CASSIMM Vinyl & CDs

Review: Jackies Music Records celebrates a successful first year with a new special edition vinyl record, featuring five iconic numbers from the back catalogue. Retrospectively looking back, we're met with five still-fresh ones from their ambitious 2024, includeing handpicks from Todd Terry, Piem, CASSIMM, Angelo Ferreri, and DJ W!ld. Embodying the mood of mid-dance tension, at which point we're likely well into the mix and sweating our glands off (such paradoxes are not impossible), the best of this pick have got to be Terry's 'Heartbeat', a swarthily knocking groove complete with an angelic, cardiovascular vocal, and W!ld's lo-fi hip slip, 'Underdog', the lyrics on which we'll be spending at least a good week trying to decipher.

Review: Toolroom is a house label for big moments big tracks, big rooms, big DJs and main stages. This 15th sampler offering gives a snapshot of where the label is at right now with some new cuts from its biggest players. The boss himself, Mark Knight, kicks off alongside Darius Syrossian and James Hurt n 'I Got All This' which is bouncy and full of energy. Low Steppa, Jewel Kid offers the deeper, low sung and bass heavy menace of 'Big Busta' and CASSIMM, Mahalia Fontaine then come through with 'Say Yeah' (extended mix) which is a a passionate vocal anthem which throws it back to the early days of house. Wh0's 'Sunglasses' shuts down with a blaze of melodic stabs and filtered sweeps to lift you off your feet.

Review: Here's a heavyweight suite of club cuts from the Toolroom Trax stable, featuring a whole squad of names linking up for some big room belters that should go down very nicely indeed with any medium-to-megasized party experience. Mark Knight's extended mix of 'Ready' is a proper epic, not least when the 'Insomnia'-esque stabs kick in. CASSIMM's 'Wanna Feel Something' is a heads-down sexy workout, while Superchumbo and Victoria Wilson James get remixed by Crusy for an equally brooding, high-end production. James Hurr and Arthur Baker round things off with chunky monkey 'Powder In The Nose', which teases a whole lot and then delivers even more on the drop.

Review: Mark Knight's mighty Toolroom has ascended from being an underground label into a globally recognised brand with a world-wide following. Its sampler series is always a good indication of where it is at during any given season and now the tenth installment brings more party ready fun. Piero Pirupa kicks off with some big disco-fried loops and cooing vocals, Tini Gessler gets more gritty with a bumping tech house cut in the form of 'Do What You Want', CASSIMM and Bruno Blanc combine for the florid strong loops and edgy house beats of 'House Affair' and Tony Romera's 'House Y'a' is a sleazy throwback with real attitude.

Review: Mark Night's label is one of the UK's biggest when it comes to main room house sounds. This sampler shows exactly what it is all about as we head into the madness of the Miami Music Week and then Ibiza soon after. Twolate opens up with 'Baila' which has tribal drums and percusison that stomp with real heaviness under wild vocals. CASSIMM & Gene Farris combine then for the maximal monster that is 'Party People' with all its sweeping synth filters and James Haskell's' 'Check It Out' is a funky groove that ducks and dives under stuff chords. Last of all is Danny Rhys with the hooky andoopy joys of 'Sibali.'