Martin Reeves, better known as Krafty Kuts, grew up on the UK's South Coast on ska and two-tone before old-school electro and hip hop changed his path at 15. He earned his name cutting up the Beastie Boys' "She's Crafty" and cut his teeth digging for funk and rare vinyl at car boot sales, eventually opening his own record shop, Instant Vibes, and a second one in Brighton.
His break came when he handed a $100 dubplate of "Give Me the Funk" to Fatboy Slim, who played it on BBC Radio One and released it on Southern Fried. A signing to Ministry of Sound and a spell on Finger Lickin' followed, plus his own labels Supercharged and Against the Grain. His Brighton club night Supercharged ran twelve years.
Rather than a pure scratch technician, Reeves built a reputation on quirky, genre-melding edits and tight three-deck sets, headlining festivals like Australia's Big Day Out to 40,000 people alongside acts such as Rage Against the Machine. He continues to release hip hop and breakbeat records, collaborating with Chali 2na and A-Skills.