Toolroom 黑胶唱片和CD

Review: Toolroom has gone from underground house label to one of the UK's most successful and large scale dance brands. They keep on serving up the sort of hits that become big festival anthems and this is another one, with new school Chicago artist Gene Farris paired off with ATFC for big, rollicking piano house sounds on 'Spirit of House.' 'R U' then gets more tech edged and sweaty on a big synth loop and walls of drums, while 'Tech House Kinda Thing' is a supersized tune designed to do plenty of damage. There is real funk and soul in the cut up and filtered vocal loops of closer 'Not Enough.'

Review: Everyone's favourite house label Toolroom is back with another edition of its stellar VIP Edits series. This one features the mighty Flashmob with the powerfully uplifting house of 'Closer' on the A side, followed by the loved-up euphoria of GotSome & George Kwali's "In The Dark". Over on the flip, put your hands up for the Detroit feels of Chaney's 'Back To Me" (feat Laura Davie - VIP edit) and Dombresky serving up some late night mood music on "Do You Remember" (feat Camden Cox).

Review: As Toolroom only puts out a small percentage of their releases on vinyl, those given the wax treatment tend to be anthems in waiting. Martin Ikin's 'You', featuring some seriously loved-up, glassy-eyed lead vocals from Chenai, certainly sounds like a future classic. Shamelessly positive and life-affirming, 'You' is a turn-of-the-90s style piano house workout with added 21st century weight, a few disco-house style filters and a raw, stabbing bassline. The cheery vocal version (side A) comes back by a quite different Dub mix. This opts for a darker, chunkier big room sound - all wobbly riffs, pulsing electronic noises, cut up vocal snippets and mind-mangling motifs - that should delight all those who love Toolroom's trademark sound.

Review: Martin Ikin has got a massive history in club music, whether dealing in jungle as Mayhem or slamming into the charts with Ultrasound. He's back on his regular stomping ground of Toolroom with 'How I Feel', a huge house cut with Hayley May on vocals. The 'extended mix' is a feel good slice of piano-pumping party gear pitched at the radio as much as the dancefloor, and MK knows exactly what to do with it when dropping his headsy 'Dub' mix. Biscuits creates a big room tech house mood to open up the B side before we drop back into the original 'vocal' which puts May's voice right to the front of the mix.

Review: Clean-cut Scottish producer Kerr Slaven has been touted as a rising star for some time, though it's only since joining Toolroom in 2019 that he's come close to fulfilling his immense potential. 'Cold Light', his latest single for Mark Knight's much-loved imprint, has all the makings of a genuine crossover hit, with Leo Stannard's evocative, emotive vocals rising above an attractive blend of funk-fuelled house beats, rubbery electronic bass, dreamy chords and jaunty synth stabs. This accessible, radio-friendly blend is given a big room makeover on the accompanying 'Club Mix', a boisterous, sub-bass-heavy affair rich in jacking tribal drums and big builds, while the '6am Mix' re-casts the cut as a melancholic, soft-touch Balearic pop treat.

Review: Uk label Toolroom has become one of the most prominent in the world and a real entry point into dance music for younger ears. Mark Knight has worked tirelessly to make that happen and now he's been busy in the studio cooking up a cross over hit with horns desired to be heard on the most sun kissed dance floor's this summer. It's got plenty of well known samples, rolling drum beats and diva vocals that will have you emptying your lungs. The Danny Howard remix is a little more tense and late night for when the sun drops and things get more heads down.