Andy Cato
| Andy Cato | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Andrew Derek Cocup |
| Also known as | Caia, Journey Man DJ, Big C, System The, Seventh Sense |
| Born |
7 June 1971 Barnsley, Yorkshire, England |
| Origin | London, England |
| Genres | Electronica |
| Instruments | Keyboards, sampler, trombone, piano, bass |
| Years active | 1996–present |
| Labels | Columbia UK |
| Associated acts | Groove Armada, Caia, Weekend Players |
| Website | http://andycatomusic.com |
Andy Cato (born Andrew Derek Cocup; 7 June 1971) is an English musician, producer and DJ who is currently one half of the electronic music band, Groove Armada, the other half being Tom Findlay. He was also involved with Rachel Foster in Weekend Players, another electronic dance group, between 2001-04. His stage name of Cato derives from Cato Road in Clapham, where he lived.
Cato grew up in Badsworth, near Pontefract, and played the trombone in a colliery brass band, as well as the Doncaster Youth Jazz Orchestra and won the Young Jazz Musician of the Year Award in 1996. He was educated at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, an independent school for boys in Wakefield, followed by Wadham College, University of Oxford, where he studied history. At school he was a prolific musician, frequently performing and leading on school shows such the Carol concert or as a pianist at school assembly. He often wrote his own songs e.g. "Christmas means to me - presents round the tree", from an early age.
After Oxford, he moved to London, where he began acting as a disc jockey at nightclubs such as Fabric where he started in the upstairs bar, and composing music. He set up the label Skinny Malinky, where produced records under various aliases included Big C, Mother's Pride, Vadis, Beat Foundation, Fatback Boogaloo and Qattara (with Alex Whitcombe).
He formed the successful Groove Armada after he met Tom Findlay in 1994 in Cambridge, through a common friend who was his girlfriend (and now his wife), Jo, whom he met at Oxford. In London they had a dance night called Captain Sensual at the Helm of the Groove Armada. In 2003 they started the Lovebox Festival, named after the club night they started in London venue 93 Feet East in 2002.
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