Crankdat

Under the moniker Crankdat, Christian Smith has developed an electronic music project since the mid-2010s, originating in Youngstown, Ohio. Initially active in high school, he first gained attention with a string of remixes and “re-cranks” released online, including a take on Fetty Wap’s Trap Queen, before gradually moving into original productions. Crankdat’s sound sits within American bass music, spanning dubstep, trap/EDM, drum and bass and more melodic passages, with tracks built around bold build-ups, massive drops and frequent work on rhythmic tension. After singles like “Game Over” with Lookas in 2016 and “I Hold Still” with Jauz and Slushii and “Dollars” in 2017, Crankdat refined a more personal identity through the EPs Gearworld Volume 1 and Fearworld in 2019, Mechanised Mayhem in 2020, Sad Robot in 2021 and Slaughter House in 2023. His trajectory also includes collaborations with Slander, Asking Alexandria, Adventure Club, Krewella, Ace Aura, T-Pain, Juicy J and DJ Snake, placing Crankdat at the crossroads of the dubstep, bass house and large-scale EDM scenes.