THE BAND which Andrew Weatherall once described as “one of this country’s most underrated”, but which, since last year’s triumphant ACR Loco are the very definition of vivacious, restless, supremely creative – in full renaissance – are but days away now from the release of Loco Remezclada, their long-awaited remixes album.
They’ve revealed one last tease before the big day, next Friday; and it’s fellow Mancunian electro voyager LoneLady, who delighted audiences at this year’s End of the Road, to whom that honour falls.
Her “Chop & Drop” mix of “Bouncy Bouncy” brings the squelch and the sweat, the funk and massive electro cojones to a track that’s shall, we say, already joyful and perspiring and ripe for a basement in the Meatpacking district, waay after hours. Banger. Take a listen for y’self down below.
LoneLady herself, known in a more humdrum, less scintillating universe as Julie Campbell, speaks of ACR as being a “fundamental part of Manchester’s DNA” and explains her remix thus: “[I] created a series of variations on pretty much one section, alternating between building up and dropping out, keeping it choppy and playful.
“I love the title so I used the ‘bounce/bouncy’ vocals a lot, as well as playing around with a bit of down-pitching, a sprinkling of additional strings and hats, and reworking some of the cool Parliament-y synth basslines.
“I generally had fun doing a lot of chopping and re-building to create a playful 12’’ remix feel and I hope I’ve done the original justice!”
For their part, ACR say: “We have been longtime fans of Julie’s music and with her being a fellow industrial Manc, it was a no-brainer asking her to do a LoneLady remix.”
Elsewhere within a treasure trove of remixes, Loco Remezclada features Dan Carey (whose take on “Down & Dirty” we felt the love for, here), The Orielles, Sink Ya Teeth, The Lounge Society, Lou Hayter, Skream and more, all chosen by A Certain Ratio themselves, who explain: “We took time to consider who we’d like to have involved, who we admired, who we love hanging out with, who we couldn’t wait to hear what they came up with.”
After an emotional occasion to celebrate Denise Johnson, taken from us so shockingly suddenly last summer, ACR embark on a headline tour across the UK and France next week, at which they’ll be augmented on stage by Manchester multi-instrumentalist Ellen Beth Abdi.
The band say: “In Ellen we recognised a fellow artist, someone creating inspiring and original music, and were made up when she agreed to join us – first in the studio and now on the stage.”
Those forthcoming dates; click through on the hyperlink for tickets and more details. The British leg will see support from The Emperor Machine.
November 3rd, 2021, Huddersfield, The Parish;
November 4th, Newcastle, St Dom’s Social Club;
November 5th, Manchester, Gorilla;
November 6th, Stoke-on-Trent, The Sugarmill;
November 7th, York, The Crescent;
November 9th, Birmingham, Hare & Hounds;
November 10th, Southampton, Engine Rooms;
November 11th, Brighton, CHALK;
November 12th, Bristol, The Exchange;
November 13th London, EartH, Hackney;
November 15th, Preston, The Ferrett;
November 16th, Leeds, The Warehouse, and
November 17th, Glasgow, King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut.
November 18th, Rennes, L’Ubu;
November 20th, Brest, La Caréne (Festival Invisible);
November 23rd, Lorient, Hydrophone;
November 24th, Nantes, Le Stereolux;
November 25th, Bordeaux, Barbey Rock School;
November 26th,, La Boule Noire;
November 27th, Besançon, La Rodiz;
November 28th, Lille, L’Aeronef.
And into next year: ACR will be appearing at the 2022 edition of the Rockaway Beach Festival, to be held in Bognor Regis from January 7th to 9th; and at Liverpool’s Futurama Festival next April 16th.
A Certain Ratio’s Loco Remezclada will be released on November 5th on double clear vinyl, triple sparkle vinyl, CD and digitally – flex your PayPal on a pre-order and secure your preferred format here.
