- Another day, another anonymous artist. Or maybe make that "anonymous." Given that "Crackboy" is also the title of a recent song by Krikor, a Parisian artist with plenty of ties to Tigersushi, and judging by a stray reference on Ivan Smagghe's blog, it's tempting to assume that Krikor is indeed responsible. They don't particularly sound like anything we're accustomed to hearing from the man, but that's neither here nor there—his catalog, after all, runs from shambling, cut-up digital funk to moody, eccentric art rock.
"Speakwrite" is the comparatively uptempo jam here. It's not actually that speedy, clocking in at around 116 BPM, but it's got serious muscle, with gnarled bass riffs and dissonant blips driving things forward and a hair-raising wildpitch ostinato over the top. The melodic focus is a series of hard, glassy chords that might be guitars, yet it's hard to say; they swat hazily about like fists underwater. There's a spoken-word vocal too. But this time, at least, it speaks in more specific terms than the usual Kumbaya platitudes. "If listening to music is going to be an increasingly lonely activity that we do with ourselves, to ourselves," says a professorial sounding voice, "then we're going to miss something very important about being human—you know, the ability to get together and do something as a community, in real time." Whether you encounter it in Berghain or on Hype Machine, the track makes a strong case.
"House of Ill Fame" is far less aggressive, but it's just as physical, with cleverly processed 808s and swirly, Power, Corruption & Lies-style synthesizers huffing along at 110 BPM; it comes on like a blast of air, and surging chords and a tangential solo midway through only make it more intense. It's rare that songs this slow have so much visceral power. In the context of the above quote, it feels almost like a challenge to DJs to step outside their comfort tempos.
TracklistA House of Ill Fame
B Speakright