:: Crookers - Tons of Friends

Crookers

The Crookers have got together with some of the biggest artists of this decade to create their debut album - Tons of Friends - and what a hell of an album it is. The Italian-born DJs, nicknamed Phra and Bot, are known across the clubs of the world as the ‘Dons of the Dancefloor’, remixing the best pop and rock songs with such an uninhibited havoc that they never to fail get the party started. But for their debut album, Crookers haven‘t settled on remixes, actually approaching the gods and goddesses of pop and rock to give birth to one of the freshest and warped dance-electro albums to hit the music scene in a long time. Things get off to an incredible start with 'No Security’ courtesy of a very feisty Kelis. Everything in this track is mechanical electro with a heavy rock beat that makes it the perfect backing track for that old-school video game Robocop. That explosive vibe continues in ‘Natural Born Hustler’. Perpetual pimp Pit Bull drives this South American-flavoured song in his typical swagger, but the ground-shaking sirens and lasers beams that ring out from the background transform ‘Natural Born Hustler’ from banal radio-friendly track to a glass-shattering and futuristic dance hip hop mutant. Unsurprisingly, the best track by far on Tons of Friends is the one Will.i.am commands. The man can do no wrong and his track ‘Lets Get Beezy’ is a mash-up of dial tones, marching band drum and screaming synth baseline masterfully laid under beat up and scratched vocals. ‘Remedy’ with Miike Snow is another brilliant hybrid of sweet summer-time dance and pumping jazz-inspired beats. ‘Remedy’ is actually very hypnotic, you can't help swaying to heavily synthesised, almost operatic track, with its fantastic futuristic undercurrent. In simple terms, Crookers are the Beastie Boys of our generation. Expect nothing when you play Tons of Friends. This isn't some pedestrian remix with a few big names thrown in. This is serious dance-electro pedigree twisted with such never-before seen finesse and skill it's jaw-dropping. Brilliant, progressive, hip hop club genius - possibly the best album to come out this year.