Search - DJ Acucrack :: Sorted

The sweetest beats known to man.

10/01/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dj? Acucrack are one of those rare unpigeonhole-able artists that come along once in a blue moon and blow away all of your preconcieved notions of what electronica is. "Sorted" spans the gamut from downtempo ("So To Speak") to downright evil d&b ("Malfader"), straight up breakbeat ("Chicks Dig Acid") to haunting dub that sends chills straight down your spine ("Unsorted") - there's really something on this record for every taste. Unlike so much of the machinistic, cold techno on the market today, Acucrack have managed to craft a genuinely organic, soulful collection of songs that belong in everyone's heart, and in their CD player. Get "Sorted", your ears will thank you."

C9 Magazine Review - DJ? Acucrack "Sorted"

Wil | Savannah, GA | 07/15/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Progressing in diversity since their first material on the Lost In Bass / Slipdisc record label. DJ? Acucrack has expanded into more break-beat and tech step styles of drum n' bass. The dark, more ambient, trance type of songs is still present on Sorted however. "Mal Fader" opens with some MC'ing and mid tempo beats with some dark bass. "Chicks Dig Acid" has a more straight up techno feel to it. Track 4, "Tech Support", is an adrenaline-injecting piece of pure energy. So fast, so raw, the vocals add so much. That is one major thing separating this material from the first time I heard DJ? Acucrack. There weren't really too many vocals to speak of in their earlier material."Tech Support" flows into the more laid back "So to Speak". This song reminds me of their cover of "Whisper to a Scream". Same samples I suppose. Toni Halliday contributes the lyrics and vocals to "So to Speak". I think the coolest part of this song is toward the middle when the rest of the music gets a bit quieter and you can hear a sample of what sounds like a banjo, or one of those metal things you stick in your mouth. You know, that thing Snoopy always used...After "So to Speak" ends, the darker more atmospheric drum n' bass comes into being. This segment, with no vocals, flows through "The Test" and "Fulcrum Torque". Then some vocals reappear in "Asphalt Heart Dreams", which is the longest track on here clocking in at 7:15. It meshes into the next track "Chemo". This song has a more jump-up dance appeal to it. Next comes "Unsorted". It is probably the most laid back track on here, with a certain somber feel to it. The next "Optimizer" is of the same style of "Tech Support", except without quite so much speed in it. "Selector vs. the Acucrack" ends this album off on an upbeat, straight club-dancing mood. Point blank, if you like variety in your drum n' bass, with an overall darker feel to it, then DJ? Acucrack is an act worth looking into..."

A little bit of everything unique

J.D. Young | Manhattan | 07/16/2003

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I sincerely hope that every electronic music fan owns the collection of DJ? Acucrack albums. They have a sound like no other group I am aware of. They have excellent variation on all of their albums with a very good flow. These are CD's you put into rotation in entirety-- although certain songs are great "singles", they work best as a complete body of work. Although I'd give their first album, Mutants of Sound, a full 5 stars, this album is very good. A change of pace from the first (more lyrics). Another note: if you've ever wanted to know what tripping on acid is like without committing the act, buy these albums and have a couple drinks. Shut the windows, put on your iTunes visualizer, and enjoy."