DJ Craze: FabricLive 38 Review

DJ Craze, possibly one of the greatest turntablists ever to grace the DMC decks and the only one to win the world title three times in a row. With such an impressive introduction sentence attached to your name, comes great expectations. Here on the Sub Level Sessions we don’t venture into hip hop land too much, but this is a special occasion. As a DJ growing up I would idolise DJ Craze as he wiped the floor at the DMC with his inhumane turntablist moves. It was him (well him and the Eygptian Lover who said “What is a DJ, if he can’t scratch”) that inspired me to poorly pretend to scratch for hours in my bedroom and then unleash it on the public much to my embarrassment. But public health hazards aside, Craze is probably best known in clubs for his drum n bass. I’ve always enjoyed his drum n bass sets on the numerous occasions I’ve seen them, however usually what I enjoy most is the little routine he’ll do at the start and end, which is why I’m glad this CD isn’t a straight up DnB mix like his nexxsounds CD. Instead it’s a mix of hip hop, house, old skool electro, Balitmore/Miami bass and a load more genres mentioned in the press release that I’ve never even heard of. But most important of all there is a nice smattering of turntablism.

In true hip hop style the CD opens in a blaze of beats and scratching with the essential customised MC intro before settling down with the sparse moody pulsating beats of Cool Kids, nicely setting the scene for rude bwoy head nods and hand movements. Merely 12 minutes in and Craze is stepping up the tempo into some Tuff Crew old skool breaks sprinkled with sharp scratches, lifting the mix out from the moodiness, transporting the listener back in time through the 90s and into the 80s with Jan Hammer’s Miami Vice theme. Only Craze can transport one from spitting lyrics round a burning oil drum on 8 mile in rainy Detroit to sunshine, bright coloured suit jackets and mullets in Miami via a Brooklyn bloc party in just 3 records. From here the CD takes on this retro, electro Miami sound that DJ Craze has been trying to achieve. Think Spinbad, Sinden and Medhi with less emphasis on the mash up and more on that 80s Miami sound. Be it the retro synth sounds or the 80s drum hits on tracks like the Beat Club’s Security.

Craze balances this CD perfectly with the right amount of old skool, 80s synth sounds, freestyles, booty basses and heavy beats for the most. However the impeccable running is tarnished just once, but tarnished deep like an angry driver and a set of keys with their car blocked in. Only Craze and God knows why he included Armand Van Helden’s chart fodder "I Want Your Soul". The mix in struggles to stay a float as it sounds just plain awkward after Earth Wind and Fire’s Brazilian Rhyme and disjointed going into Debbie Deb. I can see why Craze might have thought this track would fit, its modern take on a 80s sound encapsulated in a house rhythm could have worked well with the tracks preceding and following. But it just doesn’t, firstly it sounds out of place and secondly it tries to be retro rather than being retro. Maybe ten years down the line Armand’s track could snuggle in if it ever reached that classic retro status, but something tells me it just won’t. Craze would have been better off dropping a true disco classic or even better bypassing straight through to Debbie Deb When I Hear Music.

Every time the CD comes to pass I Want Your Soul, I get this horrible cringe feeling only ever felt when David Brent is trying to dig himself out of some racist or disabled passing comment, causing me to fast forward past. And it’s this which makes it such a shame because the greatest CDs are those which you can listen to unadulterated. There were some great scratches and subtle turntablism moments peppered across the mix which added so much, although I felt a small scratch routine at the end would have satisfied the die hard turntablist fans yearning for a 60 minute long DMC routine. That said this CD is definitely worth a buy; the old skool breaks and booty bass will definitely put a smile on your face. And for the DJs out there when you listen on your ipod with your eyes closed you can almost imagine what it would be like to be a three times DMC World champion as you pretend to air scratch your hands to DJ Craze.

7.5/10




For a sample listen to a recent DJ Craze Old Skool Miami Bass mix:
http://www.divshare.com/download/2178974-81e

DJ Craze FabricLive38 Launch Party: Fri 8th Feb with DJ Craze, Scratch Perverts, Adam F and Kelver

Release: members: 02/01/08 uk/r.o.w. retail: 11/02/08 usa: 03/11/08
Tracklist:
01. Craze – Intro Ft. Armanni Reign - Craze
02. N.O.R.E. – Set It Off Ft. Swizz Beatz and J. Ru$$ - Babygrande
03. Cool Kids – I Rock – Chocolate Industries
04. Cool Kids – Black Mags – Chocolate Industries
05 Bangers and Cash – Loose – Downtown
06. Tuff Crew – My Part Of Town - Warlock
07. Jan Hammer – Miami Vice Theme - Universal
08. Miami Jam Crew – Pretty Girls – Midtown
DJ Blaqstarr – Shake It To The Ground Ft. Rye Rye (Acapella) – Mad Decent
09. Lushus – Ho Fo Sho - Craze
10. The Beat Club – Security - Warners
11. Chromeo – Bonafied Lovin’ (Eli Escobar Remix Ft. Pase Rock) – Back Yard
12. Treasure Fingers – Cross The Dancefloor – Treasure Fingers
13. DJ Blaqstarr – Supastarr – Mad Decent
14. Coldcut – True Skool Ft. Roots Manuva (Switch Remix) – Ninja Tune
15. Earth, Wind and Fire – Brazilian Rhyme - Sony
16. Armand Van Helden – I Want Your Soul – Ministry Of Sound
17. Debbie Deb – When I Hear Music – Pandisc
18. Magic Mike – Magic Mike Cutz The Record – Cheetah
19. Quadrant Six – Body Mechanic - Atlantic
20. DJ Laz – Red Alert – Pandisc
21. Fresh Celeste and M4 Sers – Give It All To Me – JR Records
22. Bangers And Cash – Shake That - Downtown
23. The Pase Rock – Lindsay Lohan’s Revenge (Klever Remix) – Fully Fitted
24. Kazey & Bulldog – Big Truck – Dress-2-Sweat
25. The Chemical Brothers – Get Yourself High (Switches Rely On Rub) – EMI
26. Kid Sister – Pro Nails Remix feat. Kanye West – Fools Gold
27. DJ Assault – Pushin’ (Deekline, Wizard & Freq Nasty Mix) - Rat

Tracklisting 25th January

KIM - 'Fistogram' [Modular]
Thomas Schwartz - 'Jupiter Calling' [The Clubbers]
Will Saul - 'Speak & Spell' (Putsch 79 remix) [Simple]
Sasha - 'Who Killed Sparky?' [emFire]
Mark Mendes - 'Beneath You' [Starter Recordings]

** GUEST MIX - Chris Wan **

'MyNeighbourWontLetMePlayMyMusicLoud'

(see below for a full tracklist and a chance
to download the mix!!)

Where were we??

Anyone who tried to tune into what promised to be a brilliant show on Friday night will have been greated with silence. Big sorrys from me at the Sublevel Sessions. Tunes were lined up, a great mix was on the cards, but I ended up decidedly out of action.
Moral of the story; don't confuse an out of the ordinary, post spangled hangover, crossed with the morning after affects of the traditional January gym rush with a Heart Attack and you too might stay out of hospital.

Normal service will indeed resume this Friday (25th) at 8pm ....... that's a promise!

Expect a healthy dose of huge new tunes and a nice chunk of the new minimalistic mix from our very own Chris Wan.

thanks

Luke

Chris Wan's MyNeighbourWontLetMePlayMyMusicLoud Mix

New year and a new mix from me... well overdue. Its been over a year since I last did a mix, the last one I did came runner up in IDJ's Raw Talent way back in their December issue in 2006. Anyways, expect techno, house and everything in between. All feedback welcomed too! Leave your comments at the bottom or e-mail to sublevelsessions@googlemail.com.

Right Click on the link below and select Save Target As to save on to your computer...
MyNeighbourWontLetMePlayMyMusicLoud Mix : 80min - 177Mb

Tracklist:
1. Josh wink - Licking Plastic [XL Recordings]
2. Elektrochemie – Faking [Get Physical]
3. Radioslave - Bell Clap Dance (Sebo K Mix) [Rekids]
4. Marc Romboy & Stephan Bodzin - Mab [Herzblut Recordings]
5. Italoboyz – Zinga [Get Physical]
6. Kevin Saunderson - Bassline (Loco Dice Mix) [KMS Records]
7. Martinez – Tuna Belly [Re:Connected]
8. Lucio Aquilina - Magic M [Cocoon Recordings]
9. Gavin Herlihy - Opium Haze [Kindisch]
10. River Ocean - Love and Happiness (MAW dub beats) [Strictly Rhythm]
11. Martinez - Tool 1.1 [Re:Connected]
12. Ben Klock Marcel Dentmann – Places Like This [Ostgut Ton]
13. Mathias Tanzmann - Rugby (Kaden Penalty Kick Mix) [Moon Harbour]
14. Raz Ohara and The Odd Orchestra – Kisses (Instrumental) [Get Physical]
15. Domink Eulberg – Grunschenkel (2000 and One Mix) [Traum]
16. Carl Craig – Throw [E-Planet Recordings]
17. Plastikman – Panic Attack (Guido Schneider's Second Attack Mix) [M-Nus]
18. Luciano – Tonerres [Cadenza] /
Marc Houle - Techno Vocals (Acapella) [M-Nus]

Tracklisting: 11th January

Marco Carola - 'RE Solution' [Minus : 2m]
Funky Green Dogs feat. Murk - 'Reach For Me' [Cr2 Records]
Audiojack - 'Panic Attack' [2020 Vison Records]

** GUEST MIX - Caspa & Rusko **

Asbo - 'ASBO 1' [White Label]
Caspa - 'Rubber Chicken' [Tempa]
Caspa - 'Noise Disorganizer' [Pitch Black]
The Others - 'Champagne Cocktails' [Dub Police]
Rusko - 'Tonkas' [2nd Drop]
Rusko - 'Jahova' [Sub Soldiers]
Benga & Coki - 'Knight' [Tempa]
Wonder - 'What' (Caspa Remix) [Wonderland]
Cotti & Clue Kid - 'Falsh Back' [30]
N-Type - 'Way of thr Dub' (Caspa Remix) [Dub Police]
Skream & Clue Kid - 'Sand Snake' [Disfigured Dubz]
The Bug feat. Killa P & Flowdan - 'Skeng' [Hyper Dub]
The Others - 'Invasion' [Dubplate]

********

James Zabiela - 'Perseverance' [Renaissance]

WE'RE BACK!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes Yes Yes, where does the time go?? Fresh off the back of a crimbo / new years break that would go down in memory as one of the most hectic and debauched yet, if only we could remember it, the sublevel sessions is back on the air!!! Indeed, for what may be it's last outing, the next ten weeks are gonna see more great new tunes, hot interviews and even hotter mixes than you can shake a glow stick at (if that's your thing).

In the pipeline, awesome music from; Sasha, Chris Liebing and Mark Mendes to name but a few. A very special mix and interview (all the way from OZ) from the legendary, and Get Physical head honchos, M.A.N.D.Y. And it all kicks off tomorrow night at 8 with a big slice of dirty, rotten dubstep from big boys on scene, Caspa and Rusko.

So set your alarms, leave work early, ignore the phone, log on to www.urfonline.com and let the good times roll!!

xx Luke S.