KRAAK & SMAAK LIVE BAND AT CITY SOUNDS

6 NOVEMBER 2018

Through live appearances both as a DJ duo and in full band format, they quickly became recognised as a phenomenon on Dutch club stages and at prestigious European and American music events, including SXSW, Coachella, Miami’s WMC and New York’s CMJ. A month-long Australian tour was also a success.

Their second album, “Plactic People”, released in 2008 and featuring the hit “Sgeeze Me”, accelerated Kraak & Smaak’s rise in popularity. Renowned British dance and DJ magazine described them as a “must-see live act”. Alongside stars such as The Chemical Brothers and The Prodigy, the band had the unique opportunity to perform at Glastonbury in the UK, Lowlands in the Netherlands and Sziget, Europe’s biggest festival.

During their five-week US tour, they appeared on “Last Night Show”, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel himself. Rather unexpectedly, American celebrity and blogger Preza Hilton expressed his admiration. Even Kanye West, after watching “Squueze Me”, announced that he had become an ardent K&S fan. Winning the European Border Breakers Award (EBBA) was a major achievement. Interestingly, another winner that year was the then-newcomer, now-superstar Adele.

In subsequent years, their growing popularity led to albums such as “Electric Hustel” and “Chrome Waves” and intensive international touring, including appearances at the prestigious Detroit Movement, Glastonbury and Exit festivals. The single “Lets Go Back”, featuring the superb vocals of Romanthy, and its subsequent remix by rising star Solomun became a deep-house anthem. Another hit, “The Future Is Yours”, offered a welcome opportunity for Kraak&Smaak to work with Ben Westbeech again. Interestingly, during this period Ben could boast the chart-conquering single “How We gonna Stop The Time”. The new remixes are steeped in the work of Moby, Aretha Franklin, Chromatics and Royksopp. In 2015, Kraak&Smaak began work on their fifth album, “Juice Fruits”.

After releasing several singles through renowned dance labels such as Spinnin and Axtone, the band decided to return to the organic sound of their earliest tracks. This led to a highly successful collaboration with Mayer Hawthorne and the single “I Don’t Know Why”, which brought them back to Jimmy Kimmel’s show. International artists contributed new vocals, giving the music a fresh sound: Parcels, Cleopold, ALXNDR London and Eric Biddines.

The years 2016–2017 were filled with numerous live appearances in Europe, the United States and Asia, and another performance at Glastonbury.

The summer 2017 release of “Juicy Fruit Remixed” proved a resounding success, enhanced by contributions from Eli Escobar, Fouk, Purple Disco Machine, Moods and Thatmanmonkz. They undoubtedly brought exceptional freshness to the new tracks and opened the way for presenting new material. The Balearic-infused single “Hendo” was picked up by popular label Exploited, while “Scorched” caused a considerable stir with the help of renowned label Spinnin. More intriguingly, these latest remixes attracted collaborators including soul’s own Omar, Australian band Parcels and France’s popular wunderkind Roman Kouder.

This spring brought a fresh sound, including the singles ‘Keep It Together’ and “Pineapple Jam”, and a DJ mix made in collaboration with Mark Knight of the legendary Toolroom, publisher of the Poolside Disco album series.

And that is not all! The boys are only just getting started!