Crankdat doesn’t really need an introduction. After storming onto the scene with his infectious remix for Fetty Wap’s ‘Trap Queen’ over three years ago, the young yet talented producer has not looked back. The quality, quantity and consistency of his releases is truly unmatched, switching from singles to remixes and from future bass to dubstep and drum & bass unlike anyone else. You’d truly be hard-pressed to find a genre that Christian Smith hasn’t dived into yet.
Crankdat’s famous remixes, dubbed “re-cranks,” have been less frequent as of late, with Smith stating “my goal for 2018 was to begin artistically defining myself with my original music.” While he has successfully done just that, we’re excited to share not one, not two, but three new re-cranks from the versatile producer today. Taking on Travis Scott’s legendary ASTROWORLD, Crankdat has delivered fans “3 songs from one body of work, but 3 very different vibes.”
Monday saw Smith flipping ‘NO BYSTANDERS’ into an almost unrecognizable remix, but in the best way possible. Only keeping the vocals from the original, Crankdat transforms ‘NO BYSTANDERS’ into an epic multi-genre track, exploring a gnarly, riddim-inspired first drop, before taking listeners on a wild psy-trance journey in the second half. The artistic genius is on full display here, as he somehow combines these two very different genres into a cohesive banger.
On Tuesday, Crankdat took a spin at the album’s biggest track, ‘SICKO MODE’. Only incorporating the vocals once again (and even sampling ‘Goosebumps’), Crankdat continues his theme by turning the original into another multi-genre heater. A bass-heavy first drop that screams re-crank is further intensified after a short bridge, with crisp screeches echoing over punchy percussion. A complete change in pace is met by a super upbeat, fresh future bass second half that almost seems out of place, but Crankdat once again manages to blend the two masterfully.
Today’s final take on ASTROWORLD sees Crankdat tackling ‘WAKE UP.’ Keeping more elements from the original track than his previous two remixes, Smith takes The Weeknd and Travis Scott’s powerful vocals and ups the energy around the song’s melodies. Although his least bass-heavy remix of the three, you can feel the emotion Crankdat poured into this euphoric future bass anthem. What a way to close out three wicked remixes.
