Album of the month | Red Alert by Maxinne

Artist: Maxinne
Title: Red Alert
Label: Toolroom Records
Released: 30 July

Sounds like: One of House music's most talented young producers hitting her stride

Maxinne

Taking inspiration from music's most all-conquering dynasties, Toolroom has always conducted its business affairs with the utmost professionalism.

For example, few labels today take the dying art of A&R as seriously. Not only does Toolroom actively scout up-and-coming talent, but guides and nurtures young producers. They are then weened through the ecosystem of its business empire.

Maxinne is arguably the biggest graduate to date.

During Toolroom's 2019 run at Eden, she played every single week and adapted to whatever role was asked of her: warm-up, peak-time, closing, back-to-back - she did it all.

Maxinne modelling the label's merchadise

Maxinne is also a regular Toolroom Radio stand-in, helps with marketing for the label's clothing line and is the biggest ambassador for its much-heralded academy programme.

On the production front, it's not only Toolroom and sub-label Trax where she's made a name for herself. Maxinne has also graced Sony/BMG, Saved Records and put out a pair of EPs on Knee Deep In Sound.

Where Ibiza is concerned, she's been building foundations here for some years already. Early career residencies at Club 107 in Marina Botafoch and pre-club hotspot Tantra Ibiza were stepping stones to bigger things.

While her music generally fits the dancefloor pace of 2-4am, she's also shown her versatility in recent months. The Chill Mix of Tell Me Something being a point in question. The track is reworked for lazy days on the beach and the golden hour on the Sunset Strip.

Red Alert

Red Alert is delivered at a round ten tracks and can be considered a culmination of Maxinne's journey to date. The project explores the sounds that have inspired her and draws on the relationships she has built so far.

While Toolroom has a reputation for vocal House anthems and Tech House stompers, Maxinne has tended to operate at a slightly deeper frequency. That again proves to be case with the album's opening few tracks. These feel especially made for balmy Ibiza nights

Pressure bubbles under the surface of In The Groove, before it springs into life like a jack-in-the-box at the uplifting final drop. It sounds ready-made for an explosion of confetti and production, a la elrow.

The feature from seasoned producer Gene Farris sets the album on a different course. Our House is followed by a couple of tracks that channel the Jackin' House energy of Chicago.

Another track that deserves a mention, is the student and mentor collab between Maxinne and Mark Knight. Both artists are at different junctures in their career, so it's curious how they've come to release their debut artist albums within weeks of one another.

HEAD HERE TO READ OUR 2019 INTERVIEW WITH MARK & MAXINNE

If veteran Mark's old school-flavoured Untold Business honoured House music's origins, then Red Alert surely represents the present and future of the genre.

Maxinne has been the poster girl for Toolroom's female-empowerment #WEARELISTENING programme. It's therefore encouraging to see an array of women collaborators on this record, from Laurent L'aimant to DJ Rae, amongst others. Evidence the label practices what it preaches.

Red Alert is set to be much more than just an album though. There is already talk of brand-extension with radio show, merch range and event series in the works.

The industry is beset with male dominated line-ups, featuring the same inner circle from the "Boy's Club". Ibiza is not immune to that. Maxinne is proof of what can be achieved when time is invested and trust is instilled. Toolroom handed her the baton and she's run with it.

Empowering and inspirational. If the right tools are used, she needn't be alone.

Red Alert may be the culmination of her journey so far, but there's much more to come. Maxinne just put the whole industry on notice.

Highlights: Tell Me Something, That Soul, I Need You, Into The Groove