Crackazat

Originally from Bristol, England & now residing in Uppsala Sweden, Ben Jacobs aka Crackazat is a vocalist, multi-instrumentalist and producer. Since his emergence on the international scene he has become recognized for his unique fusion of jazz and house music.
As a young child he grew up tap dancing to swing. After learning bass guitar as a teenager he studied jazz performance and theory at University. This unique background in dance and musicianship defines the Crackazat sound.
As an electronic producer, Crackazat began emulating the hip hop of Madlib and UK arists such as Jehst and Mr Scruff of the early 2000’s and shortly after joined the underground ranks of the electronic beat scene, among artists such as Flying Lotus and Dorian Concept.
After a stint of downtempo releases, Crackazat received an offer to make a house record with hometown label Futureboogie. The resulting 2012 Tunnel EP was a critical success and marked the beginning of a 10+ year career in house music.

His move to Sweden the same year kick started 5 year alliance with Local Talk Records, a collaboration that would produce
three albums and 7 EP’s. During this period Crackazat also developed a long term partnership with Dave Lee’s Z records,
developing his Period Works Series.

After delivering remixes for the likes of Moulinex, and Tom Misch, he then produced the Japanese vinyl sensation ‘Coffee Time’. A euphoric house track built around a sample from an acapella group in his city of Uppsala, which stands the test of time in it’s musicality.
2020 saw an EP release on Jimpster’s Freerange records which delivered a progression of the Crackazat underground sound and a groovy remix of Moon Boots & Little Boots “You Wont See Me Cry” release on Anjunadeep records in July. The remainder of 2020 saw a dedicated artist compilation on Dave Lee’s Z Records in October + a self release of Crackazat’s BEAT TAPE tracks.
2021 saw Crackazat join Dam Swindle’s Heist Recordings family with a 3 track EP+remix by Rick Wade, followed by a remix on their RoundUp album in March. This was the most successful track on the label across the year and a huge success on spotify and global playlists. Remixes included China Cameleon & Namy. Crackazat also moved himself into the digital world this year, launching his YouTube channel where he hosts and performs his live Monday Jam sessions and released on bandcamp. This is a clear step in the direction of Crackazat taking the lead in paving his own musical direction here on out.
2022 saw a remix on Razor N Tape, a fresh Ep on Heist plus the long awaited release of his most personal and artistically aligned project to date, his third full length album Evergreen. Freerange records picked up the music and supported Ben’s creative style, which bridged the gap between the electronic underground & indie soul jazz realm, introducing his own vocals and songwriting into the mix.
2023 saw his 3rd Heist release of a mini LP, multiple remixes, plus the start of a relationship with Stay True Records which promises an exciting next step for Crackazat musically, including a 2024 headline of the Stay True Sounds stage at Spring Fiesta in Johannesburg and a special studio recording in south africa for Crackazat – promising the perfect fusion between the South African and London sounds. A new full album on Freerange is also in the works, due for release in 2025.
As a performer, Crackazat’s musicality, energy and passion create an irresistible invitation to his audience. He delivers two show types: his DJ set and his full live show.