DJ Craze is a three times winner of the prestigious DMC mixing competition, a one time winner of the ITF, a fully blown member of Turntablist super-force The Allies and a producer of numerous scratch tracks. Perhaps surprising then, given this deckmeister's track record, that this is his first mix CD - but it is.
Already well known for incorporating drum & bass into his frenetic mix sets, here he takes on a whole plethora of the fast stuff, cutting, juggling and scratching his way around, between and within the breaks.
Starting with a hip hop intro (featuring MC Rippa - Craze builds and scratches the whole beat himself), he drops into the 'D 'n' B Megamix' before weaving together tracks like Makai's 'Five Element Ninja', Trace and Optical's 'Mercury Switch', The Pedge's 'F Box', J Majik's 'Solarize', Brockie and Ed Solo's 'Lost Bass' as well as some exclusively licensed tracks from Perfect Combination ('Phuture'), Kosheen ('Demonstrate' Decoder and Substance mix) and Total Science ('Peacemaker').
Given the much tighter nature of drum and bass - as compared to the looser and slower framework of hip hop - Craze is sensible in keeping his skills to a considered minimum throughout, ensuring everything sounds neat and tidy rather than attempting lots much messy beat juggling etc. Rippa contributes the odd vocal over the top to add some atmosphere and the vibe remains generally pretty tough all the way through.
It makes a refreshing change to hear something other than the standard hip hop cuts ripped up by a turntablist, and this should hence appeal to hip hop and d & b fans alike.
