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Healthy new dose for Krafty breaks

Krafty Kuts spins to crowds of 200,000, but is excited about playing new tracks for 200-plus crowd in Whistler
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England's Krafty Kuts returns to Whistler with a new album July 8.

By Nicole Fitzgerald

Who: Krafty Kuts

When: Sunday, July 8

Where: Tommy Africa’s

Tickets: $17

With three 2007 Breakspoll Awards, Best Single at BLANK and a Best Breaks DJ 2007 MTV Romanian Dance Award, as well as a new album and North American tour, there has never been a better time for DJ/Producer Martin Reeves to get a hold of his health.

With such accolades and music spinning the globe, Reeves, most famously known as Krafty Kuts, has got a long and successful road ahead of him, and he wants to make sure he’s got the stamina to take it all the way.

The Ibiza regular from England hired a trainer, eats more things pulled from the ground than from a vending machine and quit smoking. But his music is burning hotter than ever, pushing the breaks scene onto the dance floor, proving the style wields plenty to groove to.

“I was up against some stiff competition,” he says of his many awards. “They were extremely high accolades. I kept thinking, ‘Wow, I can’t be worthy of it all’: I just go out and try to produce the best music I can and DJ the best way I can and it’s great to see people recognize breaks is a great form of dance music.”

His legendary breaks, along with dirty, funky house and electro, will work its way into his Whistler show Sunday, July 8 at Tommy Africa’s.

In addition to winning Album of the Year and DJ of the Year for the third time running, Reeves also took home the 2007 Breakspoll Award for Outstanding Contribution to Breaks. But the hardworking jetsetter isn’t resting on his turntables; he’s currently hitting North America with his new album, Fabric Live . As a resident DJ, Reeves was asked numerous times to produce the mix for Fabric — think England version of Ministry of Sound — but the timing was never right, until now.

“They asked when I had my album coming out,” he said, referring to his 2007 Breakspoll Best Album winner, Freakshow . “I didn’t want anything to interrupt it, so I waited. I started working on it six months ago.... The response to the album has been incredible. It really helps build your career up in other countries because it is such a big series.”

The album plays out like his Friday night shows at Fabric with a couple of unheard VIP mixes, and the crowds love it.

Reeves spoke with the Pique Newsmagazine in between shows in Las Vegas and Los Angeles. He kept company with the likes of Dominic B from Stanton Warriors, Pendulum and Dynamite MC with a crowd of 40,000 plus “crazy, scantily clad party girls” in L.A. The month before, 200,000 festivalgoers danced to his dirty beats in Glastonbury. So how does he feel about spinning out at a 200-plus party in Whistler?

“I am more excited about coming to Whistler than the big places,” he said. “The atmosphere in Whistler is intense. I always have a great rapport with people in Canada, the same with Australia. Everyone is really open. It’s like a family.”

The Brighton boy is spending as much time in the recording studio as he does behind nightclub turntables. He’s currently working on a new release of material including Thru the Door on the Supercharged Music label and Beer Chucker with Deepcut Recordings. The singles keep building on his label, Against the Grain, including works with DJ Tools, DJ Icey, Dynamite MC and Kid Kenobi.

“I’ve got a string of new releases coming out and more is coming,” he said.

Krafty Kuts will keep company with support sets from Whistler’s JT and Kraig Twisted.

Advance $17 tickets are available at The Mix, The Hub Creekside and Tommy’s.