The team behind Toolroom Records have pledged to “find, nurture and develop artists” to boost UK club culture, as the company has opened its new London headquarters.
The dance label, which also works across label services and management, has relocated from Kent, moving into a custom recording studio hub in Shoreditch, East London. The new premises will support all operations across Toolroom Records and Toolroom Academy, the firm’s platform for developing emerging acts.
“The HQ is more than just an office,” says co-founder Mark Knight. “The original concept of the label was to be a kind of music factory, and that’s exactly what this new home for Toolroom is.”
We need to build on momentum in a way that matches the values Toolroom is built on
Stuart Knight, Toolroom Records
Fellow co-founder Stuart Knight said that a move to London was a natural next step for Toolroom, which was founded 22 years ago.
“We’ve never felt constrained by the indie model, but we’re growing so fast that we need to be able to cater for that growth, to build on momentum in a way that matches the values Toolroom is built on,” he said.
Team Toolroom at work in the new HQ
Toolroom was named the No.1 selling label on Beatport in 2023 and 2024, while its release highlights include Weiss’ Feel My Needs, which has 753,685 sales to date, according to the Official Charts Company. Other key successes include Leftwing & Kody’s I Feel It (284,885 sales) and Mark Knight & Armand Van Helden’s The Music Began To Play 54,633.
The company’s in-house labels include Toolroom, Toolroom Trax, Love & Other, Zerothree and Fool’s Paradise, while it handles label services for Danny Howard’s Nothing Else Matters, Kaluki, Martin Ikin’s Know Where and Flamenca. The management roster comprises Martin Ikin, Essel, Crusy, Tony Romera and Cassimm.
The original concept of the label was to be a music factory, and that’s exactly what this new home for Toolroom is
Mark Knight, Toolroom Records
“Terms like ‘A&R’ and ‘artist development’ get thrown around casually, however we pride ourselves on our commitment to spotting and working closely with artists,” said music director George Ankrett. “Our London studios are an extension of this, where artists flourish and create alongside the guidance and knowledge we provide.”
COO Miles Shackleton and commercial director Jamie Kemp also sit on Toolroom’s senior team, while the entire staff comprises 22 full-time employees.
Producer Luke Hemmings aka Ellis Moss in the HQ's studio
Shackleton points to the success of the Toolroom Academy as a key part of their story.
“We focus on creating great music that becomes a tangible part of club culture, and we’ve never shied away from signing and developing new talent from scratch,” he says. Those qualities have directly led to us succeeding in the educational space, more so than any label out there, and the Toolroom Academy has turbo-charged our business growth over the past five years.”
Toolroom act Essel
As they look ahead to their expansive new era, the team plan to nurture emerging talent at the new headquarters, where Toolroom Academy alumni Lewis John and Ellis Moss are in-house engineers alongside James Hurr.
“We’ve always had a very clear vision for Toolroom: understanding what you are enables you to understand what you can be,” Stu Knight sums up.
“The chart wins, our events, the Academy, these are only possible because we know what our sound is, and we haven’t deviated from that,” offers Miles Shackleton.
Knight adds: “We’re still obsessed with the mission we originally started with – to make amazing club records for DJs.”
Read more about Toolroom’s future in the September issue of Music Week, on sale now.
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