inthemix | Features | Groove Armada: Telling those late night tales

Groove Armada are certifiably dope on many levels. They’ve earned themselves loads of notoriety amongst both dance fans and the general public alike, have demonstrated a diverse range of musical talent and most important, enjoyed a fruitful and lengthy career. Anyone who didn’t come down in the last shower would have heard something from the UK duo, with hits like Superstylin’, Get Down, My Friend and who could ever forget I See You Baby? And that’s just name dropping a few of the more commercial tracks we’ve heard form them over the past 13 years. With five massive albums under their belt, Groove Armada have safely cemented themselves as one of the UKs most revered dance groups.

Forming in the mid 90s and named after a club night of the same name, Groove Armada was born through a blend of Tom Findlay’s house grooves and Andy Cato’s eclectic blend of soul, jazz and funk. Since then, there have been no brakes applied to the journey of their success, with a style and sound that constantly reinvents itself. Perhaps this is due to the extensiveness of their musical influences; Cato is an accomplished trombone and piano player who took his lead from his jazz trombonist father, while Findlay is well versed in playing trumpet and bass. Or maybe it’s their ability to turn what they call “tour bus chaos” into something concise and polished. Cato explains that a lot of their time is spent touring and directing their energies into live shows, and as a result their material can often emulates this vibe.

On the cusp of the release of their latest contribution to the Late Night Tales series of compilations, their whirlwind of success isn’t showing any signs of slowing. As Andy says, “basically we sort of think this one’s slightly different in that we spend so much time on the road doing Groove Armada live these days, that this is the kind of CD that ends up coming out of all the tour bus chaos”. It’s also a chance for people to hear the stuff that isn’t on their CDs, and to experience a taste of what life on the road is like. It’s also a product of “constantly working”, and as a result coming up with new material all the time. “That’s where our focus has gone,” he says of their latest work, “so for our next release we need to do a recording of the current live show and get it out there, because it really is quite rocking at the minute”.

He also asserts that the current output of Groove Armada can also be attributed to their collaborations with other musicians, who he claims contribute largely to this vibe. “Always bringing people into the fold just to keep a new flow of ideas into the camp is really important,” he says, in creating new material.

For these reasons and many more, the Groove Armada team describe their career as “a rollercoaster ride that shows no signs of stopping”, and the dynamic between the two certainly hasn’t faded after 13 years. When asked about the highlight of their careers, he again points to the “live shows… that just keep getting better and better… overall, whatever you do in life you can’t beat those moments.” Also something that’s a source of fond memories for them are those “first bits of success early on when things are so exciting and fresh”. As a musician, he explains, “you can’t really recapture that”.

Most importantly though, it’s the lack of “egos and backstage nonsense” that the duo can lay claim to, pointing to any such diva behavior as a “one way ticket to a downward spiral” in the industry, where getting too big for your boots is about as common as Britney Spears losing her mind and/or her underwear. They prefer to remain grounded and continue doing what they’re doing until the rollercoaster ride stops. And the best news for us is that they love Australia: Cato describes the two weeks they spent here in 2004 as one of the best times of his life, and he loves coming back. So hopefully we’ll be able to catch them rockin’ our shores again in the not too distant future.

Late Night Tales, compiled by Groove Armada is out now through Azuli/Stomp.