Where Music Matters: Toolroom 2003-2023

In many ways, 2003 was the worst possible year to start a dance music label. Vinyl sales were on a death-spiral, distributors were going down like flies, and the superclub triumphalism of the late 90s had finally waned. But this was in fact the year Mark and Stuart Knight made the leap. Two brothers from an unremarkable town an hour south of London, turning a record label born in a converted family Tool-shed, into one of the most powerful global brands in House music. Where Music Matters: Toolroom 2003-2023 is a visual and written history of a label, that over the last twenty years, has defined a sound. Collecting stories from renowned artists, industry veterans, label staff and of course the Knight brothers themselves, this book tells the tale of how Toolroom scaled a music business against all the odds. From being held at gunpoint by a disgruntled graphic designer, to being the first dance music brand to sell out Brixton Academy. From turning their backs on the riches of the EDM explosion, through to innovating dance music education. Where Music Matters: Toolroom 2003-2023 also offers a wider commentary of how the role of a record label has evolved over the past two decades, from specialist, vinyl-based independents through to complex, multi-faceted music brands. Concluding with a polemic from label founder Mark Knight about the musical and ethical crossroads the industry finds itself in, this is a wide-ranging and entertaining snapshot of dance music culture over the past twenty years.