STREAMING AUDIO INTERVIEW

The monolithic rise of Toolroom Records to become one of the world’s greatest house music labels has been both swift and masterfully executed. The imprint’s big-room house sound is accessible enough to reach an ever-increasing audience, yet it still carries enough of an edge to keep its sense of underground credibility. How many other labels have been quite so successful in straddling that line?

And leading the charge is founder/owner Mark Knight, a man who seems to be able to handle the concurrent duties of running a successful record label, keeping up with a hectic international DJ schedule while also maintaining a constant stream of cutting-edge studio work, without even breaking a sweat. The man is quite simply a gun. All of this is captured in Mark’s latest Toolroom Knights mix compilation, just in time for the Ibiza summer season. Like the label itself, the compilation captures nearly every different face of house music in a united front, spanning across soul, funk, electro, progressive and techno. Without overstating things, it’s easily one of the finest dance compilations to reach the shelves this year.

“What you want to do is suck people in with a nice groove, and then subtly start building it, building it and building it and weaving between the styles,” Mark told ITM. “It’s good to be able to put all sorts of different things in there instead of just one style. Hopefully I’ve nailed that idea.”

If you’ve not already come fallen under the shadow of the Toolroom Records empire, you won’t be able to avoid it for much longer, as it was revealed earlier this month they’re planning a calculated attack on Australia’s festivals shortly (read about it here). ITM’s Angus Paterson talks to Toolroom Records leader Mark Knight about world domination, and how he’s forming house music’s united front.

Toolroom Knights, mixed by Mark Knight 2.0 is out now in Australia through Onelove. Check out Part 2 of ITM’s interview with Mark Knight!