Estonian electronic artist and DJ Luurel Varas is back with his newest EP, Crank, released in late March. With cover art by Magnus Harjak and mastering by Andres Nõlvak, the project arrives polished and purposeful, and it delivers.
Listening to the project, fans of Luurel Varas will find themselves in a familiar place. Like his previous albums “Limbo” and “Traksi Bounce” both released in 2025, Crank features a blend of UK dub, dancehall, and club. But what subtly lies beneath this tight production is an ambient undercurrent, pulling Crank in a more layered and textured direction than what traditional club offers.
This is especially clear in Crank’s first two tracks “Work” and “Hold It,” where reverbed, syncopated beats almost draw listeners into a hazy lull—but this is not until industrial texture, rave stabs, and dubby vocals kick up the atmosphere into a higher gear. To some, that push-and-pull may seem disorienting. To others, that’s what makes the project exciting.
That range is no accident. It speaks to what Luurel Varas does best, which is sampling. His stage name, which roughly translates to “thief on the prowl,” alludes to “spying on samples, stealing sounds, and the never-ending search for the perfect groove,” he revealed in Müürileht [translated into English]. His talent for sampling is clearly seen in his earlier, jazzier hip-hop-leaning projects, including Leisure Time (2017) and 175g (2019). Here, the production is warm and hazy, reminiscent of Flying Lotus’ lush complexity.
With Crank, Luurel Varas adds another distinct chapter to a discography that keeps refusing to repeat itself. For a producer whose name means prowling for something worth taking, he seems to keep finding it.
This article was written by Natalie Jenkins as part of the Local Journalism Initiative.
