DJ, producer, label owner and businessman: Mark Knight has proven a rare and wonderful breed of musical heavyweight. The second highest-selling Beatport artist of all time (with no less than eight No.1’s) his career has spanned more than a decade, with releases on a diverse range of labels such as Suara, 1605, Stereo and of course his own Toolroom. Despite his success, the Grammy-nominated artist has never rested on the laurels of being one of the industry’s most respected and accomplished international players, and continues to push boundaries and set new standards with each year that passes.
Armed with a musical library that knows no boundaries, a consistent run of hits and chart-topping ventures alike, the success of Knight’s recording career is matched only by the credibility and integrity maintained throughout his discography to date. Heard through a spread of anthems (‘Man With The Red Face,’ ‘Alright’, ‘Downpipe’) along with producing bands such as Faithless and Underworld has sealed a diverse musical heritage for the accomplished producer. It’s music for passion, not numbers, and it’s what Mark Knight does best.
2015 was a landmark year for Mark Knight. His track ‘Second Story’ on Suara was crowned an Essential New Tune by Radio 1’s Pete Tong, and went on to be one of the biggest records of the summer: another welcome accolade from the national broadcaster following Mark’s induction into Radio 1’s Hall of Fame earlier in the year.
Last year also saw the release of ‘A Year In The Life’: a collection of highlights from Mark’s illustrious career. All proceeds were donated to the children’s charity War Child, while alongside the album, a feature-length fly-on-the-wall documentary – filmed over the space of an entire year – was released in January 2016.
2016 has already marked some of Mark Knight’s strongest work to date. The key mantra has been about Mark stripping back his music and going back to his roots, creating more underground, club ready tracks. Mark has certainly achieved this through his sound and the labels in which he will be releasing on over the year, taking a step back from Toolroom from an artists perspective for the first time in over a decade.
Founded in 2004 and responsible for championing a wealth of talent from across the industry spectrum, the award-winning Toolroom Records will of course remain a key component in the life and times of Mark Knight. Having spearheaded the label’s new direction over the past few years as part of their pivotal #RESET campaign, Knight continues to have a leading role within one of the UK’s biggest independent record labels.
Notable in 2016 is the label’s shift to focus less on singles and more on developing artists and releasing albums: one of Mark’s major priorities for the year. Toolroom has dominated the Beatport charts for over a decade with its forward-thinking house and techno releases, but with album projects coming up from Adrian Hour and Weiss now looks set to embark on a new chapter in its continuing evolution.
Alongside his bountiful studio output, Knight has continued to grow his much loved radio presence, with Toolroom Radio now reaching over 13.5 million people in 60 countries across the world, all tuning in each week to hear Mark’s records of choice, while on iTunes Toolroom Radio was recently named in the top 20 most influential podcast by Digital Music News based on number of subscribers. Knight also remains a firm fixture on the worldwide touring circuit with a number of key residencies around the world under the Toolroom Live banner and performances at dance music bastions Space Ibiza and Amnesia as well as a host of landmark festivals. With all this in mind, it’s no wonder the Toolroom man has deservedly maintained his status as an indispensable asset to modern dance music.