THE CURSE OF… KRAZIE KRAZE

Since the turn of the 21st century, Krazie Kraze (aka The Digital Misfit) has be creating and performing his unique brand of diverse electronic music. He was originally dubbed Krazie Kraze when he started electro hip hop act The Freakz of The Nature in the mid 90s, however it would be a few years before he started to perform solo under the name ‘Krazie Kraze: Electro’.

In the early 2000s he became a key member of the semi infamous Semikazi Collective (originally the Perth chapter of Clan Analogue). Semikazi were a group of crossover electronic music artists and VJs of varying styles and genres, who could be credited for helping bring live electronic music and VJing to the forefront of the Perth local music scene at the time.

Later down the track the Krazie Kraze: Electro solo project name was shortened back to just Krazie Kraze and saw a couple of releases; the ‘Krazie Kraze… Is Lost’ EP and the ‘We Can Not Ever Give In’ single and remix EP. While he has performed live at most venues in Perth over the years, he has also played some shows on the east coast as well. Since the demise of Semikazi, he struggled to find suitable live shows to perform at, which lead to only performing on average 1-2 times annually in the past 5 years or so. His lively, animated, in your face live sets have generally been appreciated by the often tiny crowds he would perform to. These performances would often feature visuals including live camera feeds.

Now in 2013, he releases his debut and last album, entitled ‘The Curse of… Krazie Kraze’. A collection of songs from the more recent years before calling it a day for the Krazie Kraze project. The Curse of… Krazie Kraze album is exactly what one should expect from Krazie Kraze. A mish mash of genres spread over 13 songs. There’s hip hop, electro pop, dubstep, industrial and digital hardcore sounds flying all over the place here. In an effort to capture the energy of a Krazie Kraze live shows on record, the vocals for the album were recorded in full length album takes like a live performance. In fact, majority of the album’s vocals are based off one take. The title of the album comes from the bad experiences of previous Krazie Kraze CD launches. He was hospitalized a few days before his first EP launch and unable to perform. Then for the We Can Not Ever Give In single launch, a PA failure caused Krazie Kraze’s set to not go ahead as planned. Hence the term was coined ‘The Curse of… Krazie Kraze’. The Krazie one is determined to beat the curse this time though, when the album is digitally released as a free download on 13th March 2013 and launched live on 17th March at Velvet Lounge in Perth. Third time’s a lucky charm right?

So you say… calling it a day? Yes that’s right, this is the end of Krazie Kraze as far as we know. The Krazie Kraze solo project will be on an indefinite hiatus after the launch of the album. As a symbol of this, he is chopping off the 2 braids at the back of his head, a hairstyle that has defined the Krazie Kraze image for the past decade. But it’s not all doom and gloom though folks. Some funds will be raised for World’s Greatest Shave in the process, and Lee Kennedy (aka Krazie Kraze) will start experimenting on new, more focused music projects into the future…

“…an unpredictable mix of electro, hip hop and punk attitude… Krazie has always pushed the boundaries and conventions of electronic music. It’s a mix of de-Sexed Johnny Rotten, amphetamine-infected Depeche Mode and Atari Teenage Riot electro savagery… that should be welcomed by those hoping for a more creative Perth”
Krazie Kraze… Is Lost EP – Drum Media Review – December 2008