I have been a Groove Armada fan ever since I became interested in music, back in 1998 'borrowing' a siblings Northern Star album to listen to it back to back a pretend I was as trendy as the person who bought it in the first place. So imagine my dismay when they weren't on the line up to play the Lovebox festival's 10th anniversary, a festival they set up from the very start in 2002. Then my mind began about the last album or even the last EP I had heard from them which was over 2 years ago and I thought my fears had become a realisation and they would be no more.
Not just yet anyway - is the message we all received last week when Andy & Tom announced they would be doing a Full Live Groove Armada Show for one time only. This was all well and good but now we are bouyed by the release of a new EP, No Knock, which suggests there is still plenty of life in the 30 something lads yet.
This has been released as a Beatport Exclusive via HyperColour Records which is a great move from both camps, Groove Armada as it seems Hypercolour's other younger siginings have rubbed off on them, giving them a deeper minimal and contemporary feel to their music. Like in the instance of the first track on the EP, 'Oh Tweak Me'. This could have been created by one of the newer break through artists we have heard in the past few months, the likes of Huxley, Disclosure or Maya Jane Coles. In turn this would be a great opportunity for some of Hypercolour's newer artists to work with some of the UK's longest running a most successful dance acts, a win win situation. If you haven't yet heard of the HyperColour label, then check them soon as they have an ethos that seems to stand out from many other UK based labels, having the execs on the ground in Brighton, Bristol, Leeds and London going to events and snapping up signed talent on the spot. They are some of the most cutting edge artists with the potential ability to redefine genres.
All in all this is a testament to Groove Armada's ability to stay fresh and stay appealing even when the industry changes around them, to engage younger audiences and create classics in each decade will mean they will never become a by-product of their time. Superstylin'!
The rest of the EP after the break...
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