Hailing from the underground of New Yorkâs 90âs rave scene as a teenage resident at the legendary Tunnel club, Cheyne Christian has been captivating dance floors the world over as a selector of all things tribal, Latin, and Afro house. Read more
UK label boss, DJ and producer Mark Knight steps up to deliver this week’s Global Vibe Radio mix.
Mark Knight returns to his house music roots, and his most recent track “If It’s Love” goes back to basics with classic house music elements; something he feels has been compromised due to the industry’s fast-paced environment. “Writing songs that have a bit more depth [and] that are really focused on the fundamentals of songwriting: great hooks, great melodies and meaningful lyrics,” explains Knight when talking about the inspiration for his new release. Going back to his soulful roots, Mark Knight’s latest record that features stellar vocalists Laura Davie and The Melody Men gives the world an extra dose of feel-good vibes just what it needed as it grapples with COVID-19. Read more
Led by its founder, DJ, and GRAMMY-nominated producer Mark Knight, Toolroom Stateside continues its club takeovers this November. After a summer that saw the authoritative dance music label make its triumphant return to Ibiza for seventeen successful weeks at Eden Ibiza, Toolroom heads back to the west coast at Exchange LA, celebrating its 9th anniversary, on Saturday, November 23. With earlier tour stops including sold-out New York and San Francisco takeovers, label head Mark Knight returns for his first LA appearance in nearly a year with Toolroomâs latest rising stars, as both DJ Mag favorites Leftwing : Kody and tastemaker Danny Howard join Mixmagâs “New Artist To Watch” Wheats to round up the lineup. A driving force of the underground sound, attendees can expect to hear its trademark sound on the road.
With an illustrious career spanning nearly two decades, Mark Knight is one of dance musicâs most respected and accomplished artists. As one of Beatportâs highest selling artists overall and a fixture on the international club and festival circuit with appearances at The BPM Festival, Tomorrowland, Ultra Music Festival, and much more, the Toolroom label head has been a guiding light in dance music. A heavyweight favorite amongst US dance music fans, Mark Knight brings UK duo Leftwing : Kody, whose track âI Feel Itâ became one of the summerâs biggest house records, and new rising talent Wheats. Newly relaunching his imprint Nothing Else Matters, and joining up for the LA stop of Toolroom Stateside, DJ/producer Danny Howard has been an influential figure on the BBC Radio 1 airwaves since 2011 and continues to be a highly regarded selector as a new addition to the stationâs Friday night lineup alongside Annie Mac and Pete Tong.
Recently celebrating the 500th episode of Toolroom Radio and its fifteen-year anniversary with a world tour in 2018, Toolroom has continued its dominance well into 2019. Boasting the title of Beatportâs âhighest selling label of 2018,â the label continues to be an influential outlet in dance music with recent releases including Kevin Knapp and Hannnah Wants chart-topping collaboration âCall Me,â Wheatsâ âBy Myselfâ and Mark Knightâs newest edit for C.O.Tâs âLet It Go.â With 2019 shaping up to be another landmark year, Toolroom continues to push its roster of leading dance music producers with names including Jack Back, Eli Brown, Friend Within, Illyus & Barrientos and much more.
Bringing an authentic dance music experience to Exchange for its 9th anniversary celebrations, attendees of the Los Angeles stop can look forward to hearing the current sound from one of the worldâs leading house and tech-house labels.
Ahead of the show, we asked Wheats to share six United States-inspired tracks with our readers
Over the last few months, the amount of quality music released, unearthed and championed by Toolroom has been, quite frankly, ridiculous. So in a break from tradition, the UKâs finest electronic music imprint has announced a second volume of its coveted Ibiza compilation.
Toolroomâs Ibiza compilations are already stuff of legends, responsible for soundtracking thousands of music fansâ summers both on and off the White Isle. But this year there was simply too much music to put out just one collection, so for anyone craving another dose of beats, basslines, poolside anthems and club-ready cuts, summer 2019 is looking up.
If youâve stepped into any club over the last year, chances are youâve heard a Wheats record playing. In a very short space of time, this exciting new artist has gone from bedroom producer and hometown club resident to singed to world-renowned record labels such as Saved, Toolroom, Repopulate Mars, Sola and more, enjoying the support of DJs as varied as Solardo, Alan Fitzpatrick and Calvin Harris.
Originally inspired by his father – a dedicated vinyl collector and a former DJ himself – Wheats had an understanding and passion for the scene before heâd even stepped foot into a nightclub. By the age of 18, heâd successfully secured local gigs in his hometown of Portsmouth, gaining a residency at Love Amplified, and then getting booked at the huge festival in the area, Mutiny.
It was actually here he met New York legend, Kerri Chandler. After listening to Wheatsâ demos on the spot, Kerri went on to play two of his tracks in that very set, impressing him so much that Kerri went onto sign him to MadTech. Kerri Chandler still continues to support Wheats and theyâve built up a long-standing relationship since. He was spotted by Toolroom boss Mark Knight from a simple demo submission and as soon as the team heard it, they knew he was going to be a massive success. With tracks like âKassiaâ, âWarrior Wallâ and âOriginal Rebelâ tearing up dancefloors all over the globe, Wheats continues to impress with every release, showcasing a truly playable big room sound that doesnât just copy current trends.
âHis story is one of determination, hard work and drive. Every single one of his tracks goes off in my sets. He understands the job of these tracks and he just totally gets the label. 2019 is going to be his yearââ Mark Knight
From playing the likes of Elrow, Studio 338, Egg LDN, to now as far afield as Miami, Tokyo, Berlin and Montreal, plus this summer’s Ibiza residency for Toolroom at Eden, heâs got serious experience under his belt already, despite having only released music for two years.
Heading straight to the White Isle for another dose of blissed-out, feel-good beats, Toolroom Records welcomes the renowned Opolopo to curate and mix Poolside Ibiza 2019.
Opolopo’s impressive musical career spans over two decades, covering the spectrum of Funk, Soul and House. With releases on prestigious labels such as Om, Tru Thoughts, Local Talk, Z Records, Especial, and a DJ diary spanning destinations from London to Tokyo, he has the perfect musical pedigree to create this ultimate soundtrack to the summer.
Since forming in 2012, Leftwing : Kody have gone on to become one of the UKâs finest exports. Both Mixmag and DJ Mag have selected them as artists to watch a mere year after they paired up, with DJ Mag even nominating them for âBest Breakthrough DJâ in their Best of British Awards.
In the last year alone, they were named as Beatportâs #22 best-selling artist in 2018, as well as notching up releases on Desolat, Relief, Moon Harbour, Sola, Toolroom, Solid Grooves, Truesoul, Sony & Lost.
Earlier this year they put out “I Feel It on Toolroom:, which is shaping up to be one of the biggest house records in Ibiza this season.
We caught up with the duo to talk about their rapid rise, how that’s affected their partnership, upcoming releases and plans for the future.
