On Saturday night Craze and Skratch Bastid put on a clinic on real DJing in Toronto. It was a truly incredible night that blended turntablism with a party vibe. One of the first things you’d notice when walking into the event was the multiple screens displaying a close-up view of the DJs’ mixers. I’ve been saying for quite sometime that more clubs should do this, as it forces the DJ to actually put in work and allows fans an inside look at what’s truly going on. Skratch Bastid set it off delivering a set that switched styles numerous times, from west coast rap (‘King Kunta’ ,’Boyz N’ the Hood’), to hard hitting trap and twerk, a sprinkling of reggae and dancehall and even a Talib Kweli minimix (‘Get By’, ‘Get Em’ High’, ‘Definition’). The highlight of the set was definitely when Bastid broke into his ‘NXWXRK’ routine which had people amazed staring up at the screen and back to the stage. Afterword things came down a notch and Skratch Bastid closed out with ‘Spottieottiedopalicious’.
When Craze took the stage the energy was as high as the expectations. He opened it up with an ominous intro that was reminiscent of something you’d hear in a DJ Shadow set or even an early Wu-Tang track. This lead into a vocal loop announcing “the champ is here”; undoubtedly a reference to his 5 DMC crowns. Bringing in something familiar, Craze cut up ‘All I Do is Win,’ flexing his battle chops while also letting everyone know he came to have fun. Throughout the night, he seamlessly blended rap classics with new bangers including going from Kanye’s ‘Power’ into RL Grime’s ‘Core’, dropping ‘Earthquake’ perfectly into ‘Dirt Off Your Shoulders’, and looping OutKast’s iconic ‘ATLiens’ hook before dropping into his TroyBoi assisted smash ‘Baby Gurl’.
When the party was in full swing Craze asked fans if he could break out a new routine that he’d been working on. The crowd response was massive and he proceeded to dissect and destroy ‘The Next Episode’. Other highlights included Craze calling out We Are Your Friends while playing ‘Sucka DJs’ and performing his unforgettable ‘New Slaves’ routine. He closed the night on a surprising note, digging into a wild jungle section that had the place going wild. The drastic change in style speaks to Craze’s versatility and prepared the crowd for Capital J’s closing set.
There’s been a lot of talk around real Djing as of late and Craze’s set embodied everything that defines it. Never have I seen a DJ so perfectly balance flaunting his technical prowess while keeping the party live. Watching his routines left me standing still with my jaw open several times over; from scratching between his legs, behind his back, and with his elbows while working the fader with his back, his turntablism was awe inspiring but didn’t take away from the fun. A lot of great technical DJs can flex their skills but have a hard time putting together a set that fans can really rock with. Craze has perfected the ability balance of both. If you’re a fan of DJing, seeing Craze needs to be on your bucket list, as he is truly one of the greatest to ever do it.
