Apparently this was A Certain Ratio's first live performance for five years, and no doubt it was partly inspired by the Manc-retro atmosphere whipped up by the 24 Hour Party People movie. ACR's long and erratic career has seen them bouncing between record labels (Factory, A&M, Rob's Records, a back catalogue blast from Creation and now a hook-up with Soul Jazz, which is releasing an ACR compilation called Early). Along the way, they have honed their sound into a functional funk-electro mix that still nods occasionally to their original Krautrock leanings while taking in dollops of Herbie Hancock's Headhunters, some Latino hip-swivelling and even a bit of M People's soul puree.
Their set was the culmination of Soul Jazz's 1977 night. In one room, DJs played only rickety old punk records, while Richard H Kirk and Jerry Dammers took charge of a basement rammed full of partygoers. A lurking summer-of-punk ambience was diffused by multiple TV screens showing Sex Pistols clips and random imagery of anarchy and street violence. A Certain Ratio, however, proceeded with a stately calm that suggested that either punk never really happened or no one could remember it.
The simple ingredients of their music seem almost comically lo-tech. A few woozy swirling noises emanated from the keyboards, guitarist Martin Moscrop chipped out wah-wah guitar chords, while Jeremy Kerr's basslines could have formed a step-by-step guide to DIY funk. Indeed, the Ratio's music might be merely a facsimile of funk, were it not for the insistent rhythmic glue supplied by Donald Johnson's drum patterns.
Proceedings brightened up considerably with the arrival of vocalist Denise Johnson, who powered them through a feisty version of Shack-up and contributed smooth, hypnotic vocal lines to the band's spacey new song, Starlight. The punchy funk shuffle of Be What You Wanna Be and the lusher, more soulful pastures of Turn Me On also benefited hugely from her voice being projected out front, in contrast with Kerr's lost-in-the-mix drone. The Ratios have kept their clockwork oiled; you would think they might have learned a few more tricks in 25 years, though.
