Love City Groove

‘In the mornin’, when the sun shines down on your body, I know we’re really making love now.’ Join us on a journey back to 1995. Fashion is all baggy combats and back-to-front Stussy caps; John Major is just about keeping his grip on the Conservative Party; Toy Story and Die Hard: With A Vengeance are pulling in millions at the box office, and a rag-tag group of geezers is making Eurovision history. Love City Groove and their self-titled, feelgood, smash hit was a Eurovision first, in that it was the first rap song to represent the UK in the massively influential contest. The brainchild of Stephen ‘Beanz’ Rudden and featuring the vocal gymnastics of Paul Phoenix, and dual rapping talents of Jay Williams and Yinka ‘Reason’ Charles, Love City Groove was a huge chart success in the UK, across Europe and in Japan. As Beanz and Paul fondly remember, it was quite a ride. When the two first met, Beanz was in Sony-signed band Plutonic and had built a studio, which he’d hire out to burgeoning acts. Cue Paul, who walked into the studio and got Beanz thinking about a new direction. Thanks to the pair’s great rapport, the track was laid down fast, with Love City Groove perfectly encapsulating its moment of inspiration. ‘I remember the sun was beaming through the smoky windows in the flat and out popped the chorus,’ recalls Beanz fondly. ‘That’s exactly how I remember it,’ agrees Paul. ‘And I remember thinking, “If we get this done, we can go to the pub...”’ The single was a soulful, summery knockout, besting six other UK Eurovision entrants by steaming a staggering 140,000 phone votes ahead of its nearest rival. The band split, as bands do, its components heading off to do different things, but it was far from the end of Love City Groove’s story. ‘They say when you have a hit, it follows you around,’ says Beanz. ‘And it does – it haunts you.’ After a 16-year hiatus, Beanz decided it was time to put Love City Groove the band back together and Love City Groove the single back in the charts. He contacted Paul via Facebook and was pleased to find he was 1. alive and 2. just as keen to get back in the saddle. To bring the tune bang up to date, Beanz decided to play down the original (and let’s not mince words, dated) rap angle, layering even more soul onto the track by bringing in young blood in the form of fiery New Yorker Moxiie, whose tuneful vocals ease Love City Groove into 2011. ‘It’s one of those timeless tunes,’ grins Beanz. ‘The way the economy is, just coming out of the recession, people want a happy, upbeat summery song and it’s just a good singalong, hands-in-the-air tune. ‘The time’s just right for it,’ agrees Paul. ‘People who remember it the first time around remember it with great affection.’