Toolroom Knights Vol 1 is the first compilation to come out of the esteemed house label Toolroom. Mark Knight is the head honcho of Toolroom, an impressive up and coming label that reads like a who’s who of the latest and greatest electro and house producers on the planet, with guys like Seamus Haji, D. Ramirez, Fedde le Grand, Martijn Ten Velden and Paul Harris on their books. It’s the latter two that masterfully piece together this double-disc debut compilation.

Martijn Ten Velden takes the reins on the first half of the album and brilliantly opens with his single, Into (I Wish You Would). This lays the foundations for what is a stellar set from the Dutchman with 13 tracks of the latest upfront, big room, driving electro house. Ten Velden productions dominate the first disc with Intro (I Wish You Would) getting two runs, the original followed by the Hook & Sling remix. In addition to this his collaboration with Lucien Foort, Bassification, closes out the disc brilliantly. He also includes his own remix of Blow That Door by WVP Presents Fresh & Juicy, while sneaking one in under his Splitter guise with All Alone.

The Hook & Sling Remix of Intro (I Wish You Would) is just one of many highlights on this disc, with More Grey Than Blue, Damage and Dark Horse all smashing selections. But by far my favourite is the penultimate track on the disc, Cicada by Justin Martin. It’s a devastatingly brilliant electro house anthem that oozes a dancefloor aroma and would just go down ever so well at 3am in the main room; it’s an absolute weapon.

As the brains behind Dirty Vegas, Paul Harris has some serious talent. Days Go By is still one of my all-time favourite tunes and is true reflection of the production prowess held by Harris. In addition to this, Harris also teamed up with fellow Dirty Vegas producer Ben Harris (no relation) to production a couple of killer tunes under the guises Hydrogen Rockers and H-Two. Don’t Be Silent by Superbass kicks things off on an almost ambient tech-electro tip. It’s very minimal to start with, and it’s not until the Lifelike Mix of When You Love Someone by Ny-lon feat. Kate Smith that the disc explodes beautifully into life. It’s truly a beautiful anthem. It’s the sort of song you want to hear at Field Day when it’s 5pm in the afternoon and there’s a clear sky above, the sun is shining, the music is playing and you’re in complete state of euphoria.

Toolroom Knights stable mate Dave Spoon has his latest production This Machine given a reworking by electro house production extraordinaire, Tom Neville, and Pan America is also a seriously catchy tune, the sort of track that will have you popping your head and tapping your feet, no matter where you are. There are a few solid selections on this disc but none more so than Couldn’t Love You More by The Factory. A deep, driving, electro house number that just builds and builds and builds; with its big main room sound. Unlike the flawless first disc there are a few questionable inclusions in Harris’s set, with The That Acid Track and Strike Me Down. However the album ends on a high note dripping with quality with the penultimate track Love Sick leading into the Danny Howells remix of Waiting For You.

In summary, this really is a worthy selection and a damn good investment. The house lovers will be covered with a solid spread of the latest from one of the scene’s best labels, and there’s enough balls through the first disc to keep those electro lovers pleased. While Harris’s disc is a bit hit and miss in spots, Ten Velden’s is one for the ages. Toolroom Knights might not be a big name in the compilation world now, but if this compilation is anything to go by, it sure does have a big future amongst the house heavy-hitters of the world.