U.K. BREAKBEAT PIONEER KRAFTY KUTS BRINGS THE FLAMINGO FUNK TO MONTREAL ON MAY 20
To kick start the summer vibes, local promoters D32 have a special event planned! On Saturday May 20th they have created a Planet Break reunion party featuring the triumphant return of the UK’s eminent Breakbeat pioneer KRAFTY KUTS ! Renowned worldwide for his highly technical turntablism, meticulously crafted DJ sets and party-punching productions, Krafty Kuts is in a league of his own.
I was there the last time he was in town back in 2019. He kept the sold out crowd dancing all night! It was a sweat soaked sea of smiles. Anticipation is high for his triumphant return! Check out this wild teaser video about the upcoming concert :
A seminal force in the UK’s Breakbeat and Bass Music movements, Krafty won international acclaim and many awards from the British Dance Music Awards, Spanish Breakbeat Awards, Breakspoll, Australian Music Awards, Ibiza Breaks DJ M8 Awards etc…
His inventive & energetic performances are in high demand all over the world. From Rocking The Daisies in South Africa, to Electric Castle in Romania, to Glastonbury in the UK, to Australia’s biggest music festivals like Breakfast and Big Day Out (where he played to to over 40,000 people alongside Rage Against The Machine and Bjork) and Summadayze (performing to over 25,000 straight after Groove Armada). He’s also performed unique events such as the Chinese Grand Prix, the launch party of Spotify and he is a resident at Dubai’s Zero Gravity. In short, Krafty’s showmanship skills have remained as in demand today as they were at the turn of the century!
He is also a prolific producer having released 4 critically acclaimed albums, 35 singles and 161 remixes! His songs have been licensed to soundtrack everything from Master Chef, to Sky Sports, to the Guy Ritchie movie Mean Machine and to to Coca Cola commercials. He’s collaborated with the likes Kurtis Blow, Jungle Brothers, Freddy Fresh, A Skillz, Ed Solo, Skool of Thought, Dynamite MC and Dr Luke. Personally my favourite tracks of his are his collabs with the rapper Challi 2Na of the iconic hip hop group Jurassic 5.
Krafty got his start by forming his own b-boy break dancing crew in the late 80s. However his promising career was almost cut short. Literally. In his early days as a turntablist he was in the running to qualify for the British DMC championship (a worldwide competition to crown the best scratch DJ). But while working at his day job as a machinist, he accidentally sawed off the tips of his fingers on his left hand! But much like Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, he refused to let his injury hold him back.
He took the insurance payout he received and invested it to open two record stores: Instant Vibes in Worthing and Happy Vibes in Brighton. Business developed as quickly as his fingers & turntable tricks were recovering. Meanwhile his studio skills were sharpening. Happy Vibes became a phenomenon; a crucial hub of Brighton’s DJ culture. It became a source of the scene’s many samples and soundtracks. It was regularly frequented by the town’s proud range of musicians and producers.
Which led to setting up the the seminal breakbeat club night Supercharged and then founding one of UK bass music’s most influential record labels Against The Grain. They have released absolute bangers like The Freestyler’s album “Raw As F**K” with their worldwide hit single Push Up, as well as Krafty Kuts featuring Tim Deluxe’s DJ Mag award-winning single Bass Phenomenon.
Against The Grain were also one of the earliest labels to embrace smart phone technology to create a groundbreaking creative DJ app that allowed DJs to carry a bounty of FX tools and MC hype calls in their pockets. It has since been utilized and sampled by DJs in every genre from EDM to drum & bass.
Krafty’s mixes have been released by world famous DJ Mix brands like Mixmag and Back To Mine. His DJ sets have been downloaded over 1 million times. His original music has been released on labels like Ministry of Sound, Skrillex’s label OWSLA, Fatboy Slim’s label Southern Fried, DMC, Fabric etc…
Suffice it to say that Krafty Kuts has been living, breathing and sleeping the funk without compromise! The local breakbeat & bass music scene is freaking out with anticipation!
MEET YOUR HOSTS
The evening will begin with Planet Break member and mean lean breaks queen machine MELODRASTIK! She was the key catalyst in making this event happen. Spinning since 2006, this gal has played at many club nights & festivals, recently opening for Deekline with her B2B duo HEAVY GEMZ. Melo plays a mix of Breakbeat, Electro, House and Garage. This inspiring chef is hot in the kitchen and fiyah on the decks! Certified Bass Freak 7 Days a Week! Her weekly DJ sets on TWITCH are not to be missed!
Next up, hailing from Paris we have SERAPHUN! A versatile DJ with a broad musical palette, he blends Ambient, Hi-Tech, Bass House and Ghetto Funk into groovadelic journeys. He has performed at Canadian festivals such as Good Vibes, FME and at festivals in France like Son Libre & Karma Atma. He is the curator of the Alternative Stage at the Khůmeia Festival this August. He describes his sound as aerobics meets headbanging, with massive drops that will get your body levitating! So fasten your tuque with rivets my friend or your hairdo will be ruined! (Sorry Not Sorry).
To open for Krafty Kuts it was a no brainer to bring in SPACEKADET, the founder of Planet Break. His journey began in the sweaty raves of the early 90’s. In 2004 he founded Planet Break and during its 15 year run it was THE source of breakbeats in Montreal, throwing events with headliners like Freestylers, Deekline, Marty McFly, Robb G and of course Krafty Kuts. Spacekadet performed at epic parties at Piknic Électronik and S.A.T. as well as at festivals like Totem, Eclipse and WEMF. His blazing sets are a whirlwind of All Dressed Old School New School Funky 4×4 Edgy Amen Breakbeats!
To close the night DJ GUAPO will caress you like a tropical breeze with his blend of Glitch Hop, Ghetto Funk, Bass House & DnB. His sets sound like if Squarepusher and Parliament Funkadelic conceived a love child during a tequila fueled journey through Jamaica. Producer, Guitarist & DJ, he collaborated with Grammy & Juno Award winners and with world beat pioneers Suns of Arqa. As the Musical Coordinator & DJ for Jean Paul Gaultier’s “Pinkarnaval” he performed to 10,000 spectators from inside of a giant stiletto shoe! Guapo played internationally at festivals like Glastonbury (U.K.) and the Telerama Dub Festival (Paris). Local gigs include the Montreal Jazz Fest, Bal En Blanc, Eclipse, Just For Laughs, Good Vibes, Timeless, Groove & Bass, Khůmeia etc…
Your host for the evening will be Planet Break’s own MC Beastieboxer! A voice to be reckoned with, he always gets the crowd going by hyping up the party people. As one half of Montreal hip hop group Sizzle Twist, he has a profound love for all beats that are broken and all haircuts that are bathroom. Explicit Lyrics are guaranteed so leave your kids at home!
VJ.UolloU will dazzle your senses with her organic, mystical and intuitive visuals. She has performed at big raves like Shift at Bain-Mathieu, at events for the record label Cosmovision, festivals like Danse de la Tortue and the Festival International de Film d’Animation de Montréal. Using images found in nature as well as in virtual reality, she dynamically explores the phenomenon of synesthesia. Linking unusual sensory experiences of sight and hearing, she creates abstract universes and truly extraordinary immersive experiences.
Finally I have to give a shout out to the creative flair of Edo Edikson who came up with the flamingo funk concept, designed the wild flyer & created the badass promo video! Check out his versatile talents at Edikson Design.
The evening is organized by D32, a collective that creates events that combine urban art, graffiti & electronic music. Their mission is to promote the electronic scene and Montreal nightlife. Recently they shifted focus to specialize more in Breakbeats, Jungle and Dnb. To aid in this new mission, they added Melodrastik to their team. Together they produced events with UK headliners like Deekline, Benny Page, DJ Hybrid, Noisy Antics etc…
Shoutout to all the organisations that were crucial in creating this project : Planet Break, Finger Licking Management, MTL JTM, Against the Grain, Best Kept Mtl and Bar La Shop.
Do not miss this event as the dancefloor will be rocking!
KRAFTY KUTS
Saturday May 20th
Bar La Shop
4177, rue Saint-Denis (2ième étage)
Tickets currently cost $20 and can be purchased via MTL JTM.
Grab them fast before they sell out!
If you are looking for another EPIC night, but with a little circus magic – try ECHO!
