V/A Factory Records 12" Mixes & Rarities 1980-1987 2CD

Strut unleash the second album in the 'Fac. Dance' series bringing together sought after 12" versions and rarities from Manchester's revered Factory Records imprint.
Despite a reputation for austere post-punk modernity and raincoated miserabilism, the label's first decade featured a raft of landmark dance records, primarily brought to the label by Rob Gretton who valued tunes and beats over Situationist dialectic and experiments in popular art. Meanwhile, Tony Wilson dismissed pure dance music as lacking intellectual rigour and, as such, this collection of early Factory dance sides occupies a compelling middle ground. Revisiting the peerless studio work of Martin Hannett, Peter Hook and BeMusic and DoJo productions by Bernard Sumner and A Certain Ratio's Donald Johnson among others, Fac. Dance 02 explores Factory's unique forays into dance music and widens the spectrum yet further from the first volume.
The early version of A Certain Ratio's angular funk classic 'The Fox' rubs shoulders with Cheba Fadela's Algerian rai blast 'N'Sel Fik', Bologna band Surprize features alongside the dub and reggae stylings of The Wake and X-O-Dus and the Manchester-New York axis weighs in heavily once again with John Robie's seminal mix of Cabaret Voltaire's 'Yashar' and the sparse post-punk funk of E.S.G.
FAC. DANCE is compiled and annotated by James Nice of LTM, formerly label manager of Factory Benelux. The CD and LP packages feature extended track notes and rare photos from the Factory archives.

 

CD1
A Certain Ratio - The Fox
ESG - Moody
Minny Pops - Blue Roses
Thick Pigeon - Babcock + Wilcox
Biting Tongues - Meat Mask Separatist
Sir Horatio - Sommadub
X-O-Dus - Society
The Durutti Column - Self Portrait
Section 25 - Knew Noise
Shark Vegas - You Hurt Me
Fadela - N'Sel Fik
Kalima - Land Of Dreams

CD2
52nd Street - Can't Afford (Unorganised Mix)
Nyam Nyam - Fate
A Certain Ratio - Lucinda
ESG - You're No Good
Swamp Children - Softly Saying Goodbye
Quando Quango - Go Exciting (12" Mix)
Surprize - In Movimento
Anna Domino - Take That
The Wake - Host
Royal Family And The Poor - Vaneigem Mix
Section 25 - Sakura
Ad Infinitum - Telstar