DIGITAL SCRAPBOOK

On April 29th Andy will re lea se 'T imes a nd Pla ces'.Over the la st 15 yea rs he ha s been writi ng this a lbu m on the road on tou r with GA. From Airport Lou nges / Hote l Rooms / Pla nes / Tra ins a nd a n a rray of tou r bu ses. The la st two yea rs saw Andy edit a ll the se idea s i nto one bea utifu l a lbu m. Relea sed through the legenda ry Apollo Records a nd R&S Records, on digita l a nd limited edition ha rdba ck CD book. There will a lso be a cheeky vinyl a nnou ncement on the way but more of that to come. This is Groove Armada history.

South Of Mexico CityY ou trave l a ll over the world a nd everything fee ls fa milia r i n

some way. Until you get to pla ces like Tokyo a nd it’s like

la nding on Mars. The streets of Mexico City had the sa me

e ffect, though there it was beca u se of the madness rather

WKD Q�WKH�1HRQ���:H�GLG�D�JLJ�X S�RQ�D�KLOO�RYHUORRNLQJ�WKH�city, then had a tou r of the town in the ba ck of a Beetle

with ha lf a windscreen. I took a load of Super8 through the

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Abbey Road Ja mWe were recording in Studio 2, a mazing in itse lf given what’s gone on there be fore. I was kicking a bout wa iti ng for the stri ng players to a rrive, there was a nice vibe there, everything was mic-ed up a nd I put this groove down. Ever si nce then I’ve a lways mea nt to tu rn it i nto a proper song, but never did. So it’s still ju st a ja m, but with enough of the a bbey URDG�YLEH�WR�FD UU\�LW�WKURXJK��

The Coa sta l PathAustra lia ha s been the scene for the best of times. We’ve done lots of tou rs there, but there was one i n pa rticu la r where everything seemed to come to-JHWKHU��(YHQ�PRUH�WKD Q�QRUPD O���7KH�*URRYH�$UPDGD�WUDYH OOL QJ�FUHZ��QRW�ju st the musicia ns, but everybody, was a pretty u niqu e ga ng. Looking ba ck on those two weeks on the road, I wonder if I’m mixing memorie s a nd GUHDPV���7KHUH ªV�D�OLWW OH�SDWK�WKDW�JRHV�IURP�%RQGL�EHKLQG�WKH�URFNV�WR�the bea ch rou nd the corner. I fou nd myse lf there one morning, i n the silence, ZLWK�HQRXJK�WLPH�WR�UHD OLVH�WKDW�\RX ªUH�KDYLQJ�WKH�EHVW�WLPH�RI�\RX U�OLIH��

F lorence to RomeWe u sed to do a lot of pa rtie s i n Ita ly. Up nea r F lorence was the Tenax crew. Either side of the gigs, things u sed to roll on for a while e ither at a studio down by the river or u p a rou nd the vin eya rds a nd open spa ces. After a n after SD UW\�DW�D�KRX VH�L Q�WKH�KLOOV���there was noone awake a nd the clock was ticking. I had a f light from Rome. There was a hire ca r i n the drive with the keys i n the ignition. In the end I had no choice. I le ft a note...

Su nrise Sa nt AgnesI had to get Ibiza in there somewhere. I’ve not missed a sea son si nce 1989,

whether it’s the ea rly days givi ng out f lyers a nd livi ng on a n Ostrich fa rm, or

ODWHU�RQ�L Q�PRVW�RI�WKH�LVOD QGV�'-�ERRWKV���7KHUH ªV�D�JX\�ZKR�UX QV�D�FDIp�L Q�6W�$JQHV�FD OOHG�7RQ\�6RQULVD V��&URVV�WKH�KLOOV�JRLQJ�QRUWK��GRZQ�D�ORQJ��VWUD LJKW�URDG�D QG�WKHUH ªV�KLV�FDIp�DW�WKH�HQG�RI�LW��,�IRX QG�P\VH OI�WKHUH�TX LWH�RIWHQ���)URP�WKHUH��\RX�FD Q�VHH�D�ZHLUG�ZKLWH�FD UEX QFOH�RQ�WRS�RI�WKH�KLOO�that was bu ilt by the guy from Enigma. It must’ve been working on my tired

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Moscow To St Petersbu rg By Tra inIt was a memora ble night, a basement pa rty i n Moscow. It was when the

dwa rves ca me a rou nd with bowls on the ir heads fu ll of powders a nd the swords-

men ca me onstage behind the booth that I rea lised I was moving in shady

compa ny. The trou ble with people fencing next to a DJ booth is that it makes

the records ju mp. After a while it was skipping a rou nd so much I told the boss it

was the swordsmen or me. He rea ched inside his ja cket, pu lled out a sma ll f i re-

a rm, a nd told me to ‘play the music’. I did. The day after I took the tra in to St

Petersbu rg. They gave out headphones that weren ’t long enough to rea ch the

RYHUKHDG�VRFNHWV���,QVLGH�WKH�WUD LQ���FLW\�VOLFNHUV�KD OI�VWD QGLQJ��RQH�HD U�stretched towa rds the roof, outside, f ie lds be ing ploughed by oxen. Plu s the

memorie s of the night be fore. As so often on the road, worlds collide.�

Together is the wordWe’ve only done the proper US bu s tou r once.

Maybe it’s enough. Y ou ca n spend 23 hou rs on

the road getti ng to the next gig, only see ing a

lu na r la ndscape a nd once-in-500 mile ga rages

where mom is cooking u p bu rgers while the

da ughter’s trying to get ma rried off to a tru cker.

There were lots of tu nes made on that bu s ride,

but most got lost. This one only su rvived beca u se

someone i n Sa n Fra n a sked for a ta pe recording

a nd I took a C60 home myse lf.

Lake of Sta rs"Will you play a gig i n Malawi to ra ise money for loca l schools. It shou ld be a FUD FN��WKH�/LYHUSRRO�FUHZ�D UH�L QYROYHG�����2N��,�VD LG��7KDWªV�KRZ�LW�VWD UWHG��7KH�f light to Na irobi was ea sy enough. But a s I ca me off the pla ne, I saw the f light WR�0DODZL�WD NLQJ�RII��,W�ZDV�OHDYLQJ����PLQXWH V�HD UO\��,�D VNHG�ZK\����,WªV�WKH�FDSWD LQVª�EURWKHUªV�ELUWKGD\��KH�ZD QWV�WR�JHW�ED FN���1R�RSWLRQ�EXW�WR�VWD\�overnight i n town. I fou nd a ba r with a tony a llen style dru mmer, but a loca l WROG�PH�WKDW�VWD\LQJ�WKHUH�ZRX OG�EH�©L QVD QH ª��7KH�GD\�DIWHU��VWLOO�QR�I OLJKW�WR�0DODZL��6R�WKH\�GURSSHG�PH�LQ�-RKD QQHVEX UJ�LQVWHDG��,�FRX OGQªW�JHW�RXW�RI�WKH�D LUSRUW�EHFD X VH�,�GLGQW�KDYH�D�\H OORZ�IHYHU�FHUWLI LFDWH��7KH�VWDII�ZHQW�KRPH��,�ZDV�VWX FN�EHWZHHQ�WZR�VHWV�RI�ED UULHUV��7KH�RQO\�ZD\�RXW�ZDV�WR�UL QJ�WKH�D OD UP�FKRUG�LQ�WKH�GLVD EOHG�WRLOHW��2QFH�RXW�RI�WKHUH��YLD�WKLV�D QG�WKDW�L�UD Q�LQWR�D Q�ROG�raver who f lew a Cessna a rou nd the outba ck. Navigating by the smoke of bu sh f ire s, he took me up to the La ke of Sta rs. 3 days after leaving home, I was ORRNLQJ�RXW�DW�WKH�WKRX VD QGV�RI�FD QGOH�OLW�I LVKL QJ�ERDWV�WKDW�JLYH�WKH�OD NH�LWªV�QD PH��$ORQJVLGH�ZDV�D�VWD QG�VH OOL QJ�KRPH�PDGH�7�6KLUWV�ZLWK�WKH�VORJD Q�:KHUH�WKH�IX FN�LV�$QG\�&DWR��$�ELW�WRXJK�JLYHQ�WKH�MRX UQH\��

8 tra ck Ja m at MarksWe setu p in Ca mden with a n 8 tra ck a nd mixer Mark had made out of BBC volu me pots screwed into a wa rdrobe door. There was George a nd Sta n, the GA Live gu ita r a nd bass players, a nd Andy on the dru ms be fore he went on the road with Fa ithle ss. We'd had a weekend on the road doing fe sti-va ls, followed by a Su nday night with Richie Havens at the Jazz Cafe over the road. Monday evening, the a ir a rou nd the 8 tra ck was heavy a nd this groove went down in one ta ke. Later I recorded a voca l i n the ne ighbou rs bathroom. Only the i nstru menta l su rvived…�

Rainfa lls (Tou lou se)This is one of the most recent. The co-writer on this is Mike Monday, who was origina lly i n Beat Fou ndation with me right at the begin ning. Having tou red the UK a nd Ibiza in ou r rave a mbu la nce we fou nd ou rse lve s 20 yea rs later sat i n a cowshed studio outside Tou lou se with the ra in pou ri ng down. Nosta lgia i n the a ir.�

Back from CastlemortonMe a nd a friend drove over the Pennin es i n a Hillma n Imp that somehow got me to a lot of free pa rtie s i n the fou r corners of the UK . I remember coming over a hill, down into Ca stlemorton, a nd you were ju st awa re, even then, that you were pa rt of something that was going to become folklore. A few days later I ended up in a studio i n Acton doing a se ssion with a guy who wa nted some big Ita lo-rave pia no li n e s. While he wasn ’t there I got this 8-ba r groove going, which is why it doesn ’t cha nge much. I wa nted it on there beca u se it ta kes me ba ck to a life cha nging weekend.�

Palmero By NightOu r time in LA bega n brillia ntly when we did ou r best ever DJ set at a pla ce ca lled Fay Dodo’s Ba llroom. We did a n u npla nned history of hip hop, disco a nd hou se then ca rried on down the road u ntil the long a rm of the LA law put his KD QG�RQ�P\�VKRX OGHU�VD\LQJ�§WKDW��VRQ��LV�\RX U�OD VW�UHFRUG¨���)URP�WKHUH�ZH�ZHUH�qu ite feted in LA. If we wa nted to go more tha n 10 ya rds we had to ta ke a limo. We did a gig at the Museu m of F lyi ng a nd went a long with the promoters ‘great idea ’ to a rrive i n a Sopwith Ca mel. Wa lking a cross the da nce f loor to the booth i n sca rf a nd goggle s the idea was fee li ng le ss great. But there ’s something poigna nt a bout LA, beca u se everyone ’s a wa nnabe of some sort. I remember working on this tu ne whilst overlooking su nset strip watching a wa itre ss i n the Pa lmero a r-ra nging her ha ir i n the empty window, wa iti ng for her big brea k.

WoodstockMark ma naged u s for a while a nd he

had a pla ce u p in Woodstock. Ita lia n

a merica n, he knew how to cook. We

spent a few days u p there, went to a

few blu e s ja ms, a nd you get i nto this

fra me of mind where you only wa nt to

listen to Blonde On Blonde. I got a re-

cording of a couple of chords on the

gra nd pia no. As we headed ba ck to

NY C a long the river it tu rned into a

sou ndtra ck for the wide open spa ces.

Whose Groove?We’d had a long night i n a clu b in Montrea l. Drivi ng down to the border with

the States, heading towa rds Boston,we got the fu ll dogs treatment from the

America n border gu a rds. It was the moment when the lawle ss tou r bu s

bu bble a lmost got bu rst. When it had qu ietened down, there was ju st the bu s

driver, Noof he was ca lled, a nd me , mile s a nd mile s of da rk road a nd the

lost fa ces of the night be fore.

Rea r WindowThis is tra ck done with Tom (GA). We did a Crea mf ie lds DJ gig to maybe 100,000 people or more. The morning after, there was a problem with f lights D QG�LWL Q HUD ULH V�D QG�ZH�HQGHG�XS�VWD\LQJ�LQ�%X HQRV�$LUH V�IRU�D�ZHHN���,Q�excha nge for a couple of DJ sets, someone gave u s a n apa rtment with a ter-ra ce overlooking the town. We got out the deck cha irs, la ptop, spea kers a nd FUHDWHG�D����KRX U�URRIWRS�VWXGLR��2SSRVLWH�ZDV�D Q�DSD UWPHQW�EORFN�ZLWK�D OO�RI�OLIH�RQ�GLVSOD\��3X UH�+LWFKFRFN��

North From Montpa rna sse,W�ZDV�RQ�RQH�RI�WKH�HD UO\�WUD Q-sit-va n-in-Eu rope tou rs. There was some WLPH�RII�WR�JR�X S�WKH�PRX QWD LQV���We ra n into a pa rty crew up there. A couple of days later, the drive ba ck to the tou r bu s, a fu ll moon a nd the f la shing lights of the workmen on the pea ks, took on a Blade Ru nner-on-ice fee l. There was a Ta ngerin e Drea m tu ne playing. This tra ck is a tripped out ver-VLRQ�RI�WKDW�LGHD��

7a m DropThis a lbu m is the ta ken from the moments i n between the da nce f loors. So this la st tra ck is the only bit of hou se music on here, a nd is a n extra ct from a 12” I put out on the PackUpAndDance la be l me a nd a mate had going in Ba rce lona. It’s DiY (sou nd system) inspired. I ca me home from one of the ir pa rtie s with a ba ssli n e i n my head a nd to this day I don’t know whether it’s RQH�,�KHD UG�WKDW�QLJKW�RU�RQH�,�ZURWH��,I�LWªV�VWROHQ��,ª OO�JLYH�\RX�RQH�ED FN��