A Certain Ratio ‎– Early

Toward the late 70s, two Manchester-based tribes of young people lived together in a weird harmony. On the one hand, the bewitched devotees to the heretic smack of the Velvet Underground and to the ambiguous appeal of David Bowie (Joy Division, Section 25, Crispy Ambulance). On the other, the children of the Northern Soul, fans of black soul music. A Certain Ratio is the perfect link between these two cultures sharing a similar sense of repartee. No need to know how to play an instrument to create a rich musical environment, even when you opt for the difficulty of funky rhythms. "Early", launched at the initiative of the London-based Souljazz label, relates the history of a combo who, alike Cabaret Voltaire, cultivated an absolute taste for singularity (A Certain Ratio started their experimentation with magnetic tapes after attending a Cabaret Voltaire gig). Complete with 2 CDs and a Quicktime video, this anthology will sound like a total musical UFO to whomever never danced on icy-cold dancefloor hits such as Shack Up or Blown Away. The sophisticated booklet is an additional treat to those who still long for this very special period in time that only existed on a microcosmic point of the world's music map.