MAUR Schallplatten & CDs

Review: Toolroom reissue a 2006 classic. Hailing from the original Toolroom "family" era in which Dave Spoon (Shadow Child), Funkagenda, D. Ramirez and Mark Knight are said to have ruled the roost, 'At Night' came not only at a prescient time, but also stood the test of time, in that it was - given the genre it works in and effectively predicts - well ahead of its time. The track blends a flicking, crossrhythmic main-room club lead with ostentatious risers and an arch minimality, fitting well in amongst the modish electro-house of the time, yet efflorescing a moodiness that would not catch on until 2010. Maur's "vs" rerub helps shed light on the way the track may be popularly received / perceived now.

Review: The latest V/A sampler record by Toolroom Records comes in the shadow of unfortunate news in regards to singer Kathy Brown, who, last we heard, was battling stage four cancer. Brown is the original featuring singer of Praxis' 'Turn Me Out'; her vocal contribution to the track has since gone sampled by many a deep and jackin' house producer, owing to its standout "work me with temptation" lyric, whose simple injunction and passionate delivery would seem to bottle the essence of an era (of overwork, of temptation, of desire). Now Toolroom continue to dedicate their latest releases to Brown in her honour; this time, her 'Turn Me Out' vocal is reworked into 'Turn Me Deeper', featuring a star cast of organ-synth peddling, deep house foundation-shattering producers (Wh0, Mark Knight, James Hurr), backed up by contributions by the likes of Shadow Child, Low Steppa and Maur as addenda.