A Certain Ratio (aka Acr or A.C.R.) are a post-punk/funk band from Manchester, UK. Formed in the late 1970s, they were one of the bands (along with Gang of Four and The Pop Group) who forged the new musical hybrid which became known as punk-funk, a style which fused the energy and aggression of new-wave with the rhythms and musicianship of funk and soul. The band's members were originally Simon Topping, Jeremy Kerr, Martin Moscrop, Donald Johnson and Pete Terrell. In live performance, the band often had a flexible line-up, with various members swapping instruments, and also performing ensemble latin percussion music. In 1979, ACR released their debut single "All Night Party"/"The Thin Boys" on the late tony wilson's and the late rob gretton's factory records, Manchester's legendary DIY collective/record label. ACR's early sound consisted of repetitious, effects-heavy guitar lines over a funky rhythm section with Latin percussion and ethereal electronics, over which lay Simon Topping's dark, moody vocals. Examples of this can be heard on tracks such as 'Do the Du', 'The Fox' and 'Winter Hill'. The band were initially criticised as being 'style over substance', as much attention was paid to the band's stage clothing and album artwork, all carefully orchestrated by Factory boss Tony Wilson. But ACR nevertheless gained a large following. They completed visits to the US, where their music was popular particularly in the clubs of New York. Early albums include "To Each..." and the studio/live album "The Graveyard and the Ballroom". During the early 80s, the band's personnel changed as Pete Terrell and Simon Topping left, the latter to study percussion in New York. Jeremy Kerr took over vocal duties, while keyboardist Andy Connell joined. During this time, ACR's music became more jazz/latin influenced on the albums "Sextet", featuring vocalist Martha Tilson (of Occult Chemistry), and "I'd Like To See You Again". The latter album contained fewer actual songs but more instrumental tracks than previously. In 1985, Factory released the 'best of...' album "The Old & The New" which contained that year's single "Wild Party", a monstrous piece of funk which demonstrated ACR at their peak. ACR released a cover of Stevie Wonder's "Don't Worry 'Bout A Thing" as a 12" single with Donald Johnson on vocals. This was an indication of where the band were heading. In 1986, ACR released the album, "Force". This was a more commercial release than previous albums, containing jazz-tinged pop songs with the occasional vocals of Corinne Drewery (of Swing Out Sister) and saxophone by Anthony Quigley (who had recently joined the band). ACR left Factory Records for the major label A&M. In 1990, the album "Good Together" was released which contained collaborations with Bernard Sumner (New Order/Electronic) and Shaun Ryder (Happy Mondays). This album developed the pop sound of "Force" and merged it with acid house electronics. This was shortly followed by "MCR", a mini album of new tracks and remixes from 'Good Together'. 'ACR:MCR' was seen as a return to ACR's roots as it was more dance orientated and harder edged. Vocalist, Denise Johnson (ubiquitous backing singer who provided vocals for many Manchester bands, including Electronic) joined the band in the studio and on the road around this time. During the nineties, after leaving A&M, ACR recorded for Rob Gretton's new label, Manchester-based Rob's Records; producing more polished house-based pop funk. ACR continue to record and gig, maintaining a loyal following. Their early music has been acknowledged to have influenced bands such as Franz Ferdinand, radio4, LCD Soundsystem and Interpol. Their back-catalogue has been re-released on Creation Records, Soul Jazz Records and LTM Records. ---------- Throughout ACR's existence, its members have been involved in many diverse projects, usually connected to the Factory Records roster of bands. After leaving ACR, Simon Topping contributed vocals and percussion to Quando Quango's album PigsandBattleships and later formed the latin/techno dance act T-Coy. Donald Johnson drummed in Electronic's live shows and was involved with his brother Derek's soul band 52nd Street. Martin Moscrop and Anthony Quigley played in the bands The Swamp Children and Kalima. Corinne Drewery and Andy Connell went on to form the successful pop band Swing Out Sister. Martin Moscrop also took the role of musical supervisor on Michael Winterbottom's Factory 'biography' film 24 Hour Party People. Manchester, UK 1978 Martin Moscrop Jeremy Kerr Donald Johnson Simon Topping Pete Terrell Andy Connell Anthony Quigley martha tilson Denise Johnson Liam Mullan www.acrmcr.com

Since their inception, ESG has affected post-punk, no wave, dance-punk, hip-hop, and various styles of dance music such as house. They fell in with the late '70s and early '80s NYC no wave and post-punk scene, they had their music sampled countless times, and they became a playlist staple at '70s and early '80s dance clubs like the Paradise Garage and the Music Box.

ESG (Emerald, Sapphire and Gold) formed in 1978 in the South Bronx. The band originally consisted of the four Scroggins sisters -- Deborah (bass, vocals), Marie (congas, vocals), Renee (vocals, guitar), and Valerie (drums); although line-up changes have happened many times since their formation, including bandmembers who were neighbors, daughters of original members, and even male band members.

The Scroggins mother bought the band's instruments when they were still teenagers to keep them supposedly busy and away from trouble. They had to teach themselves their instruments, but it wasn't long before they started playing shows and clubs. Soon, Ed Bahlman, the owner of 99 Records (a record shop and a label that included Y Pants, Liquid Liquid, Bush Tetras, and Konk on its roster), was impressed enough to take them under his wing as a manager and producer. Consequentially, ESG and their music fell in with the no wave and post-punk scene of New York City thereafter, even though their music was neither abrasive in anyway or art conscious -- but the group's sparse, heavily rhythmic, and unpolished sound fit right into the New York scene in which Bahlman's label was a significant factor. Bahlman booked them successfully at punk clubs and they were a hit in the underground NYC scene.

After a few singles and EPs in the late '70s and early '80s the band hooked up with Factory Records producer Martin Hannett while he was in the area recording A Certain Ratio's first album, "To Each" in 1981. The 6 song ESG 12" EP on 99 Records from the same year features a particularly unique and widely sampled track, UFO, using Hannett's fondness for reverb, flangers and feedback to make a song that was so unusual it has been very widely sampled, along with other tracks from that record. That EP is a rarity on vinyl that is highly prized by DJs and copies typically sell on Ebay for about $50 with only a dozen or so copies surfacing there in recent years.

Their first full-length LP came with 1983's Come Away with ESG. Unfortunately, their record label had to soon close because of Bahlman's legal battle with Sugarhill over Grandmaster Flash's sampling of Liquid Liquid's "Optimo" caused him financial and mental stress, with Sugarhill's fall into receivership -- and inability to award 99 Records their due settlement -- acting as the final straw. With the closing of 99 Records, ESG disbanded shortly thereafter (1984), but re-formed in the early '90s, heralding their comeback with a self-titled 1991 compilation of previously released material.

In the years since their original formation, the group's work had become popular among hip-hop artists searching for samples, with such acts as TLC, Wu-Tang Clan, Beastie Boys, Big Daddy Kane, Gang Starr, Tricky, Jay Dee (J-Dilla) on his Donuts album, and indie rockers like Unrest and Liars. The group addressed this issue on the 1992 12" EP Sample Credits Don't Pay Our Bills. The album, ESG Live!, was release in 1995 and featured both old and new material.

The band played what was to be their final show on Friday, September 21, 2007 at Chicago's Abbey Pub, during the Estrojam festival. But the band announced that they reformed in 2008 to play their first returning show at NYC's Santos House Party on September 13, 2008. They also claimed that both more shows and new music will emerge in the future.

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