Crackazat needs little by way of introduction having released some of the biggest soul-drenched, deep and jazzy cuts on the likes of Local Talk, Futureboogie and Z Records. Bristolian (now relocated to Sweden) Ben Jacobs wears his jazz influences proudly on his sleeve. His one-man live show sees him killing bass guitar and keyboards moves over the top of MAW-esque beats creating that holy grail of emotive, heartfelt music which never loses sight of the dancefloor. Ben already has two albums under his belt, as well as a host of remixes for Mousse T, Peven Everett, Joey Negro and Tom Misch and now he makes his debut on Jimpster’s label Freerange.
Opening track ‘Valentine’ acts as a calling card for what Crackazat does best…. Fat, stripped back, raw, swinging house beats straight out of the Mood II Swing handbook. Live bass and jazzy piano bring an unashamedly musical edge that can’t help but bring the heat to the Dancefloor. Tried and tested by Jimpster, this one is a serious head turner and shows why many are citing Ben as a talent who is knocking hard on the door of Kenny and Louie.
Next up we have ‘Back Of My Heart’, a more tracky affair with shuffling beats, deep, rising pads and side-chained arpeggios pumping with a fat kick drum. One to get well and truly lost in at 4am. Flipping over we have ‘I Heard You’ which uses a similar sonic palette to Valentine: crisp beats with driving offbeat hats, lush piano chords and soaring Moog line all making for a serious ear-worm of a tune which you can’t help but bounce to.
Finally, Detroit luminary Patrice Scott gets busy on the remix of ‘Back Of My Heart’. The Sistrum label boss brings his Midas touch, delivering a deeper, late-night mood which subtly evolves, introducing new piano parts and bassline whilst keeping the rolling, unrelenting groove on track.
You can listen to the full premiere of ‘Valentine’ exclusively on When We Dip. Enjoy!
Release date : February 7th, 2020. Buy Here
Follow: Crackazat // Freerange Records