While Crookram’s album “19/76” on Budabeats sounded dusty, analogue, funky and deep, the productions with his partner Sagesse shine polished and bass-loaded. With a bassdrum deep like Miami Bass and a tos of funkyness between the beats the Dutch producer makes another step in his evolution. Now I know why the Netherlands are such a flat land. Too much bass…

I adore crackling samples, the collage technique of old school hiphop productions. That’s why I adore so much the releases of Budabeats. Crookram was the second artist who refined the catalogue. Now he starts his own netlabel Bankrupt Recordings.

While “19/76” was epic, “The Escape EP” is pure and a great production featuring different MCs - I guess from the Netherlands. Tracks like “Patterns of Thought (ft. Wreckitnize)” were produced to walk through the city in the sunshine and get a little melancholic. What amuses me, is that I like the instrumental called “Epilogue” the best. Maybe this is the track which glues his old album on Budabeats together with his next step. Even if the whole production is skillful, I wish sometimes more edges, some little gimmicks. To me Crookram is best, when he gets melancholic and hopefully he will write for us another epilogue soon.

PS: The onyl sad thing about this EP is… I would love to hear some real Dutch rap ;)