When longtime breaks supporter stalwart Krafty Kuts returns to Australia over summer, after an unusually long absence from our clubs and festivals, he’ll be packing a few secret weapons. If you’ve had a listen to his superb new Against the Grain compilation, you’ll be familiar with what’s been termed as the ‘rerub’ – taking an existing hit from the electro, house and fidget scenes, and reworking, rejigging and remixing them with a distinct breakbeat flavour. While on the surface they might seem like typical remixes, don’t be fooled – Krafty’s current arsenal is devastating.

“I remember when I mixed the Fabriclive 34 CD, I kind of started getting the idea of doing these edits and re-rubs,” Krafty told ITM. “There are so many great records out there new and old, and I’ve been suddenly hearing all these tunes off of the internet, as well as stuff people have sent me and stuff I’ve picked up in record stores, thinking ‘wow I can do something really exciting with these’. Then I started doing all of these edits, and the next thing you know I’ve got this amazing set of club tracks everyone’s gagging for.”

It’s not all about the rerubs though. Krafty has been busy in the studio working on his new album, some of which he’ll also be packing on his New Year tour. Expect bomb after bomb. “I’ve loved breakbeat since day one, and still love it – and I still see people going nuts to it, whether it’s 500 people or 25,000 people,” he says. “People still love it; unfortunately, it’s just a smaller scene now. But when you do go to hear it – even though there’s only a handful of people making it now – boy does it knock you for six.”

As the New Year party period draws closer, ITM’s Angus Paterson chats to the breaks heavyweight himself about what he’s got in store with his tour.

Hear more from Krafty Kuts in the latest ITM Podcast, and catch him playing around the country this New Years:

Wed 30th Dec – Pyramid Rock Festival, Victoria
Thur 31st Dec – Rhythm & Vines, Gisborne
Fri 1st Jan – Summerdayze, Melbourne
Fri 1st Jan – Field Day, Sydney
Sun 3rd Jan – Summerdayze, Perth
Sat 9th Jan – Summerfielddayze, Gold Coast
Sun 10th Jan – Midsummer Circus, Adelaide