Review:
While Ben Worrall's debut album as Crackazat, 2015's slightly overlooked Crescendo, was quietly impressive, this sophomore set is simply superb. Naturally musically rich - Worrall is a brilliant producer, but has always been a very talented musician, too - the set sees him lay down ten tracks that gleefully join the dots between slick jazz-funk instrumentation, sensual and soulful vocals, brilliantly played solos and grooves that put the dancefloor first and foremost. While there are a few downtempo explorations dotted throughout (the dreamy synth chords and meandering synth-sax of "Midnight In Sector Six" standing out), it's naturally the quality and quantity of his U.S garage, soulful house and deep house cuts that impresses most.
Review:
Ben Jacobs ends 2014 the way he started it, with a dose of thrillingly sweet and melodious house on Mad Mats and Tooli's Local Talk imprint. "Somewhere Else" is a typically positive affair, with waves of ear-pleasing music box melodies, cheery chords and hazy vocal samples riding a swinging US garage groove. It's the kind of record you stick on to chase the blues away; it's almost impossible not to smile at its jaunty positivity. Ad Bourke tries a different tack on his rework, opting for a deeper, more melancholic sound and some hushed, DJ Sprinkles style beats. Even better is Hade 94's version, which adds a little analogue style grit and a booming, warehouse-friendly deep house feel.
Review:
After sneaking out singles for the likes of Futureboogie and Astro:Dynamics over the past couple of years, it's time for Crackazat to step up to Local Talk with his limber and expressive brand of synth-rich deep house. "Candle Coast" features a simmering garage swing in its rhythm and keys that could sit neatly in a Strictly Rhythm classic, but it's a track piled high with tension despite the easy-bumping surroundings. "Dancrodile" takes a more leftfield direction into tropical flavours with its bright and breezy keys and shuffling ethnic percussion, and then "Silent Sing" goes ranging out towards a proto-techno jazz fest that would make the Motor City originals well up.
Review:
Ben Jacobs aka Crackazat (we love that name!) returns to the unstoppable Local Talk imprint with his debut LP, a spiffing thirteen tunes of chimerical oddball house in a distinctive garage flavour for party goers and heads alike. Heavy chords, mild pads and plenty of digital processing feature throughout this beauty, where tracks like "Let Love" and "Eye Light" - NY house kinda joints - blend ever so well with more broken and stranger counterparts like "Oh Pagode" or "Ambience", the latter of which is a blissfull excursion into dense and meditative soundscapes. Gorgeous!
Review:
Mad Mats and Tooli's Local Talk return with the second single from Crackazat's new album entitled Rainbow Fantasia. Ben Jacobs is a musician based in Sweden who grew up in Bristol, moved to London in 2007 (to study jazz at university) and has since then teached, played and composed electronic music. Here "Sundial" gets the remix treatment by Groove Assassin aka Nick Moss of Things May Change and Delve Deeper Records fame. He performs a respectful rendition of Jacob's deep and soulful track, but injects a little more looseness and flow in to counteract the very loopy original - sounding like classic Masters At Work in the process. Nice one!
Review:
Following a killer EP of more downtempo leaning grooves on Astro:Dynamics earlier this year, Bristol's Crackazat returns on Futureboogie with some material aimed squarely at the floor. "Book On The Beach" combines caffeinated congas with a laid back Chi town groove, while "Panic Aggressive" is a more low slung affair combining a sleazy guitar lick with lo-fi keys. However, the real star is the nine minute epic that is "Tunnel". Raw and chunky with an impeccable sense of rhythm, and combining deep atmospherics with madly tweaking synths, this is possibly the most original house track we've heard this year. Highly recommended.
Review:
Given that this is Ben Worrall's fourth Crackazat 12" for Local Talk in less than three years, it would be fair to say the project now has a regular home. As with many of his recent tracks, "Proton Blue" looks to classic US garage for inspiration, peppering a bouncy groove with rich organ stabs and jazzy synthesizer melodies. It's accompanied by the alternative "Deep Orbit" version, a more hypnotic and slightly more spacey interpretation that gives greater prominence to the producer's jazzy synthesizer riffs. "Called My Name", meanwhile, is a soulful, jazzy and fluid affair blessed with a hazy vocal and some luscious jazz guitar. The cut's loose and languid jazz-funk influences are explored further on the arguably superior "Meet the Band" remix.
Review:
"Holding You Close" was one of the undoubted highlights of Crackazat's sublime sophomore album, Rainbow Fantazia, which dropped to much critical acclaim last autumn. Here the track gets a deserved single release, with the fantastic original version - a deliciously tactile, eyes-closed vocal number underpinned by elastic acid bass and fluttering synthesizer motifs- being joined by a fresh rub from Detroit heavyweight Waajeed. The former Platinum Pied Pipers and Slum Village man naturally teases out the tracks more soulful elements, adding new female backing vocals to a sumptupus, partly electronic, partly organic deep house groove. It's a superb rework and arguably far more club-friendly than Crackazat's original version.
Review:
The Quartet Series label is born out of the collaboration between like-minded house enthusiasts, four producers who share a similar vision of club music and who have each earned their stripes on different labels. First up, we have Local Talk's Crackazat with "Lindop Circles", a gloriously laid-back house chiller with a funky twist, Quintessentials contributor Saine goes for the proper 'chug' approach on his wavy "Prime Chops" tune, "Totally Not Mystique" by Apparel Music's Nachtbraker is a woozy, bass-heavy stomper, and Gnork heads straight to the warehouse with his minimal, Chicago-filtered "Chord Tool". Ah, yes.
