Dance pioneers Groove Armada have revealed how they’ve kept going for so long – by staying far apart!

The duo, Tom Findlay and Andy Cato, have been on the go since 1996, and are set to release their ninth album, Black Light, which features guests as diverse as former Roxy Music man Bryan Ferry and Pop Idol winner Will Young.

But Tom feels that had Andy not moved abroad, they would never have made it this far, as dance music changes so much.

“Andy moved to Barcelona, and now he’s in Toulouse, in France, and I’m still in London” he says.

“In a way, that’s a really good thing – if you work with someone for 12 years, you drive each other up the wall a bit. In a weird way, it’s helped give us more space to do our own thing.

“We enjoy each other’s company a lot more now, and that’s why we’re still going – it’s the best thing that could have happened!”

“Dance music changes so rapidly, and you’re just trying to find your place in it – there were times where I wondered where we stand in all of this, and whether we’d been doing it for too long.

“The cult of the superstar DJ is over now, and super clubs are over, but it’s gone back to music in warehouses and the like. In terms of creativity, it’s the best it’s ever been.”

The band will be coming to the ABC on March 1, and fans can expect to hear plenty of material from their new Blaack Light album. The album is the sound of an act embracing change, with a harsher, darker sound than the euphoria-filled likes of Vertigo and Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub).

It’s also the first record the duo have released for indie label Cooking Vinyl, after leaving Colombia Records in 2008.

Tom reckons the album reflects their current inspirations, of bands who fuse guitar-based indie and dance.

“I’ve always been proud of the live aspect of Groove Armada, we do that better than most people, and I wanted to get that sound onto a record,” he says.

“The bands around now that interest us are Klaxons, LCD Soundsystem and Friendly Fires – we wanted to make a record that would sound relevant around those sort of bands. We don’t feel we owe anything to anyone any more, so we wanted to make something that we believed in.”

Moving away from Colombia also meant the band went back to working without the security, and sometimes interference, of a major label, something Tom feels has both positives and negatives.

“With major labels, they‘re mainly interested in radio hits, so you are constantly being pressured for a hit, and that doesn’t lend itself to the process of writing and making a great record. So it was nice getting on to an independent, and being able to make a record that we really believed in, and wanted to play live.

“We were making all the decisions again. It’s like a return to when we started out, which was quite liberating and also quite nerve-wracking, because being on a big label can be a bit like having a safety blanket.”

One thing that has remained consistent is the variety of big names with whom they’ve been able to collaborate – Tom raves about the artists they’ve roped in for Black Light.

“Nick Littlemore, from Empire of the Sun, was brilliant, he’s quite an unhinged genius so I really enjoyed working with him. Fenech-Soler is a great singer and Bryan Ferry was a total legend. We were really digging some early Roxy stuff, so it was beyond my wildest dreams to get him singing on the record.”

Most people may have done a double take at seeing Will Young’s name on that list. Will Young, the product of reality TV best known for churning out soulful pop, appearing on a Groove Armada record? But Tom believes he fits perfectly.

“Basically, Andy’s done some writing with him” he says.

“The two of them had a few nights out partying in Ibiza and he’s really like one of us – a nice guy, who was really up for it and at the point of his career where he wanted to do something a bit different. He was really helpful in making sure we got clearance for his vocals.”

Will won’t be joining the duo on their upcoming tour, but Tom and Andy will be joined by the charismatic Becky Jones, better known as SaintSaviour. In addition to her work on several of Black Light’s tracks, she really adds a dose of rock ’n’ roll presence to their live shows, according to Tom.

“She’s given the whole new experience a totally new angle. She’s a really amazing frontwoman, everyone just stares at her. It’s not just about us making people jump up and down any more, though that’s obviously still a good thing.

“We’ve tried to make the live show more lean and stripped-back, and when you do that, you need a compelling front women.”

Their ABC gig promises to be a cracker. Tom has fond memories of past trips to Glasgow, and is anticipating another great night when they return on March 1.

“We haven’t played up in Glasgow for a wee while, so it’ll be really nice. The shows have been coming together again, and Glasgow always has such great crowds. Now that we’ve got new vocalists in, we’re a totally different live experience.

“I always remember some amazing shows we did at the Barrowlands, including one on the day of an Old Firm game! It was a pretty intense atmosphere.”

• Groove Armada, ABC, Monday March 1, 7pm, £17.50.