ACR "To Each.." and "British Hustle"

Two from the vaults....A Certain Ratio came out of the postpunk Manchester/Factory Records stable that also spawned Joy Division, Crispy Ambulance et al, but they ploughed a diffident, angular take on afro- and funk that had more to do with LSD and James Chance and all those guys, and so maybe it's no surprise that they relocated to East Orange NJ to record their debut with freak producer Martin Hannet. So props to all those Jersey bound :) Highly percussive, somewhere between the cerebral, the frustrated and the dancefloor, I still think this stark record is monumental in its own way and have been listening to it a lot again lately. It's not that far from this to Art Ensemble of Chicago circa Urban Bushmen if you remove the typcally listless vocals. Maybe to balance all that harsh white funk light, I've also been going back in time via the smooth Soul Jazz comp, British Hustle. Now, geo-genetics has a lot to do with any listening experience once you're past the age of twenty, but this takes me back! Taking Heatwave as the primary cue, these groups had the chops and the grit to churn out some serious philly rivalry. Probably too smooth for many here, but pitch perfect seduction stuff.