CRuNCH 22 Mess With Alice In Wonderland

Israel’s CRuNCH 22 is back with new music. After a short hiatus, they’ve returned with not just a double sided 45, but a full length debut concept Lp based on Alice In Wonderland. The trio (drums, turntables, and Fender Rhodes) reach in a different direction this time as they commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the Lewis Carroll classic with a beat drive, abstract, often psychedelic record. A modern day ‘cut-n-paste’ turntablism aesthetic is applied with live minimalist instrumentation to achieve their own interpretation of the legendary book. Keeping in tune with psychedelica, deep beats, and beautiful organ sounds, the record is not your ordinary trip. All bases are covered here, and their reinterpretation of the rabbit hole, the mad tea party, the mock turtle, mushrooms, the croquet ground, the caterpillar’s advice, and more outline a fresh perspective of these stories. A lot of bands wouldn’t get into a concept album because it may pigeon hole them, but CRuNCH 22 shift into new directions and forge new paths with this record. The core band sound is there, but they tackle psychedelic sounds and samples beautifully. The psychedelic progression from deep funk beats is inevitable, as psych is just as attractive and broad as well. There is a certain camaraderie felt between deep beats and psychedelic beats and it’s obvious on a lot of these tracks, but if you listen to the work on “The Queen’s Croquet Ground”, the Carl Stalling-esque organ and drums will the turntable sampling of drums is a perfect illustration of it. The single, “Down The Rabbit Hole” is a mind meld of aural explosions, mixing samples with head warping echoes and organ licks that you might find on some Vertigo release. As the drums kick into a heavy break beat, it’s not just a b-boy delight, but a six minute plus opus of sounds you can feel. We’re definitely excited about this debut record. The entire Lp will be offered on 180g limited edition vinyl through the Tel-Aviv based label Audio Mantage, complete with gatefold sleeve illustrated by street artist Shahaf Ram (aka Jack T.M.L.) It will be released mid January 2016.