into how they might work (although we’ll never truly understand them). It’s a nostalgic throwback for me to Cane’s Worm and More Worm, utilizing the most important aspects of a work and building on them to great effect.

Highlighting of important phrases ::

Equally as strong as the sound is the oft-lack of it. Many tracks employ a stop/start technique which permits the highlighting of important phrases, allowing me to take each in before the onset of another. It’s an approach I am ever-grateful for in times when it’s all too easy to be swamped by information.

A distinct change of gears cuts through, propelling us into more hectic beats and almost-purer electronic sound, although we’re very much eased into this by “Kadrex.” By the time we encounter “Frobin 101” and Gob, beats begin to take centre stage and although driving things with passion exist as perfect counterpoint to increased acid lines and forceful pads. 

Whatever I may have thought about the interesting structures of the start of this release, I can’t deny there’s a special place in my heart for taking it up a notch and I bet there’s one in yours too. When it comes to data’s ever-growing importance in our digital world, we have to ask who’s going to organize all those ones and zeroes before they inevitably make their way into our ears—Roel Funcken, that’s who.

Data Curation 2 is available on EC Underground. [Bandcamp]