This is yet another British dance production duo, but they were behind a great amount of successful singles. Groove Armada were Andy and Tom, and they formed in the mid-90s. They released their first singles in 1997, and they became known for using a rather creative variety of samples, meaning that even the likes of Status Quo didn’t sound out of place.
But their first success came in May 1999, when “If Everybody Looked The Same” was released, which reached no. 25. This was also used on an advert, and was the theme to a show on MTV. Next in August 1999 was “At The River”, which reached no. 19. This was first released as a single in 1997, and by this point was already considered to be a chillout classic. Look out for those quaint little villages here and there.
Next in November 1999 was “I See You Baby”, which reached no. 17. This one was definitely given a boost by the Fatboy Slim remix, back in the days when this would guarantee success. They returned in August 2001 with “Superstylin'”, which reached no. 12, to become their biggest hit so far. And then after this was a quiet period, when none of their singles made the Top 30.
The most notable was 2003’s “Easy”, which featured an uncredited vocal from Sunshine Anderson, best known for her hit single “Heard It All Before”, and I do hope that her shoulder is better now. And then, almost five years on, in October 2004 “I See You Baby” was re-released, following a revival in popularity after being used on an advert, and this time reached no. 11, a six-place improvement. Vocalist Gram’ma Funk must’ve been thrilled.
In May 2007, “Get Down” was released, featuring rapper Stush, which reached no. 9, meaning that they had their first Top Ten hit single about a decade on from their debut. It was definitely worth the wait though and well deserved. And in July 2007, “Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control)” reached no. 8. This featured an uncredited vocal from Mutya Buena.
Mutya wasn’t in Sugababes at this time, although she is again now (unless they’ve split yet again). This was definitely as great as anything else that they had done. But this was it, Groove Armada haven’t appeared on the chart since, placing them in the rather unusual situation of their final single being their biggest hit. They are still together though, and they have now made eight albums.
ADAM'S NOSTALGIC MEMORIES 