Groovin On Up

London's dance duo Groove Armada consists of Tom Findlay and Andy Cato. The group formed in the mid-'nineties after being introduced by Cato's girlfriend, and soon afterwards they started their own club, also named Groove Armada after a seventies discotheque. By 1997 they had released a handful of singles, including '4 Tune Cookie' and 'At The River', closely followed by their debut album Northern Star.

1999 saw the release of Vertigo, which crashed into the top 20 in the UK and achieved silver status. The album's singles achieved similar heights, including I See You Baby , which was remixed by Fatboy Slim. The group followed this success with a stint as Elton John's opening band and the US release of Vertigo in early 2000.
After bonding closely as DJs and promoters, Findlay and Cato developed an original recording concept. They decamped to a cottage in the Lake District with sequencers, samplers and a bootful of instruments when recording Northern Star, which went on to be nominated for best new artist album by Muzik magazine. Released on Tummy Touch, the funky fireside dub of At The River caused mass hysteria amongst the nation's hacks when released as a limited edition. "Spotters are swapping their grandmother for copies of it," wrote Kevin Braddock in the NME.
August Bank Holiday weekend 2000 and Tom and Andy are just about to take to the Witnness Dance stage. The sun is shining, and the boys are itching to get on.
"I think there is a very laid-back, summery aspect to our music, which possibly works far better at festival stages rather than nightclubs," waxes Andy, "We grew up listening to records that were performed by people, even if they were dance or funk records. On stage we use technology to keep the rhythmic elements fat and wobbly, but re-interpret the songs to incorporate live performance. That's far more satisfying for us than just standing in front of a DAT player."
The Armada boys don't have a new record in your stores yet, but the perfect laidback album for the more relaxed of parties is the Back To Mine compilation that Tom and Andy co-ordinated. Some of the odder selections include 'Pharaohs' by Tears For Fears, 'Playing Your Game Baby' by Barry White and a fantastically rare version of 'Light My Fire' as performed by the Reverend Al Green. "That s a really rare and wonderful record. Its just so amazing to be able to bring to other people," raves Andy. "The Back To Mine series will continue, and they have amazing acts in the pipeline such as Leftfield."
It looks like Christmas has come early for trainspotters everywhere!