Findlay and Cato
There is an unusual blend of influences in each of their albums, spanning house (of course), big beat, reggae, disco and funk. Production wise they definitely have the knack of combining a traditional range of instrumentation with modern rhythms and technology. Their DJ sets however are most definitely rooted in house. Cato and Findlay remain two of the most passionate and knowledgeable fans of the genre you are ever likely to meet.
Although they have played in venues as diverse and remote as Romanian beaches and WW1 aircraft in Los Angeles, the duo always return to Ibiza. With a prodigal sons type vibe in the air, it’s promising to be a special season on the Terrace at We Love.. Space this year for Groove Armada as DJs and as live performers when their Black Light show rolls into the cavernous Discoteca.
Take note in your diaries ladies and gentlemen. Groove Armada will be DJing at We Love on the following dates: 20th June, 18th July and 19th of September. Expect that spectacular live show on the 15th of August.
For now we’ll leave it to Andy Cato (he’s the 6ft 8 Yorkshireman) to give us some insight to his musical history and hopes for the future. Genuinely interesting and insightful – thank you Andy.
Is there one book that you have read that has been life-changing for you?
Several. On the Road by Jack Kerouac, Chronicles by Bob Dylan, Anna Karenina by Tolstoy, The Manual by Bill Drummond, The Revenge of Gaia by James Lovelock, etc.
Did your parents encourage you to work in music?
My dad was a blues player so he got me playing blues on the piano as soon as I could sit up. He also rigged up a bag of nails hung over a hook in the roof so I could start playing the trombone before I was old enough to lift it.
How did you begin to work professionally in music?
I was doing jazz gigs, weddings, funerals and the like from age 13 onwards. When I could get out of school, I used to spend afternoons in a studio underneath Wakefield Snooker Club, working out how it worked in exchange for releasing the tunes via the son of the club owner.
How do you apply your past experiences to what you do today?
I can’t tell you which bit of my musical life I’m drawing on when it comes to sitting down to write a song. I’m sure it’s all in there somewhere. But when you walk out to play to 50,000 people, it helps to have spent most of your life on stages, however small they were. And as far as DJing goes, there’s a big part of the sound at the moment that’s rooted in where it all started for me. The sound of Basics, Kaos, Soak and DiY parties in ’89/’90. A lot of the old tunes are coming back up from the basement. There was also a real importance back then in working your tunes in the right order – before fx and loops could cover the gaps – and that’s stayed with me.
Where is your current studio and what is it like?
It’s in an old cowshed. It’s actually the first proper studio I’ve ever had. I’ve been quite nomadic and have had studios in various cellars, bedrooms and boats up until now. It’s got some nice gear and pair of speakers I bought from Mike Oldfield that could rival the Terrace soundsystem.
Black lights
How much have you had to consider marketing issues since embarking on your career and how has that affected your creativity?
It’s been more lack of marketing issues for us. Until recently we were stuck on a major with Britney and NSync, with little attention coming our way. This meant we put a lot of work into the live show, the DJ sets, things we could get out there and do ourselves without hanging around waiting for answers from the label. In this way, GA has always been a DIY project. It’s meant less time for studio work over the years, but given that making a living in music is all about the gig these days, it hasn’t worked out too bad.
How would you describe your work?
A game of four halves. A lot of people only know the big singles and have no idea about all those deep and weird album tracks, the GA house sound, the amazing vibe of the live show, or the fact that Black Light (the new album) is the best music we’ve ever made. So we’ve still got a way to go.
Who were your teachers?
Studio-wise I just went for it from the off and worked it out. It takes a long time but it’s the best way to do it. DJ-wise, Sasha at Shelleys was one inspiration, and my cousin, Digs DiY the other. As a result I’ve always been sowewhere between the big breakdown and the hypnotic groove. In terms of playing instruments, it was my dad and Grimethorpe Colliery Band for the trombone, Stan who now plays with Faithless on the bass, and a woman down the road whose name I can’t remember for the piano.
Your home is burgled but fortunately the culprits are caught and your possessions returned to you. What would you deem a suitable punishment for the burglars?
Carry my records back upstairs.
You have to make one species of animal extinct. Excluding insects, which species would that be?
It would have to be the mosquito, but you can bet that there’d be an unforeseen outcome and we’d lose all our chickens or something within the year. That’s the thing with species. Once they start going, the rest follow.
If you could spend one week in any period of history, which period would you choose?
I’d repeat the 13th – 21st July, 1991 at the DiY free party, Morton Lighthouse. It doesn’t get any better.
Thanks again to Andy Cato for taking time out of his busy touring and production schedule to answer our 11 Questions, you can find the archive of everyone else who has kindly answered here. Check out the video below for a taste of Groove Armada live incase you haven’t witnessed it before. And remember, the full Black Light live show will be out in full force for We Love… Space on Sunday 15th August.
