MUSIC GONE LOCO
A CONVERSATION WITH MARTIN MOSCROP & DONALD JOHNSON OF A CERTAIN RATIO
40 years into their career, with a recent successful catalogue reissue and their first new album in 12 years, the members of A Certain Ratio are now finding themselves increasingly recognized as pioneers of new wave, post-punk, and cross-genre musical fusion. βThere isnβt any type of music thatβs got rhythm that we havenβt been intoβ says guitarist Martin Moscrop. Drummer Donald Johnson agrees: βIβve been listening to a lot of records where Iβve heard complex drum patterns that would never have been accepted 10 or 15 years ago as something to be celebrated.β
Founded in 1979, A Certain Ratio are pioneers of blending genres and styles. Eclecticism has always been part of A Certain Ratioβs DNA, assures Moscrop. βThere are more languages spoken in Manchester than there are in New Yorkβ he explains of the English cityβs multiculturalism and diversity; βitβs a city of immigrants.β A Certain Ratio released their first single on Factory Records and were a part of the post-punk and New wave underground explosion, yet developed their own unique fusion of punk, New wave, and experimentalism.Β βWhen we started making music, we couldnβt search far and wide enough to hear thingsβ says Moscrop. βThat sound was us just making a good sound we werenβt bothered about the Manchester sound or a hip sound or whateverβ continues Moscrop. βWe created something that was us. Itβs the chemistry of all of the guys and our massive record collections, collectively gave us that collective edge.β
Johnson joined A Certain Ratio in 1980 when he saw something unique in the band. βThey were playing rhythms with instruments that werenβt percussive instruments, and they were using echoes and waves to fill the drum space, which I locked into immediately,β he shares. βThat was just something they were doing because they didnβt have a drummer. And then I came along and go βthe easiest thing to do here is make sure that stays there and integrate that inside what I thought could be brilliant.β Weβre still doing that 40 years later.β
Restricted to the physical record collections of the band members and friends, A Certain Ratio melded post-punk, New wave, and experimentalism into a progressive diverse style that defied normal. When asked about the film 24 Hour Party People, Factory Records, and the storied Hacienda club, Johnson complimented the filmβs pastiche approach; βIt took the piss out of A Certain Ratio in all kinds of ways that Iβm not upset with but I just think are funnyβ, he adds, quoting βA Certain Ratio are like Joy Division but with better clothesβ. Moscrop enjoyed working on the film: βmy favourite part of it was my job of recreating the early gigs like Siouxsie and the Banshees, the Fall, and Joy Division. These were all gigs that they were trying to recreate that I was actually at when I was youngβ he remembers, expanding that the film is equal parts historical documentation and fantasy. βPretty much what was in Tony Wilsonβs head all of the time,β he continues. βItβs satireβ claims Johnson.
PURCHASE OR STREAM ACR LOCO
Moscrop and Johnson recall how their first trip to New York City in 1980 opened their eyes to a wealth of new musical styles. βWe saw a big melting pot of music there. Particularly the sort of Cuban, African, and South Americanβ explains Moscrop. β[In] the UK we had been into punk, electronic, and experimental music, weβd been into dub and everything that British kids were into. Going to New York and being able to see artists and buy records and listen to this other kind of music really inspired us.β After New York, A Certain Ratio more than flirted with Brazilian and Cuban electronic music, and eventually acid house. A Certain Radioβs stylistic diversity has aged well βIf you look at any of the albums through the Rob Gretton years, 20 years ago, they still sound fresh todayβ says Johnson.
At one of their New York City shows, A Certain Ratio were asked by an agent to allow an artist to play support for one of their concerts.Β Johnson recalls the pressure from their music label to share an opening spot with Madonna: βIβve got this girl, sheβs signed to Warner Brothersβ¦ blah blah blahβ and we were like βweβre not interested, we donβt want to know, itβs not the thing for us.β Eventually they agreed, on the condition that their equipment setup wouldnβt be affected; when the time came, the stage was completely switched up for Madonnaβs half hour performance, causing massive equipment issues and a huge argument amongst the band. βTo this day, I still really respect that girl. She stood her ground, she said what she wanted, and she made it happenβ Johnson explained between laughs. “We didnβt know who she was or what she was about! She was coming up in New York. Nobody had seen who she was. Back in those days, people listened to her voice and thought she was a Black singer. They didnβt know her heritage at all.β
A Certain Ratioβs new album, Loco, is a showcase of happy musical experiments. Mixing elements of dance, rock and experimental sounds, it is a vivid, diverse collection by eclectic musical veterans. The opening track βFriends Around Usβ was written in the studio, taking off from a slow psychedelic rock jam clicking into a double tempo electronic blast off approaching almost drum and bass territory. The 10 songs on Loco are diverse yet equally confident. Companionship is a running theme of the album, such as on the single βAlways in Love,β one of several music videos released for the album.Β The vividly-coloured video for βYoYoGi,β which uses a sample from a Tokyo subway station, was a contribution from a dedicated fan. β[That was] made by a fan named Fernando Silvaβ says Moscrop. βWe met him when we first made it in Portugal. We met Fernando way back in β82 or β83, and heβs been A Certain Ratio fan ever since.β
βThereβs so much good music out there, itβs quite inspiring, the fact that we listen to such good current musicβ says Moscrop. β40 years later, because we never got bored of music. Thatβs why weβre still here.β Johnson agrees. βWe never stopped learning, we always keep listeningβ.
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Photo Credits: Paul Husband
