Hi Mark, can you tell us what you are up to right now?
Right now I’m on honeymoon, lying by our own pool in Dubai and it’s about 35 degrees - not trying to rub it in or anything ;-)... I've sneaked 10 mins on the computer to quickly answer your questions.
How has the summer been for you?
I can honestly say it’s been one of the best yet, Ibiza has been amazing. All the shows have been really busy and the atmosphere fantastic. In addition to Ibiza I've done some GREAT festivals - the highlights would have to be closing the main stage at Dance Valley (Holland) and of course hosting our very own Toolroom Knights arena at London's SW4. Nothing like playing to your home crowd.
Your latest Toolroom Knights 3.0 album is out on 27th September, what was the idea behind the compilation?
The compilation is a real statement of where I'm at musically right now. I wanted to follow a similar format that I’ve done in the past with the other two comps and create a musical journey on both CDs. I really feel a mix compilation should tell a story and have a start, middle and end - not just a collection of big club tracks. This compilation includes lots of my own material (productions and remixes); in fact there are two exclusive tracks on there that I wrote specifically for this album (‘Natural Instinct’ & ‘Headers & Volleys’), as well as the track I co-produced with Faithless, 'Sun To Me' - not available to download anywhere else (you can pre-order a copy from iTunes here).
You're going to be playing one of your legendary 7-hour sets at the Toolroom Knights 4th Birthday at Ministry of Sound on October 2nd, what can we expect to hear from you?
7-hour sets are when I feel that I really come alive as a DJ - my sound, which is reflected in my productions, covers a lot of styles within its musical parameters. With extended sets you really get the opportunity to weave between those styles and make the journey your own. I get totally immersed in these longer extended sets and become one with the crowd, again telling a musical story with a start, middle and end. We've also put a lot effort in with extra production and lighting in the Box especially for the night, so it'll be a visual experience as well as an aural one.
Given the choice, do you prefer the longer sets or shorter sets?
Without a doubt longer sets - for all the reasons above.
Toolroom Knights continues to go from strength to strength, what’s the secret?
Good music, a great crowd and the whole party has a real organic feel about it. We started from humble beginnings in the Bar at Ministry of Sound with a crowd that was predominantly made up of our friends, and have really worked to make it grow while staying true to our roots. Everybody involved in Toolroom Knights is very down to earth - there's no room for divas or bullshit. Lots of parties have become autonomous by hiding behind brands, and have lost the feel of regulars and faces, where everybody knows everybody. We want people to feel connected to the night and part of the movement. This is their party as much as ours.
What can we look forward to from you for the rest of the year?
I’ve talked about doing a good artist album for the last 3 years, now it's time to finally knuckle down and finish it. So far I’m really happy about it – I’ll tell you more over the next couple of months. In addition to studio time, touring is as hectic as ever with Ibiza closing parties still to come, there's 2 big tours of the States in the diary, another trip to South America, a tour of Asia...actually, I don’t think there's a weekend off until Christmas, and even then I’ve got a gig on Boxing day! But I'm loving EVERY minute of it.
Can you give us a sneak peek into what’s in store for Toolroom for the rest of the year?
Look out for big releases from myself and Tiesto (we hooked up to write a monster, which I’ve been road testing throughout the summer). I can’t wait to drop that one! Also, look out for releases from Toolroom Knights heavy hitters D. Ramirez, Michael Woods and EDX. The release schedule looks super phat for the back end of the year. For more info checkwww.djmarkknight.com or follow me on Twitter for daily updates and silly banter!