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5
THE GUESTLIST NETWORK | MARCH 2010
Groove Armada
Armada are one of the only British DJ/Producer duos who have become a
prominent part of many generations music collections. With each record
they prove themselves to be capable of making fresh sounds and innova-
tive styles. It’s been an emotional ride for the pair, Esther & Seb Roskell
finds out what’s contributed to their finest piece of work.
So guys you’ve been around genius. Working with Bryan Ferry cial. She’s the performer of her gen-
the world and conquered many was amazing. Such a decent fella, a eration.
a stage do you have a highlight classy guy but in his own way he’s
of your career? got humility too. I am really excited You seem to have a bit of a
T: I’m not sure there’s been one about Roxy Music reforming to play knack for discovering vocal-
outstanding moment, but if I had to Lovebox too. ists. What have you guys been
commit, I’d say closing Glastonbury A: Love the DJ Hell tune. The differ- listening to for pleasure recent-
in 2008 was blinding, and the whole ence there is that it’s an old vocal. ly? Do any other up and comers
relationship we’ve had over the Ours was the first collaboration Bry- particularly catch the ear?
years in australia. which is so much an’s ever done. We met him through T: well because of my involvement in
a better place to be in January than a friend of mine - a fashion photog- Lovebox, I’m a bit of an audiophile.
the UK. rapher who I got to know mainly due Things that I’m digging now would
A: Making Black Light, closing to his hareem of Brazilian beauties. be: Hurts, Everything Everything,
Glastonbury, seeing Lovebox in full It turned out that he was friends with Wild Beasts and loads of great DJs
swing Byran’s son. So we managed to fix like Riva Starr, Modeselektor, and
up a dinner, we picked up the tab, Brodinski.
There’s an amazing amount of and the rest is history.
buzz surrounding the new al- A lot of people have very mov-
bum and your new sound. Can We saw you at Lovebox last ing and positive memories of
you tell us a little bit about it? year and you kind of blew away seeing you perform live es-
Where the ideas initially came the competition. Was really im- pecially at festivals. What has
from? pressed with Saintsaviour as your best festival experience
T: I really can’t remember much a performer. She’s got a great been to date?
about the process. It all started in stage presence and the tracks T: Glasto 2008. All my dreams ful-
my basement in Stoke Newington, on the album she’s worked on filled.
and after that we spent about a year really stand out. How did you A: There have been many. Probably
travelling back and forth trying to meet? End up working togeth- closing the Glastonbury Sunday in
get there. I knew when we came to- er? 2007 followed by a top party in a
gether, we weren’t on a major label T: caravan.
anymore so we wanted to make a
record we could really believe in. And what about the worst?
A: We were listening to lots of old T: I do remember doing a gig in
Bowie, Gary Numan, Roxy Music, South Africa, where it was unbeliev-
and loving it. We were checking out ably cold. We had a four hour drive
the likes of Friendly Fires, MGMT back and then had to thaw out for
etc for Lovebox and liking all that about a week in a bath. But really its
too. After a few years of closing the not a bad life.
world’s biggest stages, culminating A: Getting blown off stage by a sur-
in the Glastonbury gig, we felt the prise hurricane in Mexico.
need to rip everything up and start
again - do something completely Hopefully the sun will shine on the
different. Live we’d been combin- boys and their clan of merry musi-
ing rock n roll and machines for a
long time. Taking that into the studio “Glasto
cians this year at the festivals. We
can’t wait to see them at Glaston-
seemed like a good starting point bury once again. If you can’t wait
for a new sound.
2008:
that long though have a listen to
Black Light whilst your in the show-
It’s very much a collaborative er, it’s basically a British festival.
piece of work, perhaps more
so than previous albums. There
All my
are a lot of very emotive lyrics
and ome great vocalists. Does
it feel like sharing the burden a
dreams
little?
T: Well I’ll be honest and say it was
by some distance the most emotion-
fulfilled.”
ally wearing album we’ve ever made.
I flitted in and out of moments of
genuine despair, so could have done She was in a all girl synth pop band
with sharing the burden even more. called the RGBs, and they support-
A: It’s actually been by far the most ed us at a couple of shows. We went
personal record to make. Apart from out front and you just couldn’t take
Bryan Ferry, we worked with new your eyes of becky (saint saviour),
talent. We found people who were she’s got real magentism. She’s
open to ideas, suggestions, lyrics been an integral part of writing the
etc, and who would be prepared to album, and she’s been amazing live.
come on the road. More than is pos- She’s so much better to look at than
sible with the likes of Richie Havens us.
or Candi Staton, we worked with the A: It was clear she was special. We
vocalists down to every last detail. started working on some songs with
her, and she became totally involved
I have to ask what was it like in the whole process. Lovebox last
working with a legend like Bry- year was the first time we tried play-
Because our maddest parties are our
an Ferry on the track Shame- ing with her onstage. We were play-
less? Where did the idea origi- ing half written songs from Black best memories… Are You Mad??
nally come from? Have you Light that noone knew. It was a
listened to the DJ Hell collabo- gamble. But she carried the whole
Party hard and send your maddest
ration U Can Dance? gig. Since then the Black Light live
pictures to photos@guestlist.net
T: I love the DJ Hell collaboration, its show has become something spe-
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