A Certain Ratio release a brand new track, Holy Smoke,
A CERTAIN RATIO – HOLY SMOKE
NEW ALBUM, 1982, OUT ON 31 MARCH
LISTEN TO A BRAND NEW TRACK
DON’T MISS ACR Q&A EVENTS THIS WEEKEND
UK TOUR STARTS 20 APRIL WITH SOLD OUT EDINBURGH SHOW
31 March – Manchester, Piccadilly Records – Q&A w/ Chris Hawkins (BBC 6Music) / signing
1 April – London, Rough Trade East – Q&A w/ John Kennedy (Radio X) / signing
2 April – Nottingham, Rough Trade – Q&A w/ Paul A Taylor (Mute) / signing
“A Certain Ratio’s blend of knife-edge tension and funkateer abandon is a style that’s theirs and theirs only” – Uncut
“… this latest waxing points avowedly forward” – MOJO
“A Certain Ratio’s latest heads down a new trajectory, revamping their signature percussive style with glossy vocals and sharp production.” – The Guardian
“…a fireball of up to date energy” – Record Collector
With their latest studio album, 1982, tantalisingly in reach, A Certain Ratio have shared a final taste of what to expect with the glistening old-school funk of ‘Holy Smoke’. The new single finds ACR pay tribute to the genre’s forefathers, from James Brown to Chaka Khan to Prince.
Watch the video for ‘Holy Smoke’ here: https://youtu.be/lKwa2MJHyoY
The band’s latest album, 1982, is set for release on 31 March via Mute on vinyl, CD and digitally: https://mute.ffm.to/acr-1982.
‘Holy Smoke’ follows their single ‘SAMO’ (currently on the BBC 6Music playlist), ‘Afro Dizzy’ (which spent four weeks on the BBC 6Music playlist) and ‘Waiting on a Train’ – the latter three all feature one of Manchester’s fastest-rising neo-soul musicians Ellen Beth Abdi, Though a newcomer to A Certain Ratio, she’s already as central to the process as the members who’ve been there since the 1970s – saying a lot about the band’s progressive instincts and willingness to keep A Certain Ratio deft.
Even by the band’s high standards – which includes a gleeful disregard for boundaries of style and genre, their eye fixed firmly on constant movement forwards – their latest studio album 1982 is multidimensional. Recorded by the core ACR line up of Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson, alongside Tony Quigley, Matthew Steele and Ellen Beth Abdi, with a cameo from Mancunian rapper Chunky, it shoots off in every direction, whether via searing Afrobeat, mind-melting jazz breakdowns or moody electronic experiments.
And the album title? Although 1982 might conjure memories of the year that saw ACR put out both the acclaimed Sextet and the cult favourite I’d Like To See You Again, it’s more of a playful red herring than an invitation to nostalgia.
Looking backwards and forwards all at once, drawing on influences from across every spectrum, 1982 is an unpredictable record that will reward a dedicated listener dozens of times over.
Following the release of 1982, A Certain Ratio will be embarking on a UK tour throughout April – full details below.
A CERTAIN RATIO – 2023 TOUR
20 April – Edinburgh, Voodoo Rooms SOLD OUT
21 April – Huddersfield, The Parish
22 April – Manchester, New Century Hall
23 April – Leeds, Brudenell
25 April – Nottingham, Rescue Rooms
26 April – Birmingham, Hare & Hounds
27 April – Bristol, The Exchange
29 April – London, The Garage
1982 TRACKLISTING (CAT # STUMM480)
Waiting on a Train
1982
A Trip in Hulme
Constant Curve
1982
A Trip in Hulme
Constant Curve
Afro Dizzy
Holy Smoke
Tier 3
Ballad of ACR
Holy Smoke
Tier 3
Ballad of ACR
Constant Curve
Pre-order 1982: https://mute.ffm.to/acr-1982
‘Holy Smoke’: https://youtu.be/lKwa2MJHyoY
Watch the lyric video for ‘SAMO’: https://youtu.be/kdqIg39mxFM
Watch the animated video for ‘Afro Dizzy’: https://youtu.be/I1v0Bnr1J-Y
Watch the video for ‘Waiting on a Train’ feat. Mancunian rapper Chunky and Ellen Beth Abdi: https://youtu.be/XinZui6T1Cc
RECENT PRAISE FOR A CERTAIN RATIO
“ACR unquestionably rule” – MOJO (on ACR Loco)
“Probably their best LP in decades” – UNCUT (on ACR Loco)
“”ACR Loco is a stomping reminder to celebrate the eccentric pleasures of life in multicultural cities and the liberating night life they offer.” – musicOMH
“A gloriously heady mix evoking the ecstatic spirit of a chemical haze” – METRO
“ACR Loco is riotous, life affirming and bristling with energy” – ELECTRONIC SOUND
“…pioneering groove alchemists” – THE QUIETUS
“Cult punk funkateers” – UNCUT
“… mould-breakers” – MOJO
“… pioneering…” – ELECTRONIC SOUND
A Certain Ratio + Mute = Good Together