A Certain Ratio: Spirit Dance

[earwall]

A Certain Ratio are a post-punk funk band from Manchester that delved into rave territory around the end of the eighties. This is probably the best of those flirtations, a sort of ambient-techno take on the electrofunk coming from American producers like Mantronix. Around a snappy 808 groove, drifting synthesizer voices snake in and out alongside melodic percussion, tribal chants and screams, all topped off by a catchy steel drum riff. The overall effect is narcotic.

For DJs, this record had a feature that made it a bit of a secret weapon; when pitched at +8, it transforms from a (relatively) sedate, 115 BPM or so toe-tapper into a midtempo dancefloor monster. I first heard it at this speed, in a mix online, without knowing what it was and spent weeks hunting for that "crazy electro track".

ACR have kept releasing music and playing over the years, with a catalog stretching from 1979 up to the present day and straddling many genres. There's much to explore! In the meantime, I'll just be hitting repeat on this one more time... ;)