Funkerman

Funkerman is Ardie van Beek, a house DJ and producer from Breda in the Netherlands, born in 1975. He is also the founder of Flamingo Recordings.

Background

He begins as a fan of US hip hop, then builds a broad taste through collecting soul, disco and funk records and following early US house music. In the mid-1990s he plays at the Spock club in Breda and works in the local record shop Magik, where he also starts producing and promoting music. That environment leads him into A&R work and into the Dutch dance scene.

Flamingo Recordings

By 2004 Funkerman founds Flamingo Recordings with fellow producer Raf and DJ/producer Fedde le Grand. The label releases a number of major house tracks, including Funkerman’s own “Speed Up”, Ida Corr’s “Let Me Think About It”, Fedde le Grand’s “Put Your Hands Up For Detroit”, and their joint track “3 Minutes To Explain”. Flamingo Recordings also acts as the main outlet for Funkerman’s own releases.

Releases, collaborations and remixes

His 2005 tracks “Rule the Night” and “The One” top the Dutch club charts, with “The One” also receiving support from DJs internationally and appearing on many compilations. In 2007, under the alias F to the F with Fedde le Grand, he enters the Dutch Top 40, the Mega Single Top 100 and the Mega Top 50 with “Wheels In Motion”. That same year “Speed Up”, featuring I/Fan, reaches international charts and is later issued through Defected Records after appearing on several other labels. In 2008 he again works with Fedde le Grand on “3 Minutes To Explain” and produces remixes for Ida Corr, Guru Josh and the Sugababes, while also reworking Re-United’s “Sun Is Shining” and Jaimy & Kenny D’s “Keep On Touchin Me” for clubs.

Later activity

“Speed Up” is also used as a downloadable track in the Xbox 360 karaoke game Lips. After extensive touring in North America and Australia, Funkerman releases “Remember” featuring I-Fan in 2009, and the track performs strongly on download charts and YouTube, supported by an animated video. He also starts the Flamingo Nights party series, which becomes known for its production and guest mixes. His work spans house, electronic dance music, club music and funk, and he continues to focus on DJing, production and pushing electronic music forward.