Hacienda

Groove Armada, named after a 1970s disco, released four singles in their first year as a signed collective with songs such as “At the River” which featured a sample of “Old Cape Cod” originally by Patti Page, which would go on to be one of Groove Armada’s most well known tracks. They released their debut album “Northern Star” on March 9th 1998.

However, it wasn’t until they released their sophomore album “Vertigo” on May 24th 1999 that they earned themselves a silver record. It was also around this time that they released “At the River” as a single in its own right. “Vertigo” featured some of the duo’s biggest hits such as “I See You Baby”, which would go on to be used in Renault Megane and Ford Fiesta car commercials and then the song “”If Everybody Looked the Same” being used in the films, Gone in 60 Seconds and Miss Congeniality. The album went on to peak at number 23 in the UK Albums Chart too.

Their third album “Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub)” released on September 10th 2001 shot up the charts to number 5 in the UK and number 8 in Australia. This album also features “Superstylin” which was a huge international hit for the duo, and earned the band a Grammy nomination.

The duo released a greatest hits album called “The Best of Groove Armada” in 2004, which ended their list of released with Pepper Records, before releasing “Soundboy Rock” on May 4th 2007, which was Groove Armada’s self proclaimed best album yet. The album after that, “Black Light” released on January 29th 2010, cited influences from Fleetwood Mac and Gary Numan.

Growing up in the Moss Side area of Manchester, Gerald Simpson was surrounded by music from an early age, taking in everything from his father's beloved ska and reggae, the church sessions that his mother would take him to and the Jamaican sound system parties that were rampant around his local area. Once he hit his teens, he discovered electro music and the burgeoning hip-hop culture being imported from the USA, and the combination of both changed his life forever. Soon after he heard it, Simpson began experimenting with the music itself, borrowing a drum machine, learning how to use it and making his first forays into tape editing as well. Soon, he and his mates formed The Scratchbeat Masters, which later evolved into the first incarnation of 808 State, who released one album before Simpson left to pursue his solo career.

It's safe to say that Simpson's solo career had one hell of a debut. Taking the creative stage name A Guy Called Gerald, Simpson released “Voodoo Ray” in 1988, a track that was first played at the Hacienda itself and would later become one of Acid House's first major hits, climbing to number 12 in the charts on its release and becoming the highest selling independent single release of the year. After the success of “Voodoo Ray” and it's accompanying album “Hot Lemonade”, Simpson signed a deal with Columbia/CBS for the release of his second album “Automanikk”. Ever since then, Simpson has become a founding influence on UK dance music, pioneering jungle and, by extension, drum and bass as a whole. Electronica owes something of a debt to A Guy Named Gerald, but considering that he's kept such a high standard of quality up to this day, it's not a laurel that he's going to rest on any time soon. For that, he comes highly recommended.

The brothers originally formed the electronica band, Soulwax, starting to make music under this moniker in 1995. They created a DJ show on Belgian national radio called 'Hang The DJ,' which displayed their eclectic knowledge of music, creating mixes that had everything from Grandmaster Flash, to the Beastie Boys to Herbie Hancock to AC/DC, making mash-ups of a vast array of artists.

Having conquered Belgian and Dutch fans, they moved to break into the London, UK scene, creating head-turning sets for Xfm radio as well as performing at clubs in the capital. Their album releases became hugely popular, gaining them significant popularity, as well as producing number of high profile remixes for artists which broadened their audience. Their album, "Much Against Everyone's Advice" was a huge success, breaking into the top 40 in the UK.

Performing as 2manyDJs, their extensive use of sampling made it difficult for them to produce music legally, having to pay off an extensive number of royalties to various artists. "As Heard on Radio Soulwax Pt. 2," in 2002, became their first official and legal release, having huge influence on the dance music scene, inspiring new DJs to create genre-bending mash-ups.

Their "2 Many DJs" record features tracks such as a mix of Destiny's Child's "Independent Women" alongside 10CC's "Dreadlock Holiday," or the Stooge's "No Fun" with Salt 'N' Pepa's "Push It." Their music is humorous yet these tongue-in-cheek mash-ups are all laden with groove and top-drawer production, making for an exciting listen, making a mockery of the word 'genre.'