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London outfit Groove Armada have finished recording their follow-up to 1999's Vertigo. The duo of Andy Cato and Tom Findlay, who won the favors of audiences and one Norman Cook (a.k.a. Fatboy Slim) with "I See You Baby" (with its refrain of "Shaking that ass"), will release their third LP, Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub) out on Jive Electro September 11th.
The album will feature twelve tracks with first single "Super Stylin'" set to drop August 7th. Featured guests include Jeru the Damaja, Kriminal, Nile Rodgers, M.A.D. (their MC for live appearances), British singer songwriter Tim Hutton and folk legend Richie Havens.
"It was all kind of twenty-first century," recounts Cato of the Havens contributions to "Little by Little" and "Healing." "We spoke to him over the phone. We ended up sending the DAT over to him and he ended up sending it back again. But on the phone he's an absolutely lovely bloke and we're going to persuade him to do [U.K. festival] Glastonbury with us next summer, which would be amazing."
Not featured on the record are the bass and vocal stylings of Me'shell NdegeOcello, who the duo previously told Rolling Stone in February, was set to appear on three tracks.
"That was very strange," explains Cato. "We sent her the tape in December and said we needed it by March and nothing ever happened. Sometimes her manager would phone and say, 'Oh the DAT's ready to be picked up,' and we'd send someone to pick it up in L.A. and she just wouldn't be there. I think she's revealed herself to be an incredible perfectionist -- for whatever reason she couldn't get herself to the point of perfection."
Extra tracks Groove Armada laid down in their countryside sessions are set to appear as B-sides to upcoming singles, and as free downloads via the band's Web site for those that purchase the album. The duo is lining up DJ dates for August, with a full band tour to follow in November.
JOLIE LASH
(July 5, 2001)