Experimental Electronic Music
Two of my favorite sonic sculptors converge as F~M, alias of Roel Funcken and Jeroen Bax (aka exm), shaping Fose into four extended chapters that warp and reassemble rhythmic glitch fragments, threaded with fluid collisions of bass pressure, flickering bleeps, and meticulous sound design.
Touched Music has been doing this for over a decade now, and they’ve built a reputation for curating compilations and releases that sit at the top tier of contemporary IDM. Cilcit is no exception. This is easily one of the most exciting and great releases of 2026 and an enjoyable listen for a lot of IDM fans.
Point Central’s second installment detonates crunchy, melodic electro with explosive rhythmic force, channeling classic IDM spirit through forward-facing sound design and tightly coiled energy.
Roel Funcken sharpens his abstract modular language on Drature, unleashing interlocked rhythmic systems and rugged electronic textures that push his forward-thinking sound even further beyond its own frontier.
There’s something sleek, fluid, and neuro-electronic unfolding within Roel Funcken’s sonic realms. A master of abstract rhythmic manipulation, the Amsterdam-based audio architect continues to shape complex, captivating compositions with seemingly effortless precision.
In a musical climate often fleeting, Cottage Industries remains a sanctuary for those who value intricate sonic storytelling. Neo Ouija, now 25 years in, shows no signs of slowing—only deepening its commitment to the craft, its artists, and its audience.
Flyphel emerges as a visionary construct—where Roel Funcken and EXM (Jeroen Bax), both seasoned sculptors of audio intricacy, converge to propel alien percussion into elevated dimensions.
This sprawling, sandblasted opus brings together a stellar constellation of avant-garde visionaries—Meat Beat Manifesto, Proswell, Cathode Ray Tube, AZ-Rotator, Rontronik, ΠΕΡΑ ΣΤΑ ΟΡΗ, Scape One, Roel Funcken, Deru, Kindohm, Vytear, and Robert Logan—each sculpting sound into surreal, shimmering form.
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.
Highlighting hundreds of releases in 2024 (and allowing December to set in), we’ve compiled a list of our favorites along with links to their corresponding Igloo reviews and release pages. Since the lists are arranged alphabetically by artist—and a snapshot of tracks are featured in our Soundcloud playlist along with selected Bandcamp tracks and random artwork selections—there are, as usual, no winners or runners-up.
Patterned Media returns with the first installment of a two-part remix compilation— b0t23 + inoperative system, Reticle Remixes Pt. 1 with remixes from across the pond by Senmove (Spain), Roel Funcken (Netherlands), Adrien d’Elzius (Belgium), and Hexalyne (Romania). Album art by b0t23.
