Crookers. There are many words to describe the sheer craziness and madness that go on in Francesco Barbaglia and Andrea Fratangelo’s heads, but they sum it up with perfect matrimony through the medium of music.
Since 2012 however, Francesco has gone alone with the project, producing for the likes of Defected and other mainstay record labels. But it’s the tracks and remixes before then, that really stands out to us.
Here we present five of the best remixes, since their beginnings, all the way to the present day of 2016.
Kid Cudi – Day ‘N’ Nite
Kid Cudi has always been a wild card in the music industry. His first albums were rap-oriented, giving us such great hits as “Pursuit of Happiness” and “Erase Me“. His last album,”Speedin Bullet 2 Heaven”, however, was VERY experimental, combining elements of grunge and alternative rock together. This wouldn’t be a winning combination with fans in the end, receiving negative reviews across the board.
Day ‘N’ Nite was always the pièce de résistance with many fans, including a music video produced by none other than Ed Banger’s residential video producer, So Me. Crookers’ spin on the track would propel both Kid Cudi and Crookers to a considerable degree of popularity, gaining traction across the world and charting in many countries.
Chromeo – Fancy Footwork
Canadian funk pioneers, Chromeo, have been remixed by all manner of musicians over the years. Notable tracks include Boys Noize’s remix of “Sexy Socialite” and Mr. Oizo’s absolutely glorious retake of “Over Your Shoulder“.
Crookers would put a much broader rework on their 2007 track, “Fancy Footwork“, showcasing the rising and dominant force that the fidget house genre would have in the future. It’s a sure-fire banger.
Major Lazer – Original Don
If you don’t know who Major Lazer are by now, you’ve either been living under a rock for the past five years, or you are an extremely devout musical purist. Either way, Major Lazer have made some absolutely huge waves in the music industry, with “Lean On” winning multiple awards and being one of the most streamed tracks on Spotify ever.
What a lot of people don’t know, is that Major Lazer have a superb back-catalogue of tracks which are overshadowed by the likes of their recent hits, with tracks like “Pon De Floor” and “Get Free” which continue to tear up dancefloors to this day. Crookers’ remix of “Original Don” however, would take on a very different approach to their Caribbean dancehall style of affairs, providing punchy drums and wicked musical interpretations.
Busy P – To Protect And Entertain (feat. Murs)
“L.A., city of smog. Scenesters, hipsters, sneakers, blogs.” Busy P’s track, “To Protect And Entertain“, was released in 2008. The same year, in fact, that Mr. Oizo released his album “Lambs Anger” which was a fruitful interest to many people at the time.
Crookers would produce one of their hardest hitting remixes to date, with some of the bold and the harshest sounds that we’ve heard by the two madmen. Check it out below… You won’t regret it.
Bloc Party – The Love Within
It’s present day. Crookers are now only one person and sadly, although the remnants of their crazy past have faded, the memories of their absolutely astonishing music remain.
This remix of “The Love Within” by Bloc Party, recently covered in March, showcases the talents that Crookers still continue to show, with a deeper and more bass-y approach. That being said though, sometimes they do still like to go crazy…
What’s your favourite Crookers remix?