30 years ago, two of London’s most talented musicians came together at the genesis of the Acid House movement and created a new wave and a new group that would stand the test of time: RatPack.
Lipmaster Mark and Evenson Allen make up the RatPack, with Mark producing and DJing and Allen providing vocal duties. The group was formed on a fateful night in 1989 after the pair threw a warehouse party, but the contracted DJ did not show. The legend goes that Lipmaster hopped on the turntables and Allen joined him on stage, and the two tore the house down.
The group swiftly built a huge following in their home country, before an unfortunate accident put both out of action for a while. But the group did not give up, and fought through their injuries, even performing in front of a crowd of 27,000 with Evenson being held up by a walking stick.
The group worked incredibly hard after their tragedy, and it led them to triumph. In 1994, Ratpack released one of their most popular and iconic tracks, “Searching For My Rizla.” Hitting No 1 on dance charts in the US, UK, and in Europe, the release led to a major-label record deal and international tours. The rest, as they say, was history.
In the music industry, and especially in dance music, trends come and go in a flash. There are few artists that manage to stay relevant for one decade, let alone three: thanks to their talent, authenticity and dedication, RatPack have endured the test of time.