Hypercolour / Frustrated Funk
Seattle producer Chris Roman is by no means a new face. Roman debuted in 2002, and has since built a substantial discography under the alias 214, releasing on labels like Harbour City Sorrow, Car Crash Set, and Fortified Audio. Originally from Miami, many of the artist’s tracks are accordingly laced with tinges of the city’s famed Bass sound, but his take on electro is very much his own. His signature has matured into a supple hybrid of dancefloor bounce and dystopian grit, a progression which culminated in his 2012 output, the finest of his career. As 214, Roman put his name to Fuzzy Leash for Yellow Machines, Plastic Spokes for Fortified Audio, and Submanouvers for Frustrated Funk, and all three of these EPs showed him incorporating a fresh dynamism. Plastic Spokes, for example, took in R&B and deep house elements, and he perfected these infusions on Overseas Highway, his first release as J. Alvarez, for Hypercolour’s LTD series. The EP’s pop appeal was a refreshing take on electro’s robotic rigidity, and declared Roman as not just an adept producer, but one capable of pushing the entire genre in new directions. -Steve Kerr XLR8R