More Fire Mondays proudly presents South Rakkas Crew, July 1, 2013
“When it comes to knowing what mashes a dance, few production outfits can match South Rakkas Crew.”—Pitchfork
“South Rakkas Crew make some of the most electrifying dance music on the planet.”—The Guardian
Diplo and ‘N Sync? Deerhoof and Elephant Man? Tricky and Michael Jackson? M.I.A and Thom Yorke? Just one name links up this diverse, groundbreaking posse: forget Kevin Bacon—when it comes to six degrees of the most cutting-edge music production out there, there’s only South Rakkas Crew.
Rugged dancehall, shameless pop, hipster electro bangers, rude dubstep—fuck it, South Rakkas does it all. The duo comprised of Dennis “D-Rakkas” Shaw and Alex “Alex G” Greggs, South Rakkas took an unusual path to become the dons of digital funk. South Rakkas first gained fame for their blazing dancehall riddims (“Clappas,” “Red Alert,” “Bionic Ras,” “Chinkuzi” anyone?), which brought production work for stars like Vybz Kartel, Mr. Vegas, Elephant Man. But it’s not for nothing that XLR8R recently praised South Rakkas for their “boundary-pushing” powers; indeed, these futuristic rhythm killers can’t be held down to any one sound or style. SRC can flex from Beenie Man and Bounty Killer one moment, T-Pain the next, and then on to the likes of M.I.A., Lily Allen, Beck, Duran Duran, Justin Timberlake, The Bug, Warrior Queen, Britney Spears, and Shakira—all of whom have been touched by South Rakkas’ edgy studio savvy. Those skills came about when D-Rakkas and Alex G met up working at the same recording studio in Toronto, Canada. Both had roots in the local hip-hop/reggae scene: Alex G created beats for local rap groups and, erm, Barenaked Ladies, while D-Rakkas spent his youth as charismatic, party-starting DJ (“Rakkas” is in fact a local West Indian slang term for “rockers” reggae music that he used to put on his DJ flyers to indicate his parties’ music policy). The concept for SRC first hatched, though, when the duo moved to Orlando, Florida to become a crucial part of ‘N Sync’s production team. There, D-Rakkas conceptualized South Rakkas Crew and enlisting Alex G in a pairing that would combine both their strengths. The plan was simple: Alex G would hold down the pop/dance production side in Florida (his work with the archetypal boy band on smash albums like Pop would catapult him into the pantheon of platinum-plated star producer/mixer/remixers); D-Rakkas, meanwhile, would travel to ruffneck Kingston, Jamaica, where an introduction from his brother-in-law Mr. Vegas gave him access to dancehall’s top talent. Rakkas’ first riddim, “Clappas,” quickly proved a major island smash, paving the way for many more; Jamaican and non-Jamaican audiences alike also appreciated SRC’s talent for fusing hook-laden song structure with sound-system destroying beats.
This unique combo of hit-making production and arrangement with hard-hitting dancehall sonics sets the stage for SRC’s inevitable global takeover. While South Rakkas kept a foot in the pop game, they’ve also been acclaimed by the underground and critics alike. When beat king Diplo put out South Rakkas’ Mad Again and The Mix Up eps on his Mad Decent label, the blogosphere proved unanimous in its praise: Prefix raved about Mix Up’s “production perfection,” while Thom Yorke was dropping the Boy 8-Bit mix of “Mad Again” while guest DJing on Gilles Peterson’s BBC radio show. Trip-hop titan Tricky chose SRC to remix his entire West Knowle Boy album, garnering rapturous press. According to The Independent, SRC “transformed it into a high-voltage electro and sublime space-disco monster. In fact, Knowle West Boy is barely there, but something fantastic has appeared in its place”; as well, the BBC called it “a collision of exotic and intoxicating rhythms that dance around truly body-rocking beats, hammered and glued into forms that enthrall and excite… Tricky Meets South Rakkas Crew is an electrifying listen, invigorating the parts Tricky can’t usually reach.”
In 2010, D-Rakkas and Alex G dropped what would be their last album together, as the production duo, The Stimulus Package, via Mad Decent. Stimulus proved a classically iconoclastic SRC move: it featured, of course, expected cameos from dancehall mega-celebs like Capleton, but mixed with surprises like vocals from Satomi Matsuzaki of indie-noise gurus Deerhoof and Mylo’s “Drop The Pressure” transformed into a dubplate riddim! Critics again united in unanimous admiration: The Fader said “South Rakkas Crew wants to start 2010 with energy. The Stimulus Package brims with their brand of rugged ragga that is laced with songs that could be heard at an all-night dance party at some club we’ve never been to in Madrid”; notable blog True Genius Requires Insanity stated “On The Stimulus Package, the South Rakkas Crew don't just throw down the gauntlet in dancehall, but kick open doors in dubstep and electro…
South Rakkas Crew do everything on this album short of painting a sign that they are THE experimental force in dancehall music… A superb body of work by superb and veteran producers and remixers.”
The release of The Stimulus Package was marked by D-Rakkas touring the better part the year following a string of massively successful Australian festival tour dates in 2009; as well, M.I.A personally selected South Rakkas to open her N.E.E.T. label showcase.
Following the duos disband and almost a year’s hiatus, South Rakkas Crew reemerges: better, stronger, faster, and more prolific than ever. South Rakkas Crew, now solely led by D-Rakkas, realizes its most productive period with 8 releases over the past year. These EPs, multi-singles, and remix packs are garnering massive attention and acclaim as D-Rakkas collaborates with EDM’s hottest rising remixers, producers and artists. With their crucial next-level approach to Dubstep, Moombahton, Trap and, of course, SRC’s classic Electro-Dancehall, we can only imagine what’s to come.
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