IN THE BEGINNING THERE WAS RHYTHM
This record features the groups that grew out of Punk and embraced dance music. These groups reflected the changing face of a British multi-cultural society in the aftermath of Punk, taking on new musical influences such as Black American dance music, Reggae and Electronic music.
A Certain Ratio were the first band to make the connection between punk and US Black dance music. It was A Certain Ratio who went to New York to record their first album that managed to mix a sparse Manchester bleakness in their sound along with US funk/dance elements. Finishing their album early they decided to offer their remaining studio time to a band who had recently opened for them in New York called ESG. This became the first ESG album for 99 Records in New York.
The two most successful electronic groups at the end of the 70´s were Cabaret Voltaire and The Human League. Whilst Cabaret Voltaire stuck to their roots, signing to, and staying on, a fledgling new label, Rough Trade Records, The Human League would go on to international stardom as their experimental late-70s electronic music turned into 80s synth-pop.
Out of Leeds came The Gang of Four. Again mixing Punk with dance and a large dose of Marxist philosophy, The Gang of Four were initially released on the Edinburgh based independent label, Fast (as were The Human League).
London had got off to an early start with experimental-sound artists, This Heat. An early inspiration to many of the groups here, Camberwell's finest "24 Track Loop" is an incredible pre-curser to electronic, industrial music which sounds like an early version of Jungle. The concept of Industrial music would be taken a stage further by Throbbing with the intent of pushing the boundary between music and noise.

London had got off to an early start with experimental-sound artists, This Heat. An early inspiration to many of the groups here, Camberwell's finest "24 Track Loop" is an incredible pre-curser to electronic, industrial music which sounds like an early version of Jungle. The concept of Industrial music would be taken a stage further by Throbbing with the intent of pushing the boundary between music and noise. 23 Skidoo's interests stretched as far as Kung Fu, Gamelan Music, Language and Semiotics. Apart from this, they also managed to combine their musical influences like no-one else. On their classic album, "Seven Songs", Dance music, Experimental noise and Gamelan music combine in equal measures!
Finally, The Slits were possibly the closest of these groups to The Sex Pistols. Although they did not record until 1978, they were actually part of the first wave of Punk groups.
"In The Beginning, There Was Rhythm" (produced by Dennis Bovell) was indeed a prophesy of the music to follow Punk, where Punk would meet Funk, Reggae and Disco.

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