Craze's life is a legacy of rags to riches, geek to chic, no-name to world fame. He never had it easy – from fleeing battle in Nicaragua at the age of 3 to a geeky adolescence to Hurricane Andrew hitting Miami in 1992 – nor did have ever have any coattails to ride; his is a story that's an uphill battle, but a story that ends right at the top. "My mom always taught me I could do anything I put my mind to. So when she asked what I wanted to do with my turntables, I told her, 'Be the best DJ in the world,'" Craze casually laughs. And that he proved – 3 times at the DMC World Championships, an unprecedented record, and a title that no other solo DJ has yet to match. While Craze is regarded internationally and unquestionably as one of the best scratch DJs in the world, it's still astonishing to see his overwhelming number of titles on paper: Craze has won first place for the USA DMC Championships in 1998, World ITF Scratch Off Championships in 1998, ITF Western Hemisphere Scratch Off Championships (1998, '99), Winter Music Conference Scratch Off Champion (1996, '97, '98, '99), East Coast DMC Championships (1997), East Coast Rap Sheet Championships (1996) and Zulu National Championships (1995, '96), to name but a few. Additionally, DJ Craze claimed 2nd place in the first DMC Team Championship with his Allies' crew (which included fellow champions A-Trak and Infamous) in 1999 – and then in 2000, the Allies' won the Team Championship title, taking it from the previous year's winners the Scratch Perverts.
"I won the DMC's when I was 20. I joined the Regionals, won that, Nationals, won that, and then won the Worlds. And I took it from A-Trak – that's right! But he was only like 15 when I beat him. I was still scared. Then in that year, in '98 when I beat A-Trak in the [DMC] Worlds, I didn't wanna battle no more and I thought he'd be the icing on the cake, so instead we formed the Allies and we kicked everybody's butt. (laughs) Except the [Scratch] Perverts, they beat us once in the US, but then we came over here to London and we kicked their butt. So hey, payback's a bitch, Tony!" - Craze
On top of his untouchable turntablist skills and scratch champion showmanship, the world has also recognised that Craze is a second to none club DJ – he has toured the globe over, from Jamaica to Australia to Japan to Iceland to France to the country he was born, Nicaragua. All DJing aside, Craze is also a world- renowned producer, releasing wildly successful drum'n'bass records with labels such as Cartel Recordings, Breakbeat Kaos, and C.I.A and other hip hop inspired productions with the likes of DMC Records, Ninja Tune Records, OM Records and K7 Records. It's the respect from both DJs and audiences alike that has paved Craze's seamless move between hip hop and turntablism to drum'n'bass – both serious subzero clique/cult scenes the globe over demanding much of any artist trying to peddle their wares worldwide; to what now sounds like club-style Miami bass, formed with the technical love of hip hop with clean cuts and ridiculously dextrous scratching, but a mix up of straight up rap, ghettotech, raw booty house, old-school electro, Baltimore/Miami bass crossover and sweaty lo-end dancefloor music, making it all but impossible to keep still. This is Craze – the man who arguably defined his hometown Miami turntablism scene, only to return now to reinvent this take on the Miami sound; a neo-genre of his own special blend of every which way club codes from the ghosts of discos past, present and future.
Not only a World Champion DJ, but also a critically acclaimed producer, Craze1s discography includes:
DJ Craze - The Nexxsound (mix CD)
- DMC Records
The Allies - "D-Day" EP - Asphodel
DJ Craze - "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder" EP - Zoo York Media
DJ Craze - "Crazee Musick" LP - Bomb Records
Ko Wreck Technique - "Ko-wrection" EP - Chocolate Industries
DJ Faust - "Man or Myth" - Bomb Records
Faust, Shortee, Craze - "Fathomless EP" - Bomb Records
Herbaliser - "Missing Suitcase" / DJ Craze Remix - Ninja Tune Records
East Flatbush Project - "Tried by 12" / DJ Craze Remix
- Chocolate Industries
Funkstorung - Featured scratches - K7 Records
Propellarheads - DJ Craze remix for "Tektonics Project" - OM
Records
Craze is a mad scientist who slices and dices beats into a breathtaking
sonic concoction in his Miami laboratory and at events all over
the world. When Craze is behind a set of 1200s and a
mixer, he's on stage: sometimes he's shy, sometimes he's
cocky, but I've never heard him be anything short of absolutely
magnificent.
Where some turntablists are content to fill their routines with the same ol' thang, Craze uses his awesome technique to move beyond the crab scratch and has catapulted drum 'n' bass into a realm that nobody has yet to explore. The Nexxsound - Craze's first ever mix CD - stands as a testament to his pioneering vision of melding the mentality of a battler with the street smarts and savvy of the jungle elite.
Lauded for years by hip-hop aficionados, Craze has won the respect of England's drum 'n' bass mafia, which explains why revered British labels like V Recordings, Undiluted and Virus have presented him with exclusive tracks you won't be able to hear anywhere else. And let's not forget Craze's exclusive turntablist cut ups - three mind blowing pastiches that are all ahead of its time. Craze is moving at the speed of light. Sleep on his skills and he's gonna leave you in the dust.
DJ Craze, number one DJ in the world, and it's just the beginnings
"...a name poised to conquer." Thousand Words 12/99
"The crowd broke out into a roar as Craze scratched out his name and dropped
into a vicious set of hardstep drum 'n bass." THE SCENE (Atlanta)
10/99
