Martin Reeves has just returned home from an eight-date tour of Asia and now he's completely exhausted. He hopped from one country to the next, completely out of his element, playing to a madhouse in Thailand, ducking through traffic in Cambodia like he was stuck in a Frogger arcade machine. These experiences will teach even seasoned veteran like Reeves, better known as Krafty Kuts, to refine his kraft...um, craft.
"What's good about going on tour is you get tested by constantly playing DJ sets," Reeves says. "You get a feel for your music and you read your music really well, so you know what's really good in your records."
One would think Reeves had a decent handle on his music already. Considered a legend in the world-DJ scene, he made an impressive three-award sweep at the 2011 Breakspolls, the Golden Globes of breakbeat culture, including Best DJ, Outstanding Contribution in Breaks and Best Compilation Album. Simply put, the man knows his breaks.
He tours frequently, from Ibiza to Nelson, has dozens of singles, a score of remixes and one album, 2006's Freakshow. He's putting the finishing touches on a second album that he hopes will be released in August while prepping the launch of his second iPhone application, which will allow DJs to use pre-loaded audio samples during their live sets.
His career started in his hometown of Brighton, where he entered a DJ competition as a complete novice, and made it to the finals. Pleased with this early success, he pursued the craft full time, running a record store in Brighton throughout the 1990s. He was eventually discovered by Norman Cook, a.k.a. Fatboy Slim, who signed Reeves to his Southern Fried label. He released some music with Ministry of Sound and before he knew it, he was touring the world.
"It sprung from a little record store and club night in Brighton to scoping the world really," he says
He visits Canada most frequently. He came over once, years ago and was repeatedly lured back by the age-old trapper of man: women.
"I used to have ex-girlfriends (in Canada), so obviously that was the start, and then luckily enough I discovered the crowds and it went from there," he said.
" I realized that my love affair certainly wasn't the girls," he says. "The girls, they break your heart but the music, (it) gives you good times."
He realized at the time that Canada was an untapped market open to new music. He played some of the early Shambala festivals, which helped spread the popularity of electronic music across the country. Over the last decade, Canada became known as a pinnacle for DJs to spin funky broken beats.
"I think (Canadian) people, when they go out, like to have a good time and make the most of it," said Reeves.
"It's a really hard thing to explain, but when DJs come and play, the reactions are just that little bit more excitable. People seem to have so much fun."
And one of these hotspots is - surprise! - Whistler. The town is in the midst of boosting its cultural appeal and will have to build an already thriving DJ scene.
"Whistler's got a special place on the map for most DJs," said Reeves.
"It's great for Canada and it's great for the people that live in Canada."
