House and tech house specialists Toolroom is the handy work of DJ and producer Mark Knight and brother Stuart Knight. Founded in 2003, Toolroom has evolved from a label into an events brand, a radio show and even a 30-minute programme on Sky, Toolroom TV. Iconic Toolroom tracks include Mark Knight & Funkagenda’s ‘Man With The Red Face’, Mark Knight’s ‘Your Love’, WEISS’ ‘Feel My Needs’ and Dusky’s remix of Cloud 9’s ‘Do You Want Me Baby’. Other artists to release on the label include Huxley, Friend Within, Dave Spoon, Doorly, UMEK and Jay Lumen.
Review: If you're looking for a quick snapshot of where house music is at in 2022 then you could do a lot worse than pick up this latest Toolroom compilation. With 50 full-length cuts to choose from, plus two 75-minute DJ mixes, you're certainly getting plenty of bang for your buck, and with the likes of Ilyus & Barrientos, Leftwing:Kody, Shadow Child, Hannah Wants, Franky Rizardo, Mason Maynard and Huxley all represented, you get a good chance to catch up with what some of today's biggest stars have been up to lately, as well as checking out fresh cuts from veterans like ATFC, Wally Lopez, Nic Fanciulli and of course label boss Mark Knight himself.
Review: It's that time of year again, when the industry's finest head en masse to one of the biggest events in global dance music - WMC. As always, the Toolroom family will be a known presence throughout the week-long festivities, and here's a sneak preview of the future classics they'll be dropping at this year's parties in The Magic City. Label chief Mark Knight naturally kicks things off (in collaboration with Mason) on the sweltering funky house of "Givin' Up", label stalwart Maxinne teams up with Chicago veteran Gene Farris on the deep tribal workout "Our House", the ascendant Carly Wilford & Anelisa Lamola keep on with the uplifting vocal house energy on "We Rise" while the always impressive GotSome teams up with Kokiri for the Inner City-inspired "Big Time Love" (feat Tasty Lopez) plus the welcome addition of Kittball Records boss Juliet Sikora with Tini Gessler on the high tech minimal of "Tidy Up" among many others. Comes with two continuous mixes to boot.
Review: Five years on from the release of the previous instalment in his Bullets series of dancefloor-focused secret weapons, Toolroom star Mark Knight has finally unleased volume five. It boasts two top-notch collaborations. He joins forces with rising star Mason on 'Givin' Up', a typically weighty peak-time excursion in which sweet female vocal snippets, sweet disco strings and funky melodic flourishes leap above crunchy, big room-ready disco-house drums and a driving bassline. 'Movin', a hook-up with James Hurr and vocalist Laura Davie, offers a slightly darker and chunkier variation on the disco-house template, with dirty, sub-heavy bass and hazy, warehouse-ready electronics joining crisp, Chic style guitars and Knight's usual bombastic, speaker-bothering drums.
Review: A series packed full of greatest hits and near misses from the Toolroom family, 'Best Of Toolroom' remains as a yearly highlight and essential listening for house music lovers across the globe.The 2021 edition features the uplifting house anthem by label chief Mark Knight & Beverley Knight "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" (feat London Community Gospel Choir), label staples such as Maxinne & Lauren L'aimant getting slinky and hypnotic on the vocal cut "Tell Me Something", as well as GotSome & George Kwali's sensually deep groove "In The Dark" (one of ther year's biggest tracks) in addition to hot Romanian duo Sllash & Doppe's well received "Off My Mind".
Review: Toolroom gets straight back down to business with Club Rave Dance, featuring 50 club essentials plus continuous mixes by scene heroes Flashmob and Volkoder - marking a return to clubland after a long break. Highlights come from label chief Mark Knight on the uplifting and soulful vocal house of "You Saw Me" (feat Damon Trueitt - GUZ extended mix), the slinky and hypnotic rhythm of dream team Danny Howard & Gene Farris' "How Do We Feel?" as well as Leftwing : Kody serving up the sexy and emotive "If You Wanna". Elsewhere, Baltra & Darius Syrossian drop the year's biggest bassline on "I Want You", the mighty Siege gets back to the disco on "Reach Out" and Tuff London deliver their best Kevin Saunderson impression on the Motor City vibes of "Heart Beat".
Review: VIP Edits is curated by Toolroom for selectors who want to get the best of the label's new releases into their sets, now that live events have returned. From the swing-fuelled funk of opening cut "Do You Remember" by Frenchman Dombresky featuring Camden Cox, to Italian scene veteran Flashmob on the hypnotic groove of "Closer" where he nails it as always and the mighty Belgian Siege (Saved/Truesoul) absolutely slams it on the disco-infused energy of "Reach Out". There's all you need right here on VIP Edits.
Review: With a whopping 70 tracks featured on this latest installment in the 'House Party' series, you'll forgive us if we don't go into each one individually! It's fair to say though that whether it's peaktime tech-house, pumping discofied grooves, tuff tribalism, off-kilter jazzy bizniss or sweet soulful vibes you're after, you'll find it all here and more besides, with Hoover stabs, rolling Afro beats, speed garage basslines, the Korg M1 organ, torchy fem vox and ragga chat all making cameo appearances along the way! Dive in and find your personal faves, or just sit back, press play on one of the three bundled DJ mixes and let GW Harrison, Chaney and Tim Baresko do the selecting for you.
Maxinne & DJ Rae - "How Many Times" - (5:27) 124 BPM
Review: Toolroom Records staple Maxinne presents her much anticipated debut album Red Alert, which showcases her diverse and unique sound as an artist. Named after her empowering and uplifting music, it is the culmination of Maxinne's career thus far. She colllaborates with other artists, producers and singers who she has built great relationships with over the years, such as Lauren L'aimant on the classic deep house groove of "Take It Anymore", then with Hayla providing her pop vocal to contrast the steely dub techno of "See Right Before My Eyes" and similarly with legend Gene Farris on the main room techno slam of ""Our House". Label boss Mark Knight also steps in as special guest, on the slinky peak time tech house of "That Soul" (feat MC Flipside).
Review: Say 'Toolroom' to most people these days and they'll perhaps think first of peak-time tech-house stompers, but there's always been more to the label than that. Their 'Poolside' series, for instance, has been showcasing the more lounge-y, soulful and/or disco-infused side of house since 2014, and if you're a fan of such styles then this latest installment, packing cuts from the likes of Opolopo, Random Soul, Sebb Junior, Per QX, Saison and Ross Couch plus a host of up-and-comers, is unlikely to disappoint. The jazz-funk nouveau of Opolopo's 'Ginsu Knife' and Vertigini's garage-tinged 'Over You' are among the highlights of a collection with nary a Pavlovian snare roll or cheesy rave stab in sight.
Review: Looking to inject a much needed dose of meaning and longevity into the world of dance music, Toolroom chief Mark Knight presents his new album titled Untold Business. It features 13 tracks that hark back to the glory days of late '90s funky house, while incorporating influences of classic soul and disco records from the 1970s and '80s - styles he rediscovered when diving through his extensive collection. As the album cover indicates, collaboration is key, and you can bet there's an all-star cast providing quality support all across this one. Highlights come in the form of the sunny and uplifting opening cut "Everything's Gonna Be Alright" featuring glorious vocals from Beverley Knight and London Community Gospel Choir, or when Knight teams up with industry veteran Michael Gray (Full Intention) on the infectiously low-slung groove of "Love Is All We're Living For" featuring Gia, while more positive vibes come from the late night boogie- down vibe of the title track featuring Chicago legend Gene Farris (with Jafunk on the mic) and label alumnus D. Ramirez lending a helping hand with the moody jack of early Chicago influenced number "Pass It Up" - featuring the one and only Robert Owens.
