CRZKNY – Groove 2
5.30.17 by Ryan Masteller

There’s no way to pronounce “CRZKNY,” and that’s probably okay, but if you’re interested in overworking your tongue, go ahead, give it a try – don’t say I didn’t warn you that you’ll end up with a doctor’s visit and a tongue splint for your troubles. You might end up with a doctor’s visit and a splint for another part of your body if you attempt to move along with the rhythms of “groove 2,” CRZKNY’s entry into the Wrocław-based Outlines label’s groove series, but that’s another story. Oh, no, wait, that’s the story, the one you’ll need to pay attention to right now because, haha, I goofed. Look, I’m no spring chicken, I injure myself badly enough to need a splint pretty much every time I get out of bed in the morning, so imagining myself jerking all around like a madman to CRZKNY’s interpretation of footwork is sort of exhausting. Comical, yes, but exhausting nonetheless. Fortunately, I can just sit right here in my chair, play “groove 2” over the stereo, and enjoy it with a nice glass of bourbon before I fall asleep.

Because “groove 2,” an equal-sided C20, starts low and slow – although it purports to be a record by a DJ from Hiroshima fascinated by techno and footwork – the almost ambient build flecked with IDM, and I can nod my old-man nod and smile knowingly that I don’t have to stand up at all. The A-side, “groove 2.1,” passes the six-minute mark (out of almost ten) before the beat drops, the tones and samples introduced coming into focus as they coalesce around the composition like me around an early bird special buffet spread. CRZKNY packs the rest of this track and its accompanying b-side – “groove 2.2,” DUH – with head-snapping neck breaks and skittering percussive elements that will have you imagining insect life scurrying about in frantic patterns. Actually, I feel the urge to stand rising, rising … fading… RISING! I’m up! Ow, for cryin’ out loud. OK, I’ll sway a little bit. I’ve turned into my grandfather.

This gorgeous C20 – seriously, it was even featured on the most recent Look at These Tapes – was produced in an edition of 50. Smack it up, flip it, rub it down, and buy it.