Assaulting the central hemispheres of your inner aural regions, scattering their ill sounds in every direction, Crookers are the brutal DJ’ing duo cooking up tunes to thrill.
Natural born hustlers these freaky geniuses create beats that beg to be blasted loud with the bass turned low, low, low. Fronting an eclectic and outlandish taste in music, which keeps them obsessively occupied, this pair first met coincidentally. Bot remembers “I was working in a record shop selling records that nobody would buy except Phra, that was enough of a reason to start talking and get to know each other.” What then flowed from these filthy techno animals was Crookers, a critically acclaimed project which has propelled them to the forefront of dance music culture. The two Italian stallions have trotted all over the globe setting fire to the most electric parties with their infectious and intense anthems. After some time away, spent in production Crookers are proud to present Dr Gonzo, a psychotic ground breaking E.P which has received massive support from the likes of Annie Mac, Sinden, Annie Nightingale, Greg James, Huw Stephens, Rob Da Bank, Jaymo & Andy George, Andi Durrant and Eddy Temple-Morris.
i-D Online caught up Francesco Barbaglia to find out how life has changed since the release of their debut chart topperKnobbers.
How did you first get into DJ’ing? It was because we were both into hip hop at the time and wanted to approach turn tables which Phra did to a remarkable level and me too but with results so poor that I almost instantly switched to trying to mix those electronic records that came with the second hand turntables purchased.
Where’d the name Crookers originate? We wanted to release an E.P. and had a terrible name at that time which I won’t reveal…so dictionary in hand we found a name that could somehow express the kind of music we wanted to do, a little crooked, not too precise electronic music.
Do you remember your first gig together? It was in a little bar called 65 square metres in Milan, even if it was as small as the name suggests we managed to keep it empty.
What has been your proudest moment to date? There have been many, two amongst the best ones were playing at I Love Techno in 2008 and at Coachella in 2009 before the Chemical Brothers.
Which artists have you collaborated with recently and who would you like to work with in the future? Savage Skulls, Neoteric and Waxmotif, His Majesty Andre and Lazy Ants collaborated on the first two E.P’s from Dr Gonzo and we’re going to try and do more tracks with The High Powered Boys (aka surklin and bobmo) and the Italian act Keith and Supabeatz in the near future.
If your music were a dish what would it taste like? Spaghetti, with lots of unexpected ingredients.
Top 5 hot spots to get your rave on at:
1. Razzmatazz in Barcelona
2. Sankeys in Manchester
3. Webster Hall in New York
4. Social in Paris
5. Melkweg in Amsterdam
Lock in and listen to the exclusive i-DJ Crookers mix here.
