Fabric & Toolroom: Real > Reach
What I Learned in Two Hours at the Toolroom Conference
I didn’t get the full day – planes, trains, and life – but I did make it to Toolroom’s conference at Fabric. And honestly? Even a couple of hours was enough to hit me with some serious insights.
The space was buzzing. Labels, artists, producers, promoters, future-of-music types. A proper stew of energy, ideas, and the usual Fabric magic.
Here’s what got me thinking….
1. Authenticity Over Algorithms
There’s a quiet revolt brewing: real over reach. Labels are less fussed about follower count and more interested in sound, soul, and scene. “Authentic content” was the phrase of the day.
Better to have a hundred heads who feel your sound than 25k who scroll past.
The advice?
- Build your world slowly.
- Create a movement.
- Earn your audience.
“You don’t A&R with your eyes – you A&R with your ears.” – Mark Knight (100%!).
2. Genre Lines Are Blurring (and That’s a Good Thing)
Multi-genre parties are thriving. Drum & bass is getting cheeky remix treatment at 150bpm. Garage is going off in America. Piano house is making a comeback (and yes, Mark Knight is loving it – Feel My Needs, right?).
3. Albums Are Back (Kind Of)
In a world drowning in singles and TikToks, labels are rethinking the long play. The full album format – seen as old school – is regaining interest as a way to show range.
There’s appetite again for depth, not just dopamine.
Makes sense in a world where AI can mimic a drop or create a single song but not a journey.
4. Labels Want Real Feedback – From Clubs
Big takeaway: the best records still start on the dancefloor.
They want tunes tested in sweaty rooms before they’re inked.
Club reaction > Spotify stats. Beatport > algorithm. SoundCloud > streaming.
It’s almost like… DJs matter again?
5. Relationships Matter More Than Ever
If you’re playing a gig, don’t bounce. Stay. Talk to the bar staff. Hang with the crowd. Build connections, not clout.
One engaged dancefloor is worth more than 10,000 passive plays.
You don’t need to “go viral”; you need to go local.
6. Brand is Not Just Social
This hit home: brand and social are not the same. You can have slick Instagram aesthetics and still be forgettable. Your brand is your energy, your sound, your weird little corner of the universe. It’s the thing that makes people say, “Oh yeah, them.”
7. Create Your Own Hype
Uploading and praying isn’t a strategy. Neither is moaning about the algorithm. The best artists? They build the hype. They throw their own nights. They make noise, not content. They treat growth like a war of attrition – persistent, creative, relentless.
Wish I could stayed for more than two hours but I wil be back. Top event.
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