Krafty Kuts interview

Krafty Kuts interview

19 June, 2007 | 2.15AM

• Written by: Terry Church
• Filed under: Music News:

“I guess I’m a pioneer of breakbeat and I’ve helped nurture the scene,” so says Martin Reeves aka Krafty Kuts, one of the genre’s most successful DJs and producers. He’s refusing to admit outright that he is a major reason for breakbeat’s international success, the humble sod.

But the truth of the matter is there are few artists in the world that have so affected the genre.

From his humble beginnings as a promoter and DJ of breakbeat nights in Brighton eight years ago, Krafty has become an international superstar who headlines festivals in Australia ahead of Coldcut and Jurassic 5.

As breakbeat has grown in popularity so too has Krafty Kuts and now he’s an international jetsetter who plays in different corners of the globe pretty much every weekend.

Much of breaks’ universal success is down to Krafty’s dedication to touring, along with other big breakbeat acts like the Plump DJs and the Stanton Warriors.

Fabriclive 34: Krafty Kuts

It’s no wonder then, that Krafty Kuts has been asked to mix a CD for London club Fabric – an honour given to only the most influential of electronic music artists and DJs.

“It took about two years to sort out,” reveals Krafty.

“It was swinging back and forth like a pendulum, because I’ve been so busy, and then when I was free the club couldn’t do it and vice versa.

“Finally it got sorted out.

“The tracklist took about three months to put together, but I feel it’s fully representational of one of my sets at Fabric.

“I could have done a crazy mix and used 30 tracks and done loads of tricks, but that’s not what I do at the club.”

Krafty Kuts by his own admission is a “party DJ”, a jock who puts the party vibe above anything else, something that developed from his time spent touring abroad when no one really had a clue what breakbeat was.

“There was no point playing underground breaks at the beginning because I’d have alienated a large proportion of the audience,” he says.

“I had to play for the majority, so I used to play bootlegs of well known tracks – breakbeat versions of things like Fatboy Slim – so there was something that people recognized, underpinned by a broken beat.

“Most people are not that knowledgeable about music, so my DJ sets are always about mixing things up and keeping the vibe fun.”

Scratching & Beat Juggling

Because Martin mixes so many different styles of music, each with their own wildly varying BPM range, he has mastered the art of scratching and beat juggling.

“Sometimes I get a little carried away with scratching and tricks,” he confesses.

“I’ve learnt through experience that less is more.

“I once played a set alongside scratch master DJ Qbert and Grandmaster Flash was there too, so I was shitting myself a bit.

“I didn’t do too many tricks or scratches during my set, but when I did do something, I made sure it was really tight.

“Afterwards Qbert came up to me and said it was one of the best sets he had ever seen.

“As a DJ that’s what I live for – being able to perform above yourself when under pressure.”

Like all dance music, breakbeat evolves and changes.

Currently electro house and breakbeat are best buddies, something that Krafty Kuts and Tim Deluxe demonstrated with their recent smash hit ‘Bass Phenomenon’.

“I love electro house, it’s quirky and the sound has really found its feet,” says Martin.

‘Bass Phenomenon’

“‘Bass Phenomenon’ was basically an electro breakbeat track, and some new productions I’m working on are very much influenced by electro house producers like Dave Spoon, Bodyrox and Justice.”

The electro bass squeaks of ‘Bass Phenomenon’ feature on Krafty Kuts’ ‘Fabriclive 34’ CD (out June 2007), as does Beatvandals’ rude breakbeat remix of Dave Spoon’s huge electro house anthem ‘At Night’.

The are also a number of exclusive remixes and tracks from the scene’s top producers including Madox, Friendly, Plump DJs and Tom Real & Rogue Element.

But are there any new breakbeat producers coming through the ranks?

“Not enough, the scene needs a few more producers,” says Krafty Kuts, like Winston Churchill urging his community to pull together.

“The problem is the quality of production these days is ridiculously high, guys like The Breakfastaz and the Plumps are releasing superb material, so music from new producers sounds comparatively weak.

“I think it takes about five years now before a producer can really find his feet.”

So which country is the ambassador of breakbeat currently excited about?

“Breakbeat is totally blowing up in the US right now, and I’m over there constantly, as are the Stantons,” says Krafty Kuts, the man on a mission to convert dancefloors.

If the world does eventually go breakbeat mad, you can blame it on the crafty bloke from Brighton.

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• Check out Krafty Kuts on Beatport