With a name that literally means a mass of groove, Groove Armada (GA) certainly has a name to live up to. But anyone who’s seen the UK duo, whether it be a full-throttle live performance or a DJ set, knows that the masses certainly do groove when Tom and Andy are behind the decks.

But what happens when the duo becomes uno? All will be revealed when Tom Findlay hits the decks solo for Fuzzy’s A Bit On The Side at The Basement. It’s a night all about taking dance music’s superstars off the big stage and into your lap for something a little different and a lot more intimate. And according to Tom, the flavour of the evening is in your hands. “I’m quite flexible. I’d like to play a melange of disco, soul, funk and house but if people just want to listen to house music all night, we can do that to,” he says.

Before you panic, GA is not breaking up. Tom’s solo venture is simply that, a chance for him to push himself solo before digging his heels in with more GA projects. They are as creatively strong as ever and to prove it, they are releasing a Greatest Hits – just in time to conveniently fill all those Christmas stockings! But as Tom assures me, it’s not all about cashing in on the Christmas spirit. “Well to an extent it obviously is! But we have just joined a new label so its a chance for them to work the catalogue a bit and a chance for us to tour and draw a line under a period of our career,” he says. All the crowd pleasers, as well as the boys’ personal favourites, will make an appearance on the Doin it After Dark compilation.

If you are wondering whether or not Tom can cut it on his own, without the support of GA partner Andy, he has this to say: “Well I did it without him for years before so I’ll muddle through.” He might even surprise punters with a solo extravaganza to match any previous GA performance. “I play a little bit more eclectic on my own and I tend to smoke less, which is a good thing,” he says.

Other than helping with his smoking addiction, Tom says the main reason the boys continually return to the sandy shores is not only a great party vibe, but like all pommies, he wants a piece of Australia’s wonderful quality of life. I thought maybe it was the girls, but he is happily married and “couldn’t possibly” say anything more on that.

One thing he will openly talk about, however, is how he, with partner Andy, keeps the GA sound so fresh and cutting edge. “Well we keep our ears open to what’s coming through, we DJ a lot, and there’s nothing better then putting yourselves out there on the front line. It forces you to acknowledge new movements and it forces you into record stores every week, which is where it’s all at,” he says.

For all the hardcore GA fans out there, Tom says the boys are heading into the studio for a 2005 album as well as plenty of live performances to boot. He will also continue to focus on some more individual endeavours. “It’s time for me to push myself again in the studio on some solo stuff, then me and Andy need to do another new record and learn some new tricks,” he says.

If you’re in Sydney be sure to check out Tom Findlay when he DJs solo at ‘A Bit on the Side’, this coming Saturday November 6th at The Basement (BUY TICKETS).

Groove Armada’s ‘Greatest Hits’ collection is out now through BMG, and their latest mix CD ‘Doin’ It After Dark’ is out now through their new record label Ragbull.