Groove Armada’s own Andy Cato turns his talents back to the decks for a double CD mix for one of Ibiza’s flavours of the moment Café Mambo. What we get is everything from laidback pure ambience, to some really upbeat house that gets you going. It’s a perfect blend of variety that keeps the interest, and is a thoroughly enjoyable listen all the way through.

The two discs are named Dia and Noche (Spanish for day and night), and the names quite aptly reflect the moods on both disks. Dia is the early hours mood music – a more laidback, relaxing and chilled Balearic feel that’s a perfect grounding selection of music that will bring you back to earth after a long night or weekend out. It’s slow paced, wavy and soulful at the start, Magnolia has that slow, jazzy ballad vibe and is most certainly the perfect way to commence the first mix. Cruising on from here, we get some eloquent, dark ambience from Rain Falls by Mike Monday to droning, hypnotic vocals of Cycling Trivialities.

I thought it was awesome to hear a down tempo house gem from the early 90s in I’m Free by Morgan King. This one was even featured on the first Northern Exposure album from Sasha & Digweed years ago. This is right back to early synth house that will have everyone sinking back in their lounge. We get into our first solid beats on Rub Your Potion and we tetter on the brink of ambient and house for the next few numbers. Ane Nome is good value beach house and orchestral brilliance highlights Groove Armada’s own Paris. Towards the end, Andy Cato gets a little more experimental with some reggae styled tunes, some Portishead influenced trip hop before concluding on a relaxing, emotive train on 45:33 with moving piano and soothing vocals.

The Noche disk picks up the pace a little and is more your early night time music – the kind of thing you expect to hear when you enter a club or something you put on when getting ready for a night out. Perfect, cruisy, subtle house starts us off with a gem in Secret Life of a Machine which will send shivers down your spine! Groovy sounds to full bodied beats to hitting the nice, light hearted feel on The 7am Drop – a nice, party symphony.

Harder edges come to the fore with Dance Dance and we get some interesting jiving, bubbly and even wobbly sounds in Black Thighs. Love Sweet Sound is one that is electrifying enough to jolt you to your feet, and we get a girly house facet towards the end with tracks like Everybody and Wonderous. Again Andy Cato finishes well with Last Rhythm that incorporates rain forest sounds and grooving aural bliss. Quite easily the best house track on the album.

Andy Cato proves that he is not only a master in the production studio but also behind the decks as well. Both CDs paint a great picture, never staggering all the place but flowing along at a structured, artistic pace that takes the listener on the a perfect journey. A solid, relaxing yet inspiring listen.