<\/p>\n
Mark Knight joins us to share his excitement for the upcoming show in Toronto, what keeps him motivated, and what\u2019s next.<\/strong><\/h2>\n
\nAfter celebrating two decades last year, Toolroom Records<\/strong> is returning to Toronto<\/strong>\u2019s Sunnyside Pavilion<\/strong> on Saturday, August 29<\/strong>. Toolroom\u2019s head, Mark Knight<\/a><\/strong>, along with Tony Romera<\/strong>, Hatiras<\/strong>, and Addy<\/strong>, join for an open-air show that brings the label\u2019s sound to one of the city\u2019s vibiest summer spaces.<\/p>\nThe event brings one of house music\u2019s most recognized labels to the perfect setting. Sunnyside\u2019s lakeside location and early evening start time create a different environment from a dark club in the early hours of the morning. As the sun starts to set, the crowd can expect a set with room for experimentation before the energy builds later in the night.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the show, we caught up with Mark Knight to chat about his return to Toronto, adapting to Sunnyside\u2019s waterfront setting, and what still inspires him after more than two decades in house music. Grab tickets to the show via TicketWeb<\/a> and read on for the full interview!<\/p>\n
\nHey Mark, thank you so much for joining us today. Let\u2019s jump into it!<\/strong> You\u2019re getting ready to go back to Sunnyside Pavilion in Toronto. Anything specific you are excited about for this year\u2019s show?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200b\u200bPleasure. Thanks for having me. Yeah, absolutely. I really enjoyed it last year. Sunnyside is just a great setting for this kind of party, right on the water, outdoors, and when you\u2019ve got good weather and everyone\u2019s up for it, it\u2019s a brilliant place to play.<\/p>\n
\u200bThis year we\u2019re coming back with Toolroom, and we\u2019ve got Tony Romera, Hatiras, and Addy on the bill, so musically it makes a lot of sense as well. Hatiras obviously has that Toronto connection, and Tony\u2019s been a really important part of what we\u2019re doing at Toolroom, so it feels like a proper label party rather than me just flying in, doing my set and leaving. I\u2019m really looking forward to it.<\/p>\n
\u200bHow does Toronto\u2019s crowd and the venue\u2019s energy compare with other places you play regularly?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bToronto\u2019s always been a really good city for me. What I can say about Sunnyside is that the setting definitely gives the party its own character. You\u2019re outside, you\u2019re by the lake, it\u2019s a summer crowd, and the whole thing starts earlier, so naturally it feels different from walking into a dark club at one in the morning. The music has a bit more room to breathe.<\/p>\n![\"Toolroom](\"https:\/\/edmidentity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/TR-Banner-copy.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\u200bHow do you approach an open-air, waterfront show compared to a late-night club set? Does the environment change how you play?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bOh, massively. You\u2019ve got to be aware of where you are and what time you\u2019re playing. That\u2019s part of DJing.<\/p>\n
\u200bIf I\u2019m playing outdoors in the sunshine at seven or eight o\u2019clock, I\u2019m probably not going to approach it the same way as a two o\u2019clock set in a dark club. It doesn\u2019t mean you suddenly play completely different music, but you can lean into records with a bit more musicality, vocals, groove, things that suit that environment.<\/p>\n
\u200bAnd that\u2019s a side of house music I\u2019ve always loved anyway. Disco, soul, funk, US house, garage. So an outdoor summer show allows you to explore some of that without losing the energy. Then as it gets later, you can start tightening things up. I like having that journey available to me rather than starting at eleven straight away.<\/p>\n
\u200bAfter over 20 years in the scene, you\u2019ve seen house music change a lot. What inspires you the most right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bGood records. It sounds ridiculously simple, but that\u2019s genuinely it. I\u2019m still buying music, I\u2019m still listening to demos, I\u2019m still hearing young producers make something and thinking, \u201cHow the hell have they done that?\u201d I love that. You don\u2019t want to get to a point where you think you\u2019ve worked it all out, because you haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n
\u200bWhat I find particularly exciting at the moment is how much house music is drawing on its musical history again. You\u2019re hearing soul, disco, proper vocals, instrumentation, but it\u2019s being presented in a way that works for a contemporary dancefloor. That\u2019s obviously a big part of what I\u2019m doing with Fool\u2019s Paradise as well. There\u2019s so much incredible music to draw from, and I think younger producers are discovering that and interpreting it in their own way.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/edmidentity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mark-Knight-Press1750-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\u200bWhen you hear a record for the first time, what makes you stop and pay attention? Has that instinct changed over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bIt\u2019s pretty much always an idea. You can tell pretty quickly when somebody has actually got an idea for a record rather than just made a competent piece of production. And there\u2019s a massive difference between those two things.<\/p>\n
\u200bIt might be a vocal, a bassline, a hook, a sample, whatever. But what\u2019s the thing I\u2019m going to remember? If I\u2019ve listened to twenty records and yours is the one I\u2019m still humming ten minutes later, you\u2019ve done something right.<\/p>\n
Production standards are incredibly high now, so being technically brilliant isn\u2019t necessarily enough. Everyone has access to amazing tools. I\u2019d much rather hear a record with a brilliant idea that\u2019s maybe 80 percent there technically than something absolutely immaculate that says nothing. You can help somebody fix a mixdown. It\u2019s much harder to give them an original idea. I don\u2019t think that instinct has changed much. Maybe I\u2019m quicker at recognising it now!<\/p>\n
\u200bWhen you think about the next chapter for Toolroom, what feels most exciting or important to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bDeveloping the next generation of artists. That\u2019s massively important. We\u2019ve been doing Toolroom since 2003, and one of the reasons it\u2019s still interesting to me is that it can\u2019t just be about the same people making records forever. You\u2019ve got to keep finding new talent and, more importantly, actually help them develop.<\/p>\n
\u200bThat\u2019s where the Academy has become really important to us. It\u2019s not simply, \u201cHere\u2019s how you make a kick drum.\u201d It\u2019s helping producers understand what they\u2019re trying to say with their music, how to finish records, how to deal with a label, and ultimately how to build something sustainable.<\/p>\n
\u200bThen from an A&R point of view, I want Toolroom to continue having a very clear identity. I think labels matter when you trust them. You see the logo, and you\u2019ve got some idea of the quality and attitude of the record before you\u2019ve even heard it. We\u2019ve always worked hard at that, and I don\u2019t want to lose it.<\/p>\n![\"Mark](\"https:\/\/edmidentity.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/Mark-Knight-Press1782-1024x683.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\u200bYou have accomplished so much as a DJ, producer, and label founder. What are you still trying to prove to yourself creatively?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bI don\u2019t know if \u201cprove\u201d is necessarily how I think about it. I\u2019m still trying to make better records. That\u2019s the slightly annoying thing about making music. You finish something you\u2019re really pleased with, and then fairly quickly you\u2019re thinking about how the next one could be better.<\/p>\n
\u200bAnd my tastes are broad, so there\u2019s still loads I want to explore. Fool\u2019s Paradise has been really good for that because it\u2019s given me a very natural home for the soulful, disco and funk side of what I love. That\u2019s not some discovery for me; that\u2019s music I\u2019ve been into for years, but I\u2019ve now got a really focused outlet for it.<\/p>\n
I suppose the challenge is continuing to make records that actually have an identity. I never want to make something simply because that\u2019s what you\u2019re supposed to make at that particular moment. If I\u2019m going into the studio, there needs to be a reason for the record to exist.<\/p>\n
\u200bYou have spoken about trying to create more balance outside of music. What helps you stay grounded?<\/strong><\/p>\nIn one word: family.<\/p>\n
\u200bAnything you can share with us today, maybe upcoming shows or releases you\u2019re excited about?<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bWell, obviously Toronto is a big one. We\u2019re at Sunnyside Pavilion on August 29 with Tony Romera, Hatiras and Addy, which I\u2019m really looking forward to. And loads is happening musically. I\u2019ve just put out \u201cYebisah<\/strong>\u201d with Cristoph<\/strong> on Toolroom, which came out on August 21. I\u2019ve had a really busy year in the studio generally, with records like \u201cBad Man<\/strong>\u201d with Cutty Ranks<\/strong> and James Hurr<\/strong>, \u201cClap Your Hands<\/strong>\u201d with Wh0<\/strong>, and \u201cYou<\/strong>\u201d with Armand Van Helden <\/strong>and D. Ramirez<\/strong>. I\u2019m keeping busy!<\/p>\n\u200bThank you so much for your time today. Catch you at a show soon!<\/strong><\/p>\n\u200bAbsolute pleasure. See you in Toronto.<\/p>\n
Catch Tony Romera, Haitras, and Addy all sharing the stage in Toronto with Mark Knight on Saturday, August 29. Tickets are on sale via TicketWeb<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n
\nFollow Mark Knight:<\/strong><\/h5>\nWebsite<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0SoundCloud<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
The event brings one of house music\u2019s most recognized labels to the perfect setting. Sunnyside\u2019s lakeside location and early evening start time create a different environment from a dark club in the early hours of the morning. As the sun starts to set, the crowd can expect a set with room for experimentation before the energy builds later in the night.<\/p>\n
Ahead of the show, we caught up with Mark Knight to chat about his return to Toronto, adapting to Sunnyside\u2019s waterfront setting, and what still inspires him after more than two decades in house music. Grab tickets to the show via TicketWeb<\/a> and read on for the full interview!<\/p>\n Hey Mark, thank you so much for joining us today. Let\u2019s jump into it!<\/strong> You\u2019re getting ready to go back to Sunnyside Pavilion in Toronto. Anything specific you are excited about for this year\u2019s show?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200b\u200bPleasure. Thanks for having me. Yeah, absolutely. I really enjoyed it last year. Sunnyside is just a great setting for this kind of party, right on the water, outdoors, and when you\u2019ve got good weather and everyone\u2019s up for it, it\u2019s a brilliant place to play.<\/p>\n \u200bThis year we\u2019re coming back with Toolroom, and we\u2019ve got Tony Romera, Hatiras, and Addy on the bill, so musically it makes a lot of sense as well. Hatiras obviously has that Toronto connection, and Tony\u2019s been a really important part of what we\u2019re doing at Toolroom, so it feels like a proper label party rather than me just flying in, doing my set and leaving. I\u2019m really looking forward to it.<\/p>\n \u200bHow does Toronto\u2019s crowd and the venue\u2019s energy compare with other places you play regularly?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bToronto\u2019s always been a really good city for me. What I can say about Sunnyside is that the setting definitely gives the party its own character. You\u2019re outside, you\u2019re by the lake, it\u2019s a summer crowd, and the whole thing starts earlier, so naturally it feels different from walking into a dark club at one in the morning. The music has a bit more room to breathe.<\/p>\n \u200bHow do you approach an open-air, waterfront show compared to a late-night club set? Does the environment change how you play?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bOh, massively. You\u2019ve got to be aware of where you are and what time you\u2019re playing. That\u2019s part of DJing.<\/p>\n \u200bIf I\u2019m playing outdoors in the sunshine at seven or eight o\u2019clock, I\u2019m probably not going to approach it the same way as a two o\u2019clock set in a dark club. It doesn\u2019t mean you suddenly play completely different music, but you can lean into records with a bit more musicality, vocals, groove, things that suit that environment.<\/p>\n \u200bAnd that\u2019s a side of house music I\u2019ve always loved anyway. Disco, soul, funk, US house, garage. So an outdoor summer show allows you to explore some of that without losing the energy. Then as it gets later, you can start tightening things up. I like having that journey available to me rather than starting at eleven straight away.<\/p>\n \u200bAfter over 20 years in the scene, you\u2019ve seen house music change a lot. What inspires you the most right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bGood records. It sounds ridiculously simple, but that\u2019s genuinely it. I\u2019m still buying music, I\u2019m still listening to demos, I\u2019m still hearing young producers make something and thinking, \u201cHow the hell have they done that?\u201d I love that. You don\u2019t want to get to a point where you think you\u2019ve worked it all out, because you haven\u2019t.<\/p>\n \u200bWhat I find particularly exciting at the moment is how much house music is drawing on its musical history again. You\u2019re hearing soul, disco, proper vocals, instrumentation, but it\u2019s being presented in a way that works for a contemporary dancefloor. That\u2019s obviously a big part of what I\u2019m doing with Fool\u2019s Paradise as well. There\u2019s so much incredible music to draw from, and I think younger producers are discovering that and interpreting it in their own way.<\/p>\n \u200bWhen you hear a record for the first time, what makes you stop and pay attention? Has that instinct changed over the years?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bIt\u2019s pretty much always an idea. You can tell pretty quickly when somebody has actually got an idea for a record rather than just made a competent piece of production. And there\u2019s a massive difference between those two things.<\/p>\n \u200bIt might be a vocal, a bassline, a hook, a sample, whatever. But what\u2019s the thing I\u2019m going to remember? If I\u2019ve listened to twenty records and yours is the one I\u2019m still humming ten minutes later, you\u2019ve done something right.<\/p>\n Production standards are incredibly high now, so being technically brilliant isn\u2019t necessarily enough. Everyone has access to amazing tools. I\u2019d much rather hear a record with a brilliant idea that\u2019s maybe 80 percent there technically than something absolutely immaculate that says nothing. You can help somebody fix a mixdown. It\u2019s much harder to give them an original idea. I don\u2019t think that instinct has changed much. Maybe I\u2019m quicker at recognising it now!<\/p>\n \u200bWhen you think about the next chapter for Toolroom, what feels most exciting or important to you?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bDeveloping the next generation of artists. That\u2019s massively important. We\u2019ve been doing Toolroom since 2003, and one of the reasons it\u2019s still interesting to me is that it can\u2019t just be about the same people making records forever. You\u2019ve got to keep finding new talent and, more importantly, actually help them develop.<\/p>\n \u200bThat\u2019s where the Academy has become really important to us. It\u2019s not simply, \u201cHere\u2019s how you make a kick drum.\u201d It\u2019s helping producers understand what they\u2019re trying to say with their music, how to finish records, how to deal with a label, and ultimately how to build something sustainable.<\/p>\n \u200bThen from an A&R point of view, I want Toolroom to continue having a very clear identity. I think labels matter when you trust them. You see the logo, and you\u2019ve got some idea of the quality and attitude of the record before you\u2019ve even heard it. We\u2019ve always worked hard at that, and I don\u2019t want to lose it.<\/p>\n \u200bYou have accomplished so much as a DJ, producer, and label founder. What are you still trying to prove to yourself creatively?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bI don\u2019t know if \u201cprove\u201d is necessarily how I think about it. I\u2019m still trying to make better records. That\u2019s the slightly annoying thing about making music. You finish something you\u2019re really pleased with, and then fairly quickly you\u2019re thinking about how the next one could be better.<\/p>\n \u200bAnd my tastes are broad, so there\u2019s still loads I want to explore. Fool\u2019s Paradise has been really good for that because it\u2019s given me a very natural home for the soulful, disco and funk side of what I love. That\u2019s not some discovery for me; that\u2019s music I\u2019ve been into for years, but I\u2019ve now got a really focused outlet for it.<\/p>\n I suppose the challenge is continuing to make records that actually have an identity. I never want to make something simply because that\u2019s what you\u2019re supposed to make at that particular moment. If I\u2019m going into the studio, there needs to be a reason for the record to exist.<\/p>\n \u200bYou have spoken about trying to create more balance outside of music. What helps you stay grounded?<\/strong><\/p>\n In one word: family.<\/p>\n \u200bAnything you can share with us today, maybe upcoming shows or releases you\u2019re excited about?<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bWell, obviously Toronto is a big one. We\u2019re at Sunnyside Pavilion on August 29 with Tony Romera, Hatiras and Addy, which I\u2019m really looking forward to. And loads is happening musically. I\u2019ve just put out \u201cYebisah<\/strong>\u201d with Cristoph<\/strong> on Toolroom, which came out on August 21. I\u2019ve had a really busy year in the studio generally, with records like \u201cBad Man<\/strong>\u201d with Cutty Ranks<\/strong> and James Hurr<\/strong>, \u201cClap Your Hands<\/strong>\u201d with Wh0<\/strong>, and \u201cYou<\/strong>\u201d with Armand Van Helden <\/strong>and D. Ramirez<\/strong>. I\u2019m keeping busy!<\/p>\n \u200bThank you so much for your time today. Catch you at a show soon!<\/strong><\/p>\n \u200bAbsolute pleasure. See you in Toronto.<\/p>\n Catch Tony Romera, Haitras, and Addy all sharing the stage in Toronto with Mark Knight on Saturday, August 29. Tickets are on sale via TicketWeb<\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n Website<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0X<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0SoundCloud<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0YouTube<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n
\nFollow Mark Knight:<\/strong><\/h5>\n