UK label Against The Grain has been consistently churning out quality tunes in the breakbeat genre for years now. Krafty Kuts has been responsible for a good many of those tunes, and here has been given the reins for a double-CD mix showcase. Disco one is all about Krafty, and his talent for the re-rub. On disc two, he goes into the vault to stitch together some of the classic cuts from the label.

After the ubiquitous and grandiose Krafty MC intro, disc one gets down to business with a taste of tracks cribbed from his recent DJ sets. The Krafty Kuts production team has tweaked, freaked, and geeked out the breakdowns, structure, vocals, and feel of the original tracks to suit the set. They are leaner, meaner, and aimed squarely at the dancefloor.

The set represents a direction that Krafty has been venturing in the last year with fidget, tech funk, and more 4×4 glitchy electro sounds incorporated, but all given an appropriate broken-beat rework of course. Artists on the disc include Twocker, Micky Slim, Foamo, Stupid Fresh and Miles Dyson which should give scenesters an idea of the type of sounds here. Slamming electronic club music that you won’t find in the breaks section of Beatport.

Aussies Loops of Fury’s Flick A Switch is an early highlight and Jude Sebastian’s Rubberman (Miles Dyson Mix) is a cool track. Black Noise Check The Blast is another I enjoyed. There’s some deep basslines going on and some mega kicks. Lazy Jay Tomahawk has some nice elements of phatness. Draax & Seavers Rude Boys has a great old skool party element that I typically associate with Krafty.

But I must admit there were times where I found some grooves repetitive and annoying, Mickey Slim Hit The Club (Stupid Fresh Mix) being an example. I couldn’t help feeling that all that glitching & wobbly bass was a bit much to sustain for most of the mix. Yep, it’s fresh, but many of the tracks feel a little disposable.

Disc two is where all the Against The Grain classics are at. Opening with the Freestyler’s wicked Slammer and some sick scratching from Krafty, it starts with a bang. Too many classics to mention inhabit this disc with the likes of Boom Blast, There They Go and When I Was A Yout, mostly from Against The Grain heavyweights Freestylers, Krafty, and Ed Solo.

I have fond memories of all of these, so it’s great hearing them in different contexts. Ed Solo’s Sludge offers a welcome murky dubstep change-up along with a tough Bass Phenomenon remix. Deekline’s Handz Up doesn’t quite make the classic tag in my book, having been released this year. And I could do without hearing the Freestyer’s Push Up again, as that cheesy track has been hammered for years.

Krafty’s signature scratching, acappella dropping, and bravura attitude is all over these DJ mixes. The discs represent club party action direct to your lounge room. Sample and vocal heavy, fast moving, and a bit of cheese. It’s the Krafty Kuts formula, and it seems to work.