CRACKAZAT Vinyl & CDs

Review: Not content with delivering the most magical, soulful and jazz-fired deep house album of 2022 (so far), the incredible Evergreen on Freerange, Ben Worrall AKA Crackazat is back on Dam Swindle's Heist Recordings imprint with another killer EP. Title track 'Demuja' sees him in full-on bumping-but-breezy jazz house mode, peppering a double bass-propelled peak-time groove with breathless sax samples and hands-in-the-air piano riffs. B-side opener 'Sarge' boasts a similarly bumpin', US garage-influenced groove, onto which Worrall has added the dreamiest of deep house chords and some twinkling keys solos, while 'We Know' is a loopy, driving, sun-baked slab of festival-friendly brilliance that's destined to put smiles on the faces of a lot of people this summer.

Review: Energetic house reworker and go-getter Crackazat has always been hard at it, but it's a rarity for the artist to release a full-blown LP such as this. 'Evergreen', as usual, is a fusion of the clean, bouncy and hard jazz-house style the producer has always worked in, but this time, the producer brings a newfound live feel to his productions. Standouts include 'True Power' and 'Nominee For Love' in this impressive foray through deep house via neo-soul, exclusively released for Freerange.

Review: Crackazat is a master deep house shaman who lands on Freerange here, which is one of the finest labels for such sounds. First off is Cody Currie with his mix of 'Everybody Talks About It' which is a silky effort with soulful vocals and nice warm chords. The original is a little heavier and more sedate for late night seduction while 'I'm Easy' layers up funk bass noodles and loose drums into something lead by big horns. 'I'm Easy' closes down with a super steamy vocal house sound that is perfect for good time sessions.

Review: Ben Worrall has made many great records as Crackazat, but has yet to make the kind of ambitious, musically expansive, sonically detailed album that many of us have long believed he's capable of delivering. Until now. Evergreen, his third full-length and first for five years, is simply sublime: an unashamedly soulful, life-affirming set that blends superb vocals and jazz-funk inspired instrumentation (think incredible horn arrangements, smooth bass guitar, twinkling keys and glistening guitars) with the luscious, warming deep house beats that have long been his calling card. It's basically the sound of summer 2022 - in our world, at least -and may well eventually be looked on as one of the finest deep house albums of all time. Yes, it really is that good!

Review: When it comes to musically expansive, jazz and jazz-funked flecked deep and soulful house, Ben J Worrall AKA Crackazat is in a league of his own. That's been the case for a while, but it's proved beyond doubt by his latest outing on Freerange Records. Title track 'Beacon of Light' is simply sublime: a bouncy, soul-soaked slab of jazz-house/deep house fusion blessed with exquisite musicianship and some superb lead vocals. Equally as impressive is Ron Trent's similarly minded remix of 'Simple Things', which is every bit as delightful as you'd expect from the Chicago deep house legend. Elsewhere across the EP, the 'Maritime Dub' of 'Beacon of Light' transforms the track into a driving but rolling deep house bumper and 'Evergreen' is a pleasingly jazzy, hazy and sun-kissed future deep house classic.

Review: Crackazat's Period Works album, which dropped on CD and digital in the autumn of 2020, was a wholehearted celebration of his musical influences, most notably mid 1990s U.S house and garage, disco and jazz-funk. This four-track sampler presents some of the tracks exclusive to the album, naturally swerving those that had previously appeared on wax. Opener 'Waterfalls' is a superb slab of soaring, string-drenched disco-soul revivalism, while 'In My Dreams' is a bouncy, piano-driven slab of U.S garage of the kind that Dave Lee once used to make under his (now discontinued) Joey Negro alias. Crackazat delivers more low-slung disco-boogie brilliance on flipside opener 'Sensationalised', before once more showcasing his love of warming and soulful us house on 'Fire Drift'. Simply sensational.

Review: Synth wizard Crackazat shows off his mad playing skills on this new EP for Dutch label Heist. Right from the off his nimble drum programming and lithe chord work gets you up on your toes. There is funk, soul and jazz in the excellent opener 'Alfa', then 'Class One' brings more classy and joy, a la early Floating Points. The most club ready of the lot is 'Tiger's Eyes' with its off-grid chords and chunky beats, then the one man beat making machine that is Rick Wade pops up to remix 'Alfa.' He does so in smooth, free flowing late night fashion with style to spare.

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: Z Records DJ-focused Attack The Dancefloor series reaches its tenth installment via an EP packed full of previously unheard secret weapons. There's naturally plenty to get excited about, from the piano-driven goodtime house grooves of Crackazat's floor-filling "What You're Feeling", to the boogie and jazz-funk inspired space-house of Opolopo's brilliant "Put Your Cap On". Sandwiched in between you'll find two Joey Negro disco workouts: his own extended 'Boogie Dub Extravaganza' version of the Sunburst Band style "Must Be The Music", and a nu-disco-meets-Italo-disco reinvention of "Stomp Your Feet" from Crazy P's Chris Todd under the now familiar Hot Toddy alias.

Review: Quartet Series is a fresh imprint based between Milan and Amsterdam and run by Nachtbraker and KiSk. Inaugurating their new label is Crackazat (from Uppsala, Sweden) with his 80's pop- house excursion "Lindop Circles" (which is so lovably cheesy) and Saine with the deep and sexy slo-mo disco of "Prime Chops". On the flip there's also Nachtbreaker himself with "Totally Not Mystique" (which sounds like an outtake from the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack) and Gnork with "Chord Tool" which sounds like early Underground Resistance or 808 State.

Review: For the first missive on their limited-edition, vinyl only offshoot, the Eureka! label has secured two secret weapons from broken beat mainstay, future jazz-funk hero and all-round don Kaidi Tatham. He's in typically fluid form on A-side 'There's Something in the Water', a loose and languid chunk of immersive bruk-up warmth full of sci-fi synth sounds, liquid electric piano solos, rubbery bass guitar, crispy drums and classic-sounding flute solos. 'Coffee Time (Kaidi Tatham Remix)' is a vintage rework from the vaults whose distinctive rhythm includes vocal samples, crunchy snares and jazzy cymbals. Throw in his usual fine instrumentation and you have another luscious broken beat gem.