Kraddy – Be A Light

A Light In July

Kraddy’s new album Be A Light plays like a summer day. Not like the kind spent at the beach, but the kind you spend in your car, the one without air conditioning, and all you can do is sweat and watch the heat wobble off of the asphalt and other cars. This is how the opening track, “The Prestige” (feat. D Styles), starts. The bass is unavoidable and feels like it sticks to you like humidity. There is some relief, though, when Kraddy brings in the naked piano interlude. It feels like a cool breeze coming through the window. This first track is the intro course: Kraddy 101. There’s the techy, crunchy bass lines that remind the listener of his Glitch Mob days, mixed with his hip-hop samples and scratching reminiscent of his early work in San Francisco.

Be A Light does a wonderful job of playing between those two musical poles: vicious wobbling bass and delicate instrumentals. It’s also done in a way that isn’t too cute. The use of minor chords gives songs like “I Can’t Go Back” (feat. Sophie Holt) a tragic and almost sinister feel. Kraddy also doesn’t let the drops become too predictable. He changes it up as to where they will fall and how intensely. He manages the vocals so that they aren’t simply used as a hook, but a necessary part of the song that varies between rap and melodic lamenting.

Be A Light is an excellent, true EDM album. It blends different musical elements without being heavy handed or too subtle. On this album Kraddy shines.