Review: Mark Knight & Co.round out the year with 'Best Of Toolroom 2020', a 50 track compilation delivering a collection of the label's biggest releases from the year that was into one package. Boss man Knight teams up with Rene Amesz on the year's most massive funky house tune "All 4 Love" (feat. Tasty Lopez) with other highlights coming from: Carl Cox on his stomping heads-down rework of Kevin Knapp & Hannah Wants "Call Me", the anthemic and utterly uplifting soul of legends Gene Farris & ATFC's "Spirit of House" plus the return of the legendary American vocalist Ann Nesby - whose unmistakable voice dominates LEFTI's "Rejuvenate". There's also the worthy addition of two continuous mixes by Mr Knight himself. 'Best Of Toolroom 2020' delivers the perfect annual sign off, as the label prepares for yet another landmark year in 2021.
Review: Since launching last spring, Lootbeg's A Friend In Need label has established itself as a reliable source of deep house/disco fusion, delivering the kind of heady, loopy material that was once the preserve of the Dikso and Instruments of Rapture imprints. No Jacket Required, the Leipzig-based label's first compilation, tells the story so far. There's plenty to get excited about throughout, from the smooth, Balearic-inclined grooves of MermaidS, and the sumptuous loop disco deepness of 78 Edits' "I'll Be Here For You", to the fluttering acid lines, enveloping pads and eyes-closed grooves of Gregory Dub's "Acid Spacejam". Even more impressive is the contribution from Buzz Compass, which offers a decidedly summery deep house revision of a Terry Callier classic.
