Groove Armada Biography
Andy Cato explains: "There's a kind of no-nonsense attitude about this record. Let's just stop fucking about. We've been taking a storming live show round the world for ten years. We wanted to capture that energy for the first time on a whole CD. 'Aggressive' might not be the right word, but 'ballsy' is."
Tom Findlay comments: "It was great to do the greatest hits and draw a line under 'I See You Baby' and 'Superstylin'. Dance music is in a period of transition. It's an interesting time, whether it's Klaxons or New Young Pony Club. It felt right to make an exciting record that wasn't taking itself too seriously. We wanted to have a lot of different styles and vocalists, but give it a little flow. Pop is an attitude we believe in. And we believe in challenging ourselves. Both those strains run through the album."
Andy continues: "It's the best one we've done, no question. There's always gonna be things you think you could do better or things you could change, but as an album which combines all the bases that Groove Armada travel across, from the big live shows to the big DJ sets to the sunset stuff and that really kind of English sound that we seem to have, it does all that. It covers a lot of ground, but it all seems to flow and sit together and make sense. I'm really happy with it."
'Soundboy Rock' features a wealth of collaborators across the musical spectrum and is easily Groove Armada's most diverse record to date. Contributions from Mutya (ex-Sugababes), Candi Staton, Alan Donohoe (The Rakes), Simian Mobile Disco, Richard Hard-Fi, Jeb Loy Nichol, Jack Splash (Plant Life), Tony Allen, Rhymfest, Stush, Angie Stone, and MAD complete the record in fine style. Andy now resides in Barcelona and it was there that the boys decided to finish the album. The result is a wonderfully uplifting album and a celebration of dance music's vibrant versatility.
'Soundboy Rock' was a major return for the British duo who celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Groove Armada in 2007. Last year, they also released an updated Greatest Hits album, as well as GA10: 10 Year Story, a rarities compliation.
