- Delta Funktionen's love of electro has been known since he began playing records in public. While the Dutchman's early productions on Ann Aimee, Delsin and Field Records skewed toward techno, his club sets have always been stacked with obscure electro, reflecting years of dedicated digging. The style didn't really pop up in his discography until Traces, his debut full-length. Half-techno, half-electro, the album was a snapshot of an artist caught between two worlds, showcasing the broad range of his taste. Delta Funktionen's fledging Radio Matrix label is a completely different story. It's electro through and through, a vehicle for its founder to throw himself into a style of music he'd previously kept at arm's length.
Radio Matrix's latest effort is its most significant outing yet: titled Wasteland, it's a four-part EP series produced by Delta Funktionen. There's a fictional backstory that I won't fully delve into here (basically, Wasteland is the name of a mysterious planet, and the music across the EPs represents the auditory data recorded on Delta Funktionen's journey towards it), but the music speaks for itself. It's a strain of electro not particularly rooted in classics. There's a techno drive across Chapter I: Goodbye, Galaxy! and Chapter II: Chasm Of Chills, which makes each cut especially floor-ready.
Delta Funktionen sounds best when the mood is dark, which is the case with "Wasteland" on Chapter I and "A Drone Killed My Bunny" on Chapter II. They feel more like songs than DJ tools, despite each being clearly functional. The other tracks are driving and rough around the edges, particularly "Black Endlessness" and "Hurt Me." Overall, the first two installments of Wasteland make for a solid showing from Delta Funktionen, and a solid option for house and techno jocks looking to add some electro flair to their sets.
TracklistChapter I: Goodbye, Galaxy!
A1 Wasteland
B1 Hurt Me
B2 Tab
Chapter II: Chasm Of Chills
A1 Black Endlessness
B1 Pusher
B2 A Drone Killed My Bunny