Groove Armada - Back to Mine

Prior to the breakthrough success of their second album, Vertigo, Groove Armada (Tom Findlay and Andy Cato) were better known as successful club DJs, plying their trade in clubs the length and breadth of England, from Tangled in Manchester to the End in London. For their first mix CD they eschew uptempo dance-floor tunes in favor of a far more laid-back repertoire--think "At the River" rather than "If Everybody Looked the Same." It's an eclectic mixture of classic and modern--from Barry White to Tears for Fears, stopping at all stations along the way. Unlike many of these kinds of compilations, there's not a duff track on here, and standouts like Al Green's "Light My Fire" and Tony D's "Piano Grand" make the cherry on top. Vertigo was justifiably lauded as the Best Chill-Out Album at the U.K.'s Ministry Magazine Awards in 1999; Back to Mine is a worthy heir to the throne. --Helen Marquis Amazon.com

Great mix

I love the "Back to Mine" series and this may one of my favorites in the series. Groove Armada creates the perfect mix of grooves that stay in a laid-back-chill-out groove; perfect for those lazy hazy daze. Exceptional tunes include Roots Manuva's "Next Type of Motion" with hints of electronica tinged reggae beatz that hipnotize with hip urban poetry, a classic R&B version of the Doors masterpiece "Light My Fire" that sizzles with soul, Tears for Fears lends a cryptic "Pharoahs" to the mix that features an ambient sound that recalls a heady meeting between The Orb and Pink Floyd, the hip-hop driven "A Tribe Called Quest" tune entitled "Description of a Fool" that is pure cool and the Barry White turn-the-lights-down-low groove entitled "Playing Your Game" that evokes the master love crooners magic redeux. This is an excellent mix that doesn't disappoint. Other titles worthy of your ears and the stuff between them are Back to Mine and Back to Mine amongst others. Recommended for those that like the groove. June 4, 2008

Heir to Groove Armada's Vertigo?

That is a very bold statement by the Amazon editor. This Back to Mine album and Groove Armada's legendary Vertigo are not even in the same class.

I'm a big fan of Groove Armada, and even though this is a compilation mixed from other artists' tracks, I am disappointed that their name is on the cover.

Back to Mine is a good series. They get great DJ's to actually MIX their own selection of tracks. Mixing adds a unique flavour to an industry (i.e. chillout/ambient albums) that is overly saturated with subpar releases.

Regardless, this is not one of the better Back to Mine albums. The track selection is horrible and stale. We all love Barry White and Al Green, but their particular tracks do not gel well with the others on this album. One may argue that the ablum is eclectic. This is true, but eclectic tracks don't work well if they lack even a little chemistry (other than just a slow tempo). I expected much more from this pair of very talented Brits.

2/5 stars. July 19, 2007

GA and BTM deliver again

Alot of my fellow reviewers and the general public should note that a main tenet of the Back to Mine series is that it is a reflection of influences and musical tastes of the artists. In the sleeve notes of one of the Back to Mine series (there are at least a dozen so named CDs) I read that it's all about what they'd play at their after-clubbing party back home on their vintage vinyls and what not.

Therefore you get alot of downbeat tracks and music that isn't necessarily what the artist would normally put out. The same holds true for this BTM release. Groove Armada are already masters of the chill beats, but they put in a twist for this assortment of their favourite tunes. A direct quote from the booklet that comes with the disc: "In compiling this album, we've worked at playing all these tunes at their original speed as they're all too special to be distorted."

What you are buying here isn't necessarily a Groove Armada album - though it's definitely got their flavour. What you are buying is a truly one-of-a-kind, stellar mix tape. Seriously. Still worth the purchase, even at the more expensive CD store prices. June 4, 2006

Best of the Back to Mine Series. Diverse music makes for perfect chill album

Having listened to several albums in the back to mine series, I have to say that Groove Armada's compilation is by far the best of the lot. Intergrating an incredibly diverse mix of musical genres and artists, GA creates a album that seamlessly transitions from one song to the next. Overall, this is a more soulful album than ambient techno, with offerings from Al Green, Barry White, and A Tribe Called Quest. As far as beats and tempos go, it's much more laid back than Everything But the Girl, The Orb, or Danny Tenaglia's versions. This is the perfect album for an evening in with close friends or a special someone, a laid back vibe with a red wine buzz, or something else that gets your mind open. January 14, 2006

This album is slick and kewl!

Not the best output from the band but slick and smooth nontheless. Some have accussed this album of being directionless but that rather misses the point, and almost misses the point of the ethos of this great band.
Here you have a mardi gras of dance cultures, soul, funk, R+B, rap, house and ambient chill with more than a foot in the camp of black and latino culture; make this distinctly different.
Not at all a misguided album, it's like a club night out in modern Harlem and the Bronx fused; very, very different and that is the rarified joy of Groove Armada. March 10, 2005

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