Originally founded in nearby Wuppertal in 1988, Groove Attack moved to Cologne in 1990 and has helped to shape an eclectic, genre-defying approach to pop culture that defines the Domstadt to this day. Taking influence from the anything-goes attitude of UK rare-groove DJs and American west coast shops like Groove Merchant, Groove Attack has survived near-bankruptcy, an existence-threatening flood and a cleaving of its retail arm from the distribution company they formed in the store’s backroom. Today, it’s as strong a hub as ever for local scenesters, musicians and casual vinyl buyers from all over the region, with a clerk alumni network that includes such luminaries as Lena Willikens, Barnt and Retrogott. To tell the Groove Attack story, we invited three generations of shop managers – Lars Dorsch (of Karma's "High Priestess" fame), Innervisions affiliate Marcus Worgull and DJ/producer Twit One – to set the scene and select some of the key records from their years behind the counter.
