Groove Armada are an English
electronic music duo, composed of
Andy Cato
Andrew Derek Cocup (born 11 December 1972), known professionally as Andy Cato, is an English musician, record producer, DJ, and farmer who is currently one half of the electronic music band Groove Armada, the other half being Tom Findlay. He wa ...
and Tom Findlay. They achieved chart success with their singles "
At the River", "
I See You Baby" and "
Superstylin'
"Superstylin'" is a song by English electronic duo Groove Armada, released as the band's first single on 13 August 2001, from the album '' Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)''. Vocals were performed by Groove Armada's long-time vocalist MC M.A.D. ...
". The duo have released nine studio albums, four of which have charted in the
UK Albums Chart
The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
top 50.
History
Groove Armada formed after Cato and Findlay had been introduced by a mutual friend and soon started their own club night in London, called Captain Sensual at the Helm of the Groove Armada, after a 1970s discothèque.
By 1997, they had released a few singles, including "4 Tune Cookie" and the song that first brought them minor fame, "
At the River", which sampled "
Old Cape Cod
"Old Cape Cod" is a song written by Claire Rothrock, Milton Yakus and Allan Jeffrey that was published in 1957. The single, as recorded by Patti Page, became a gold record, having sold more than a million copies. Hailed by Cape Cod natives as the ...
" by
Patti Page
Clara Ann Fowler (November 8, 1927 – January 1, 2013), better known by her stage name Patti Page, was an American singer. Primarily known for Pop music, pop and Country music, country music, she was the top-charting female vocalist and b ...
. The song went on to be one of Groove Armada's best-known tracks and has been found on numerous
chill out
Chill-out (shortened as chill; also typeset as chillout or chill out) is a loosely defined form of popular music characterized by slow tempos and relaxed moods. The definition of "chill-out music" has evolved throughout the decades, and generally ...
compilations.
Their first album, ''
Northern Star'', was released in 1998 on
Tummy Touch Records, and was followed by a second, ''
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'', in 1999, which had a more mainstream and 'polished' sound, making the UK Album Chart's upper 20 and being certified silver in the UK. It also included "At the River" which was re-released as a full-fledged single. An album of remixed tracks from ''Vertigo'' entitled ''The Remixes'' followed in 2000, along with their contribution to the ''Back to Mine''
mix album
A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically mixed together by a DJ to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as turntables, CD players, digital audi ...
series.
The next studio album ''
Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)
''Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)'' is the third studio album by the English electronica duo Groove Armada. It was released on 10 September 2001 on the Jive Electro record label. The title of the album was meant to differentiate it from the ...
'' was released in 2001 and marked a departure from their trip-hop roots to more upbeat music – as demonstrated on the
Grammy
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
-nominated single "
Superstylin'
"Superstylin'" is a song by English electronic duo Groove Armada, released as the band's first single on 13 August 2001, from the album '' Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)''. Vocals were performed by Groove Armada's long-time vocalist MC M.A.D. ...
". Another mix album followed, this time for the ''
Another Late Night
''Late Night Tales'' and its predecessor ''Another Late Night'' are the names of two related series of artist-curated compilation albums released by Azuli Records in the UK until 2009 when the independent record label Night Time Stories took ...
'' series, and in 2002, less than a year after ''Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)'', Groove Armada produced ''
Lovebox'', which included a variety of genres including
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
, such as "Madder" and "
Purple Haze
"Purple Haze" is a song written by Jimi Hendrix and released as the second single by the Jimi Hendrix Experience on March 17, 1967, in the United Kingdom.
The song features his inventive guitar playing, which uses the signature Hendrix chord a ...
", while others were closer to the band's traditional
house
A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and
trip hop
Trip hop is a musical genre that has been described as a psychedelic music, psychedelic fusion of hip hop music, hip hop and electronica with slow tempos and an atmospheric sound. The style emerged as a more experimental music, experimental var ...
roots, such as the title track "Lovebox", and "Remember", with the latter containing vocals made up entirely of samples of
Sandy Denny
Alexandra Elene MacLean Denny (6 January 1947 – 21 April 1978) was an English singer-songwriter who was lead singer of the British folk rock band Fairport Convention. She has been described as " guably the pre-eminent British folk-rock sin ...
's vocals for
Fairport Convention
Fairport Convention are an English British folk rock, folk rock band, formed in 1967 by guitarists Richard Thompson (musician), Richard Thompson and Simon Nicol, bassist Ashley Hutchings and drummer Shaun Frater (with Frater replaced by Marti ...
. An additional bonus track was later released on their website entitled "Fairport". ''Lovebox'' also contained a song called "Hands of Time" which was subsequently used in the 2004 film ''
Collateral''.
A
greatest hits album
A greatest hits album or best-of album is a type of compilation album that collects popular and commercially successful songs by a particular artist or band. While greatest hits albums are typically supported by the artist, they can also be creat ...
, entitled ''
The Best of Groove Armada'', released in 2004 – the last of their releases with Pepper Records – before their studio album ''
Soundboy Rock'' was released in 2007. The album marked a notable departure from the multi-genre-influenced previous album, featuring tracks such as "Get Down" and "Groove Extracts", which followed the contemporary
house music
House is a genre of electronic dance music characterized by a repetitive Four on the floor (music), four-on-the-floor beat and a typical tempo of 115–130 beats per minute. It was created by DJs and music producers from Chicago's underground ...
trend, tracks with
rock
Rock most often refers to:
* Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids
* Rock music, a genre of popular music
Rock or Rocks may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wale ...
elements, and "Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" featuring the vocals of ex-
Sugababes
The Sugababes are an English girl group composed of Mutya Buena, Keisha Buchanan, and Siobhán Donaghy. The lineup changed three times before returning to the original lineup in 2011.
Formed in 1998 by Ron Tom, the manager of All Saints, ...
singer
Mutya Buena
Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (; born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number-one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-plati ...
, hailed by online music guide
Popjustice
Popjustice is a music website founded in 2000 by UK freelance music journalist Peter Robinson, who has worked for ''NME'', ''The Guardian'', ''Attitude'' and many others. It is composed of the work of editor Robinson, features editor Michael C ...
as one of the best songs of 2007.
Following the successful ''Soundboy Rock'' singles, an updated best-of set titled ''Greatest Hits'' was released in October 2007. This was accompanied by ''GA10: 10 Year Story'', a 2CD rarities collection released in November 2007 to celebrate their tenth anniversary as a band. The band has spoken in-depth about the compilation, and cited it as an "emotional experience", with both members selecting their personal favourite songs and mixes from their history.
Groove Armada also released a collaboration with
The Japanese Popstars through
Strictly Rhythm
Strictly Rhythm is an American house music record label.
History
The label was founded on May 1, 1989, by Gladys Pizarro and Mark Finkelstein, who were both working as A&R in a label called Spring Records. Working with house music artists ...
, via
Beatport
Beatport is an American electronic music-oriented online music store owned by LiveStyle. The company is based in Denver, Los Angeles, and Berlin. Beatport is oriented primarily towards disk jockey, DJs, selling full songs as well as resources that ...
, in April 2008.
In the same year, Groove Armada engaged in a deal with
Bacardi
Bacardi Limited ( , , ) is the largest privately held, family-owned spirits company in the world. Originally known for its Bacardí brand of white rum, it now has a portfolio of more than 200 brands and labels. Founded in Cuba in 1862 by Facund ...
to distribute their new 4-track
EP using a
file sharing
File sharing is the practice of distributing or providing access to digital media, such as computer programs, multimedia (audio, images and video), documents or electronic books. Common methods of storage, transmission and dispersion include ...
platform called B-Live Share.
During 2009, Findlay and Cato repeatedly confirmed the existence of a pending new album. While on the Bacardi Express tour in Australia, Findlay said it will be called ''Black Light'' and "is going to be the darker side of Groove Armada, which is finally coming out after 12 years."
The first single, released on 23 November 2009, was "I Won't Kneel", featuring Groove Armada's new vocalist,
Saint Saviour. The album's second single, "Paper Romance", was released on 22 February 2010, and the album was released in Europe on 28 February.
In October 2010, Groove Armada released a remix album, ''
White Light
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...
'', which contained recent studio re-recordings of alternative live versions of many songs from ''Black Light'' as well as other classic Groove Armada songs. Groove Armada headlined Uber Cool festival at
Jersey Live
Jersey Live Music Festival (alternatively Jersey Live) was a music festival held annually at The Royal Jersey Showground in the parish of Trinity, Jersey between 2004 and 2016.
Overview
Jersey Live started out as a 4,000-capacity, one-day even ...
on 3 September. The duo embarked on a series of secretive "living room" sets, performing intimately across the country for audiences of close friends. Little information was given about these private performances, but the tour kicked off in
Brighton
Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London.
Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...
in late January, 2011.
The group has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, including
Max Taylor,
Neneh Cherry
Neneh Mariann Karlsson (; born 10 March 1964), better known as Neneh Cherry, is a Swedish singer, songwriter, rapper, occasional disc jockey, and broadcaster. Her musical career started in London in the early 1980s, where she performed in a numb ...
, DJ Gramma Funk,
Sophie Barker
Sophie Alexandra Jessica Barker (born 5 November 1971) is a British singer and songwriter from London, best known for her work with the British downtempo group Zero 7.
Biography
Barker left University College London after two years to become a ...
,
Nappy Roots
Nappy Roots is an American alternative Southern rap group. The group met in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1995 while attending Western Kentucky University. They have worked with Rob Run Corleone of Empire Distribution. On the South Rituals mixt ...
, Fudge Dog,
Sunshine Anderson
Sunshine Jocelyn Sian Anderson (born June 7, 1974) is an American R&B and soul singer from Winston-Salem, North Carolina. She is best known for her 2001 single " Heard It All Before", which peaked within the top 20 of the ''Billboard'' Hot 10 ...
,
Mutya Buena
Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (; born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number-one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-plati ...
,
Jeru the Damaja
Kendrick Jeru Davis (born February 14, 1971), known as Jeru the Damaja (/'jeiru: ðə ˈdæmɪʤə ''JAY''-roo thuh ''DAM''- ''ih''-juh), is an American rapper and record producer. He is known for his 1993 single " Come Clean" from his debut al ...
,
Richie Havens
Richard Pierce Havens (January 21, 1941 – April 22, 2013) was an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. His music encompassed elements of folk music, folk, soul music, soul (both of which he frequently cover song, covered), and rhythm and b ...
,
Will Young
William Robert Young (born 20 January 1979) is an English singer, songwriter and actor. He came to prominence after winning the 2002 inaugural series of the ITV talent contest '' Pop Idol'', making him the first winner of the worldwide '' Ido ...
, Brodanse and
Joel Culpepper.
In February 2014, the EP ''Pork Soda'' was released. It included three brand new tracks: "Pork Soda", "Hyde & Freak" and "Jack in Black".
In 2015, Groove Armada released their eighth studio album, ''Little Black Book''. The album has been described as "somewhere between
nalbum, mix CD, and compilation". The first disc features their own original music and remixes, while the second disc features remixes of their music by other artists.
Groove Armada released their ninth studio album ''
Edge of the Horizon'' in 2020 featuring vocal performances from Nick Littlemore, James Alexander Bright, Todd Edwards, She Keeps Bees, Roseau, Paris Brightledge.
The duo played their last ever concerts in Australia and New Zealand in 2022.
Other work
From 1995 to 2000, Andy Cato was part of the
progressive house
Progressive house is a subgenre of house music that emerged in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. It is characterized by its evolving, melodic Musical form, structures, subtle Transition (music), transitions, and layered sound design.Gerard, ...
music projects Mother's Pride and Qattara, and produced solo efforts under the aliases Caia and Journeyman DJ. In 2002, Cato collaborated with Rachel Foster, producing the album ''Pursuit of Happiness'' under the name
Weekend Players. He also co-wrote with
Sophie Ellis-Bextor
Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and ...
on her album ''
Shoot from the Hip'', and released his first solo single under his own name, "La Luna". Cato has also worked with
Róisín Murphy
Róisín Marie Murphy ( , ; born 5 July 1973) is an Irish singer, songwriter and record producer who first became known in the 1990s as one half of the Pop music, pop duo Moloko alongside the English musician Mark Brydon. After the breakup of M ...
on her album ''
Overpowered
''Overpowered'' is the second solo studio album by Irish singer and songwriter Róisín Murphy. It was released on 15 October 2007 by EMI Records. Receiving widespread critical acclaim, the album was more commercially successful than its prede ...
'', producing the singles "
Let Me Know" and "
You Know Me Better".
Tom Findlay makes up one half of
Sugardaddy with Tim Hutton, and has collaborated with Keeling Lee. In 2005, he set up
Tunetribe, a music download store. Findlay has described working with
Prince
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
as his dream collaboration. In 2007, Findlay released ''Watch the Ride'', a continuous mix album containing tracks by various artists, including his own project, Sugardaddy.
In 2011, Cato became the first musician to compose a ringtone for a charity,
WaveLength
In physics and mathematics, wavelength or spatial period of a wave or periodic function is the distance over which the wave's shape repeats.
In other words, it is the distance between consecutive corresponding points of the same ''phase (waves ...
.
Awards
{, class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders"
, -
! scope="col" , Award
! scope="col" , Year
! scope="col" , Nominee(s)
! scope="col" , Category
! scope="col" , Result
! scope="col" class="unsortable",
, -
!scope="row" rowspan=3,
BT Digital Music Awards
The BT Digital Music Awards (DMA) was a British music award ceremony held annually for 10 years from 2002 to 2011 (with no ceremony in 2009). Music industry professionals nominated artists, venues and hardware into the Judge's Choice award catego ...
, rowspan=3, 2002
, rowspan=6, Themselves
, Artist of the Year
,
, rowspan=2,
, -
, Best Dance/Urban Artist
,
, -
, People's Choice Award
,
,
, -
!scope="row" rowspan=3,
Brit Awards
,
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
,
British Breakthrough Act
,
,
, -
,
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, rowspan=2,
British Dance Act
,
,
, -
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
,
,
, -
!scope="row" rowspan=3,
Grammy Awards
The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...
,
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
, "
Superstylin'
"Superstylin'" is a song by English electronic duo Groove Armada, released as the band's first single on 13 August 2001, from the album '' Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)''. Vocals were performed by Groove Armada's long-time vocalist MC M.A.D. ...
"
, rowspan="2" ,
Best Dance Recording
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Recording (formerly known as Best Dance Recording) is an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists f ...
,
, rowspan=3,
, -
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...
, "Easy"
,
, -
,
2011
The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
, ''
Black Light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp (fixture), lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet light filter, filter material, eith ...
''
,
Best Dance/Electronic Album
The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards — a ceremony that was established in 1958 — honor quality dance music, dance and electronica albums in any given year. The award was first presented ...
,
{, class=wikitable
, -
! Year !! Awards !! Work !! Category !! Result
, -
, rowspan=2, 2000
, rowspan=2,
''Billboard'' Music Video Awards
, rowspan=2, "
I See You Baby"
, Dance Clip of the Year
,
, -
, Best New Artist Clip (Dance)
,
, -
, 2007
, Antville Music Video Awards
, "
Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)
"Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" is a song produced by British music duo Groove Armada, featuring vocals by recording artist Mutya Buena. Initially intended to feature British singer Estelle (musician), Estelle, the duo ultimately decided to col ...
" (with
Mutya Buena
Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (; born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number-one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-plati ...
)
, Worst Video
,
, -
, rowspan=2, 2008
,
UK Music Video Awards
The UK Music Video Awards is an annual celebration of creativity, technical excellence and innovation in music video
A music video is a video that integrates a song or an album with imagery that is produced for promotion (marketing), promotiona ...
, "
Get Down
Get Down may refer to:
* Get down, a stance or movement in traditional African culture, in African American culture, and throughout the Black African diaspora
Film and television
* ''Get Down'' (film) or ''Treed Murray'', a 2001 Canadian film
* ...
"
, Best Dance Video
,
, -
, rowspan=2,
Popjustice £20 Music Prize
The Popjustice £20 Music Prize, also known as the Popjustice Twenty Quid Prize, is an annual prize awarded by music website Popjustice to recognise the best British pop single of the previous year. The prize was conceived by Popjustice founder ...
, "
Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)
"Song 4 Mutya (Out of Control)" is a song produced by British music duo Groove Armada, featuring vocals by recording artist Mutya Buena. Initially intended to feature British singer Estelle (musician), Estelle, the duo ultimately decided to col ...
" (with
Mutya Buena
Rosa Isabel Mutya Buena (; born 21 May 1985) is an English singer and songwriter who rose to fame as a member of girl group Sugababes. With the Sugababes, Buena had four UK number-one singles, an additional six top-ten hits and three multi-plati ...
)
, rowspan=2, Best British Pop Single
,
, -
, 2010
, "I Won't Kneel"
,
Discography
Studio albums
* ''
Northern Star'' (1998)
* ''
Vertigo
Vertigo is a condition in which a person has the sensation that they are moving, or that objects around them are moving, when they are not. Often it feels like a spinning or swaying movement. It may be associated with nausea, vomiting, perspira ...
'' (1999)
* ''
Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)
''Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)'' is the third studio album by the English electronica duo Groove Armada. It was released on 10 September 2001 on the Jive Electro record label. The title of the album was meant to differentiate it from the ...
'' (2001)
* ''
Lovebox'' (2002)
* ''
Soundboy Rock'' (2007)
* ''
Black Light
A blacklight, also called a UV-A light, Wood's lamp, or ultraviolet light, is a lamp (fixture), lamp that emits long-wave (UV-A) ultraviolet light and very little visible light. One type of lamp has a violet light filter, filter material, eith ...
'' (2010)
* ''
White Light
White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wavelen ...
'' (2010)
* ''Little Black Book'' (2015)
* ''
Edge of the Horizon'' (2020)
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
Electronic music groups from London
DJs from London
Musical groups established in 1996
English house music duos
British male musical duos
Big beat groups
Trip hop groups
English electronic dance music duos
Columbia Records artists
Cooking Vinyl artists
Jive Records artists
Bertelsmann Music Group artists