Mixed By Mark Knight 2.0: Toolroom Knights (Toolroom)

By Muna Noor  •  06 May 2009 in Music

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Just when you think you know an artist, they creep up on you with something a little out of the ordinary and leave you scratching your head. Toolroom Knights mixed by Mark Knight 2.0, is less about stealth and more of a full on frontal attack that will hammer through any previous boundaries you may have created for the Toolroom Records chief.

The latest Toolroom Knights mix comp sees its label head honcho get behind the controls and fire off a result that will burst your ear drums, pummel your dancing feet and have you thanking him for it. All this as he treats you to an EDM feast sourced from the deepest, and most obscure corners of Mark’s own personal Toolroom. Yum.

CD1 begins with the sweet summery vibes of ‘Break Up’ by Sasse before the infectious horns of ‘Parklife’ and the contagious beats of Audiofly’s ‘1999’ take over. Mark’s first appearance as remixer on ‘Save Us’ sees the mood shift gear, propelling the mix to peak to tech house heights, quickly followed by a series of exclusive tracks recorded especially for this compilation.

Adam S provides twisted military funk before Mark returns with the gushing warmth of ‘Mannheim’, a tribute to the city all about the groove, and ‘Club Politics’, Mark’s ode to the aspects of clubland we could all do without. By now the speakers have blown and the ice cannon (we have one in the office, don’t you?) has run dry, but the cavalry arrives in a sequence of climaxing minimal tech attacks before the monstrous ‘Phat Planet’, revisited by Mark and Toolroom buddy Funkagenda, sends you sprinting to the finish line of a frenzied mix.

CD2 enters deep house territory, courtesy of Soul Minority, and the yet to be released bliss of ‘Lisbon Sunrise’ by S Groove. More exclusives from Funkagenda, in the form of relentless atmospheric techier ‘Do Geese See God’ and the more classic Toolroom sounding ‘Breakwater’ sharpen the tension and reveal Toolroom Knights’ dark side. There is industrial techno throb, Tiger Stripes style, pulsating loops from Bedrock boys, Digweed and Muir, as well as yet another unseen track, in the shape of D-Formation’s melodic anthem ‘Signs and Portents 09’. Somewhat fittingly, the finale sees the mighty Faithless with ‘Music Matters’, Toolroom Record’s 100th release with Mark himself on typical stellar remix duty.

If you think you know Mark Knight and Toolroom, both have thrown down the gauntlet and challenge you to think again. Toolroom Knights Mixed by Mark Knight 2.0 is a challenge to your senses, it’ll make you soar on a seemingly endless rhythm before dropping you into a pool of electronic tech, then teasing to rescue you with an elusive crescendo. Toolroom Knights Mixed By Mark Knight is out 1 June on Toolroom Records. Here’s the tracklisting.

CD1
Sasse ‘Break Up’
Ragga Fonda ‘Libell’
Andre Crom & Luca Doobie ‘Parklife’
Audiofly ‘1999’
Black Science Orchestra ‘Save Us’ (Mark Knight’s Rulin’ Mix)
Saeed Younan ‘Kumbalha’
Adam S ‘What’s Occurring’
Mark Knight ‘Mannheim’
Hedgetrimerz ‘Do You Feel It’ (Acapella)
Mark Knight ft. Dan Diamond ‘Club Politics’
Matteo DiMarr ‘Addicted’
Mark Mendes & Mike Jacinto ‘Relic’
Kalva & Paul Thomas ‘Rizer’
Richard Dinsdale & D-Unity ‘Monday Evils’
Leftfield ‘Phat Planet’ (Mark Knight & Funkagenda Remix)

CD2
Soul Minority ‘A Soul Thing’
Matt Masters ‘Deep Or What’ (Milton Jackson Remix)
S Groove ‘Lisbon Sunrise’
Funkagenda ‘Do Geese See God’
Workidz & Randall ‘Delta 51’
Funkagenda ‘Breakwater’ (Dataworx Code Mix)
Alan Fitzpatrick ‘Amsterdam’
Foremost Poets ‘Moonraker’ (Acapella)
Ismael Rivas & Luis Damora ‘Black State’ (Steve Nocerino Remix)
Tiger Stripes ‘Heat’
John Digweed & Nick Muir ‘Aquatonic’ (Alan Fitzpatrick Remix)
X-Press 2 ‘Smoke Machine’ (Acapella)
Wolfgang Gartner & Francis Preve  ‘Yin’
D-Formation ‘Signs & Portents 09’ (Original Rework Part 1)
Faithless ‘Music Matters ft. Cass Fox’ (Mark Knight Remix)