Crackazat
Originally from Bristol England, Ben Jacobs aka Crackazat is a multi-Instrumentalist and electronic producer. Since his emergence on the international scene, he has quickly become recognised for his unique fusion of Jazz and House music.
Crackazat’s first experience with dance music was an early one. He grew up tap dancing to jazz with his mother, developing an innate sense of swing and rhythm. It was later in to his teenage years, that he picked up guitar, bass and started producing, emulating any music of his interest, be it the underground hip hop of Madlib, or the Jazz-funk of Jamiroquai.
In 2012 he released the “Explanation” EP on Astrodynamics, showcasing his skill for downtempo beats and synthfunk, However it was his first exploration in to club music with the “Tunnel” EP on Futureboogie Records the same year, which brought him to the attention of DJs worldwide. His relocation to Sweden the same year kick-started an alliance with Swedish house label Local Talk. In 2015 he released his debut album ‘Crescendo’ to critical acclaim. Two singles from the album, ‘Eye Light’ and ‘Somewhere Else’ have established themselves as future classics.
The last couple of years Crackazat has had an explosion of global popularity, with Remixes for the likes of Dave Lee (formally Joey Negro), Moulinex, and Tom Misch. Not to mention the japanese vinyl sensation ‘Coffee Time’. A euphoric house track built around a sample from a Acapella group in his city of Uppsala.
2017 saw the release of his second album on Local Talk, ‘Rainbow Fantasia’. An Eloquent and intelligent jazz house masterpiece which spotlighted Crackazat to a wider audience, resulting in new remix projects including Defected’s Classic Music. Ben also continued to tour Europe both DJing and playing his LIVE set.
2019 delivered a Crackazat edits album for Local Talk, including reworks of the labels favorite tracks, but with an added Crackazat dusting, a solo EP on Z Records and multiple further remixes for some of the most credible labels and artists on the scene. Crackazat now performs two show types: his DJ set and his live show. The live performance truly showcases his specialist skill as a multi instrument performer. Having previously supported Bonobo & Floating Points as well as headlined numerous solo shows, Crackazat sets the bar high with his glorious keyboard solos, funky bass guitar, and general infectious grooviness.
2020 saw an EP release on Jimpster’s Freerange records which delivered a progression of the Crackazat underground sound and a groovy remix of Moon Boots & Little Boots “You Wont See Me Cry” release on Anjunadeep records in July. The remainder of 2020 saw a dedicated artist compilation on Dave Lee’s (formally Joey Negro) Z Records in October + a self release of Crackazat’s BEATAPE tracks.
2021 will see Crackazat join Dam Swindle’s Heist Recordings family in January with a 3 track EP+remix by Rick Wade, followed by a remix on their RoundUp album in March. Later this year will see his debut LP on Freerange records which will bridge the gap between old & new world Crackazat sound. Remixes will include China Cameleon & Namy.
His combination of timely releases and performances will serve as a teaser to fans, when looking at what more is to come from this musical mastermind.
