:: Bomb Hip-Hop
Craze, for those who might be sleepin on the turntablists of our time (and quit sleepin, fuckers!) is arguably the most complete dj out right now. Body tricks, scratches, juggles, blends, selection, production, this cat does it all and does it all as good or better than the specialists. So this album should fuckin knock, amaze, and have me holdin my head goin "Gaaaaaah! that's some shit!"
And it does.
With the exception of "Fuckin Ethic People" and "Mogli"--a plodding, disjointed beat and a hyperspeed, junglish style track that drags too long, respectively--every cut showcases a different aspect of Craze's formidable skills behind a crossfader.
First track, "Happy Thoughts," starts eerie and out there, till he stuns you with a scratch, and then while you're still dazed, drops the beat on you. Lovely punishment, that track. "Tekmasta Anthem" is probably the best beat on the album, and the break in the middle is the first example of how dope a cutter this Craze is. "Crabhappy Crab-a-holics" is up, and showcases Craze's mastery of the "Crab" scratch. Two words: Holy shit. Definite rewind material. "Ride Dat Donkey" is the dance track, something that would sound right at home during a b-boy battle, breakers breakin and poppin over the high speed drums and scratches for accents.
"Hey Little Girl" is a spacey, spread out track, the scribbles and stabs filling in the spaces where the track vibes and echoes away into silence, providing a point/counterpoint type feel. "It'z Dangerous To React While you're Running" has what I call that "Aw SHIT!" factor, where the drums punch and batter your eardrums and threaten to sever your spinal cord. The scratches are used more for dynamics on this track, but when he goes off...damn. And go off he does on "Dangerous," showcasing his overall scratch skills on this cut more than any other, to mind-blowing effect. The break is a perfect example of turntable as musical instrument.
After "Fuckin Ethic..." and "Mogli," which just didn't live up to the rest of the album, there's a drum break and some scratch sentences and phrases for DJ's to fuck with if they happen to pick this up on vinyl, which all DJ's should, most definitely. Everyone else, just get this however you can, tape, vinyl, cd, minidisc, cd-R, 8-track, gramophone, whatever! Just get this shit and expose yourself to this DJ greatness trapped on this album.
Musick Vibes: 9 of 10 Scratch Vibes: 10 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 9.5 of 10
Originally posted: July 23, 1999
source: www.OHHLA.com