Into the Groove: Armada Sets Sail for America

So they created what was perhaps the chill-out song of last year ("At the River"). So their album is among the top 10 sellers in Hollywood, according to Amazon.com, which means you'll probably start hearing their songs on soundtracks ("If Everybody Looked the Same" has already appeared on the Next Best Thing soundtrack). So Vertigo, their latest album, was such a critical sensation in their native Britain than Elton John apparently bought 200 copies to give to all his friends. Even then, Groove Armada's reputation was built on their creation of laid-back atmospheric tunes-the type that suggest staring out into a Balearic island sunset rather than dancing on a club floor-and the duo's party-moving credentials were yet to be established. Choosing to come into town on a Monday night to play a DJ set was thus perhaps not the best way to showcase the Armada's attempt to conquer America: publicists were on hand to give out free copies of Vertigo, but almost everyone in the small, 60-strong crowd seemed to already be an album-owning fan.

Still, Andy Cato and Tom Findlay's DJ set would certainly have made converts out of any wavering non-believers. The duo had apparently arrived late; fortunately, the warm-up DJ did a good job of entertaining the crowd, and the reception when the Armada took to the Karma stage was indulgent. Groove Armada lived up to expectations, opening their eclectic set with some Latin-influenced house tunes (including a tasty remix of Basement Jaxx's "Jump and Shout") before moving on to throw on some breakbeat tunes, some funk and even an old-school track from the Sugarhill Gang. True to the anything-with-a-beat-goes spirit of the night, Cato and Findlay goofed around on the live bass guitar and keyboards and added cheeky touches of humor (a sample of a woman moaning "Oh Groove Armada" had the crowd visibly laughing). Of course, some self-promotion was in order, and indeed it seemed to be what the crowd expected. The upbeat tracks from Vertigo were aired out, with the cheeky "shakin' that ass" line of their own "I See You Baby" receiving the biggest reaction of the night.

The buzz on Groove Armada has begun to spread with the recent American release of that same album. Indeed, a bowdlerized version of "I See You Baby" can be heard in a current Mitsubishi commercial. And if their live performance was anything to go by, this is a group that will be heard: on TV, in movies, in living rooms and definitely in clubs. Even without Elton's help.0