Addison Groove

Bristol-based producer Addison Groove (Antony Williams) played a significant role in introducing Chicago's juke/footwork scene to the U.K. bass music continuum, and helped solidify the connection between the two, particularly through the 2010 single "Footcrab" and collaborations with footwork pioneer DJ Rashad. Williams had previously achieved significant success in the dubstep scene for his work under the name Headhunter, having released numerous singles and a full-length on Tempa, one of the genre's leading labels. However, once he heard the hyperkinetic beats and rapid-fire samples of footwork, he began reframing those elements in a dubstep context, slowing the beats down a bit and airing them out, making the tracks a bit more DJ-friendly. The first result was "Footcrab," which was released by Loefah's Swamp 81 label during the first half of 2010 and instantly became a massive underground hit. Subsequent singles, including releases on 3024 and Tectonic, incorporated influences such as electro and acid house. By the end of 2011, Addison Groove had signed to Modeselektor's 50 Weapons imprint. A cryptic one-sided 7" single titled "Addison Locked Groove," a single track that lasted one minute and 11 seconds, was released on 11/11/11. The debut full-length Transistor Rhythm, which featured collaborations with Mark Pritchard (fresh from his footwork-influenced Africa Hitech project) and Spank Rock, arrived in 2012. This was followed by Adventures in Rainbow Country, an EP including the popular club track "I Go Boom," which was subsequently remixed by Chicago footwork pioneer DJ Rashad. The year 2013 brought collaborations with Sam Binga (BS3 EP) and Bristol drum'n'bass veteran DJ Die (Keyhole). Both artists contributed to the second Addison Groove album, James Grieve, which appeared in early 2014. Later in the year, Williams released Turn Up the Silence, an EP that featured "U Been Gone," a collaboration with DJ Rashad, whose life tragically came to an end several months before the EP's release. Addison Groove shared a split 12" with Errorsmith as part of 50 Weapons' final run of releases in 2015. He also began releasing singles on his own label, including a 12" of "Footcrab" edits, and collaborated with DJ Die once more, on 2016's Legion of Boom EP. The African-influenced Changa EP, a 12" of remixes of the EP track "Shango," and another collaboration with Binga, Where Are the People, were all released in 2017. Full-length Fred Neutron, a collision of footwork, jungle, and acid, was released by Gutterfunk in 2020. ~ Paul Simpson, Rovi