Legendary Manchester band A Certain Ratio (ACR) are back with a new single, ‘Clockwork Orange’, released on Speedy Wunderground’s famed 7″ single series. The track is their first since their acclaimed album It All Comes Down To This, which was also produced by Speedy Wunderground’s Dan Carey.
Carey has long been a fan of ACR, sharing a personal anecdote about his early connection to the band: “A long time ago when I was a teenager, I was out in Manchester and spotted a poster that said something about A Certain Ratio remixed by Norman Cook. At the time I didn’t really know what a remix was, who Norman Cook was, or who/what A Certain Ratio was, but somehow I knew it was worth investigating. As a result, I discovered ACR, figured out what remixes were, and started trying to do my own. I’ve loved ACR ever since.”
The single ‘Clockwork Orange’ is a sonic adventure filled with sinister synths, twisted vocal passages, and shape-shifting electronics, creating a dark and shadowy soundscape.
Martin Moscrop, who handles trumpet and guitars for ACR, recounted the intense and rapid recording process: “We spent a day recording the song with Dan Carey and arranged to pick up our equipment the following morning at 10am. Dan had been up since 8am working on the elements of the song and as we walked into the studio our jaws dropped. He had transformed the song into something very dark, different and full of interest factor. We left the studio on a real high telling Dan to carry on in that direction and make it as heavy as he possibly could. It was a real eureka moment.”
Bassist and vocalist Jez Kerr added his own humorous take on Carey’s unique production style: “We’d worked with Dan on the album, so we knew how quickly he liked to get things down. As a joke [Factory Records producer] Martin Hannett used to like to confuse engineers by disappearing to the pub with the parting line, ‘yeah just tidy up that patchbay and make that delay on the guitar a bit more yellow.’ I think Dan is the guy who can actually make a delay more yellow.”
You can listen to ‘Clockwork Orange’ on various streaming services and catch A Certain Ratio live at the following dates:
- 2nd August – Kendall Calling, Lake District, UK
- 18th August – Kampnagel Festival, Hamburg, DE
- 28th August – Pop-Kultur Berlin, Berlin, DE
The single will also be available on 7″ vinyl from 26th July, complete with a Dan Carey dub remix B-side, aptly titled ‘Dubwork Orange’.
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- A Certain Ratio
- Clockwork Orange
- Dan Carey
- Manchester Band
- New Music 2024
- Speedy Wunderground
- Vinyl Release
