In 1996, he signed to Peacefrog Records for the second time in his career, on which he released the first Planetary Assault Systems album,[1] The Electric Funk Machine (1997), which featured alterations in suctioned percussion and bass.

[3] Slater's plan for Freek Funk was to write music that was not necessarily techno of a four-to-the-floor nature, and as a result "wrote the tracks I wanted and it ended up quite varied", as he told an interviewer.

[9] The NME felt the album was "sinister mechanical soul" music that was steeped in "traditional techno manoeuvres",[10] while Emma Morgan of Select noted that the "vast and varied affair" alternates between "twinkling soundscapes and tinny floorfillers".

[12] Writer Tim Haslett noted Slater's "kicked-drummed minimalism" sound and felt he "[occupied] techno's basic structures and [turned] them inside-out to make them fit his design".

[2] "Engine One" is a relentless, intense techno piece,[12] while the title track is a hypnotic and complex composition,[17] and was described by Morgan as reminiscent of "Talking Heads' 'Once in a Lifetime' playing from the Voyager probe in place of Bach's 'Brandenburg Concerto No.

"[11] It opens with choir samples and a metallic keyboard sequence before the serene mood is interrupted by a looped, distorted Roland TR-808 kick drum sound.

[12] "Score Four (Black Cloud Over Zin Vortex)" is characterised by spacey textures and "fraught atmospheres" similar to "Zebediah".

[22] Upon release, Freek Funk was critically acclaimed,[10][23] and according to writer Justin Kleinfeld, it put Slater "on top of the electronic music circuit".

[24] In a favourable review, Emma Morgan of Select wrote: "As palatable to techno-heads as to anyone kicked into touch by Daft Punk's recent triumphs, Freek Funk is a momentarily unifying force as dance music continues to divide and regenerate at light speed.

[17] Vincent Brunner of Les Inrockuptibles felt that the album is "as much for dancers as for dreamers, provided they do not have short breath and low vision".

He complimented the variety of styles and the music's "human" feel, and felt that Slater was "moving forward", describing the record as "a veritable kaleidoscope of techno".

[26] Tim Haslett of CMJ New Music Monthly wrote in December 1997 that Freek Funk was a "treat" and commented: "No wonder he counts people like Robert Hood and Carl Craig among his followers."

He concluded that Slater was "[o]ne of the few British producers who seem to realize that interesting sounds aren't quite as important as investing the music with spirit", and described Freek Funk as "one of the best techno LPs of the year".

They said Slater delivered an "epic" album where "every track is potent to keep listeners locked in", and felt that the record "sounds like an invasion from an off-world colony of dance freaks.