- Groove Armada sound like they are enjoying themselves during this stop-off at Hypercolour. A chance meet-up between Tom and Andy with label boss Jamie Russell at Space two years back has culminated in this EP of analogue funk and bass-drizzled house with a decidedly old school nuance.
Let's make this clear, this isn't GA in big room mode, although "There Was Rhythm" comes closest, morphing midway from its bouncing b-boy origins into Italo house, complete with hammered pianos. "Oh Tweak Me" is a more understated affair, all hissing percussion, parping bass, echoing handclaps and musical tics, like an oddly-strangulated cowbell.
The quaintly-titled "Stevie Latenight" settles into a deep, plink-plonk groove early on and stays there, around which GA build fuzzy hi-hats, Linn-style drums and a beat that sounds like it's rattling your mum's best china. "Luv 91" opens with doleful dubsteppish swells topped by a pitched-up vocal sample but then in saunters in-period keys that bubble about with a pop and ping. Rather than a case of big boys trying to show off all their weapons to a young label, No Knock proves that Groove Armada are just as happy being foot soldiers.
Tracklist A1 Oh Tweak To me
A2 Stevie Latenight
B1 There Was Rhythm
B2 LUV 91