The smoke in the club swirls around your ankles as the bass hammers out a beat. Lasers spin wildly, cutting arcs through the haze as the strobes turn the scene into a stop motion film. Your legs are sore, your back is aching but your dancing gusto hasn’t diminished in the hours since you’ve arrived. You push off the wall, wipe the sweat from your eyes and delve back into the human tide, eager for more. Then, the DJ puts on Crookers first full-length album, Put Your Hands On Me and…absolutely nothing changes. There’s nothing wrong with the Italian duo’s first full album; in fact, it’s quite good. It’s on par with their past EPs as a compelling electro house album, but nothing makes it stand out.
Seasoned soldiers of remixes and the European techno music circuit, Phra and Bot have firm roots in DJing and various genres of dance music. Phra started DJing as early as age 11. Spitting out well-placed sample after sample and ferociously catchy electronic beats to hook the listener, this album gets you moving some way or another. Whether it’s the subtle foot tap in a crowded subway, the absentminded head bob when listening on the couch at home, or even the passionate full-bodied dancing at the club, Crookers hasn’t slowed down one bit from their last EP, E.P.istola. There are still a good amount of remixes, like Kid Cudi’s “Embrace The Martian,” which showcases Phra’s fearless manning of the sampler as Kid Cudi’s paced lyrics march through the song, supported on all sides by the complex polymelodies created from Bot’s synthesizer and the thick, insistent bass that ties it together.
Then there’s the original work, which—as was first evidenced by one of Crookers’ most well-known song, “Knobbers” — are often better than the remixes. Considering how much time Phra and Bot spend creating those remixes, that’s really saying something. However, despite each song being as good a house anthem as the next, they are rarely any more than that. Crookers, with not only this full-length album, but their past EPs as well, have ironed out all the wrinkles in their DJing, and have consistently created technically wonderful, entrancing electronic music, polished to a high sheen. Aside from that evident level of skill in such a highly contested playing field, they lack any distinguishing characteristics. While their sampling encourages naught but movement, and their synth spits out nothing but damn catchy melodies, Crookers is a by-the-books DJ duo, never straying from that quest for ever-improving dance music.
Don’t misunderstand me though; both Phra and Bot are enormously talented and create some of the best dance music in the business. This album is yet another staple in their respectable lineup of EPs and various remixes and carries on Crookers’ standard without so much as a hitch. Their single, “Put Your Hands On Me,” puts them center stage in the ‘house hop’ genre. Featuring slick puzzle piece lyrics that quickly give a shout out to Crookers themselves, “Word to the Crookers Ima stealin your energy,” courtesy of Kardinal Offishall, Canada’s “hip-hop ambassador” and newcomer Karla-Marie, Crookers’ title track sets the mood for the rest of the album. This is an energetic dance song that encourages the listener to “put your hands up on me, you should grind up on me, put your hands into mine, keep me dancing.” The most gripping aspect of the song, however, isn’t the guest appearances. No, it’s simply the crazy synthwork by Bot. Enveloping the vocals in twisting, pulsing rhythms Bot steals the show more than once. While Crookers may be an orthodox DJ duo, they are one to be reckoned with.
At the end of the day, Crookers have provided exactly what we expected of them—no more, no less—even if what we expect is excellence. Put Your Hands on Me is another sterling release from a band that doesn’t try too hard, and lounges contentedly in the lofty heights of stardom. If there is any issue to be found with this album, it’s that Phra and Bot aren’t trying anything new. But it’s a stretch to call that an issue considering all one wants after hearing a Crookers song is more. The Bible says, “Ask and ye shall receive.” Well, the fans have asked, and they have certainly received in classic Crookers fashion.
Track List:
1. Put Your Hands on Me (feat. Carla Marie Williams, Kardinal Offishal)
2. Just Can't Get Enough (feat. Edu K)
3. Whay Up Y'All (feat. Izza Kizza)
4. Jump Up (feat. Leftside, Supahype, Major Lazer)
5. Embrace The Martian (feat. Kid Cudi)
6. Transilvania (feat. Steed Lord)
7. Sveglia
8. Business Man (feat. Wiley)
9. Big Money Coming (feat. Verbal)
10. Candy Candy (feat. Tekilatex, Big O, Cuizinier)
11. Put Your Hands on Me (Black Noise Dub)
12. Put Your Hands on Me (Solo Remix)
13. Put Your Hands on Me (Jesse Rose Play Prime Remix)
