"I have been away," Armand chuckles, "but I've been enjoying myself. I worked hard in the past and I wanted to enjoy the fruits of my labor. Everybody has their run, as they say. I had my run and I was fortunate. I accept that times have changed. I'm not trying to match that again."



Now in 2005, Armand Van Helden releases a new artist album, the natural next step. Armand's knack for production and his enduring love of rock and house music reverberate on this album. "If you're a house head, true at heart, and you don't like the White Stripes then you're out of your head. The groove, the bass, it is house music. Now rock's fun again and it's making the club scene fun. I think we're going to find a balance between house and rock. I just do what I feel."



Indeed the undeniable feeling is still the same, as it ever was. Armand's music is the sound of someone having FUN, enjoying what they do best. Hooking up with a variety of unknown New York vocalists and performers and Armand himself plugging in his guitar, this album has a blistering sassiness. From the screams and power chords of the album opener 'Nympho', to the huge hooks of the killer cut 'When The Light Goes Down' and the new single 'Into Your Eyes', only Armand makes records like this. His renowned sense of music and using it as the tool to move a floor, has made him a household name in the industry.



"Before I go make a song I listen to some old records," he says. "Sometimes I don't even know who the artist is. Sometimes the cover just looks good y'know, with the dudes with the skinny leather ties ­you just know that gotta be some good '80s shit. Honestly when I wake up, in the afternoon usually," Armand continues, "I love to make music in my studio. That is the number one thing in my life. Everything else is secondary. I love to lay down whatever is in my head ­ to get what ever is in my head out there into the public eye."