808 State

808state

808 State are:	Graham Massey, Andrew Barker and Darren Partington
Formed:	1987
Label:	ZTT
Info Address:	State to State, PO Box, Hook, RG29 1UF England

Albumography:

Newbuild
(1988) 'Newbuild' was recorded with Gerald Simpson before he became A Guy Called Gerald, but...
Quadrastate
(1989) ...I haven't been able to get hold of either of these early albums (I had enough trouble with Utd. State 90) so I don't know what they sound like!

Ninety/Utd. State 90
(1990) Both Ninety and the US version (which contained extra mixes) were hits, largely due to 'Pacific State', which became a dance anthem and was the first modern techno track to reach the mainstream. 'Pacific State' had quite a lot of nice jazz-style noodling, of the sort which 808 State used to lesser effect on later tracks. The rest of the album was a bit disappointing though, as although the ideas and innovation were there, the tunes sadly weren't.
Ex:el
(1991) Ex:el contains some outstanding tracks: most notably 'Ooops' (featuring Bjork) and 'In Yer Face' which both deservedly did well in the charts. A lot more of the tracks had an individual feel to them, unlike those on 'Ninety', but the familiar 808 beats were present throughout. The fairly raw sound of the tracks makes them seem a bit dated now, but this album is still worth looking for.
Gorgeous
(1992) Fifteen tracks long, this has to be the definitive 808 album. 'One in Ten', 'Timebomb' and 'Nimbus' are excellent dance tracks, and although the album briefly goes a bit dead about half-way through, most of the others are quality techno rhythms too. But the one track which will go into the all-time hall of fame is the truly gorgeous 'Europa'... I'm telling you, there's something magic about that song!
Don Solaris
(1996) The first 'proper' 808 State album for far too long, Don Solaris is a fairly good record, but doesn't have the impact of earlier releases. Although the sounds are more polished and less electronic, the music doesn't seem to have moved on too much since Gorgeous - except for the addition of the obligatory drum and bass track 'Azura', which is a complete waste of time. Luckily they can still produce some great dance tunes! By far the best of these is 'Lopez', a collaboration which James Dean Bradfield which is a lot quieter than the rest of the album... a new direction for the band perhaps?

BEST 808 STATE WEB SITE:
Official 808 State site

Other cool 808 State sites:
Johan's 808 State Page
808 State Discography

Back to the techno page


	Newbuild (1988)	'Newbuild' was recorded with Gerald Simpson before he became A Guy Called Gerald, but...
	Quadrastate (1989)	...I haven't been able to get hold of either of these early albums (I had enough trouble with Utd. State 90) so I don't know what they sound like!
	Ninety/Utd. State 90 (1990)	Both Ninety and the US version (which contained extra mixes) were hits, largely due to 'Pacific State', which became a dance anthem and was the first modern techno track to reach the mainstream. 'Pacific State' had quite a lot of nice jazz-style noodling, of the sort which 808 State used to lesser effect on later tracks. The rest of the album was a bit disappointing though, as although the ideas and innovation were there, the tunes sadly weren't.
	Ex:el (1991)	Ex:el contains some outstanding tracks: most notably 'Ooops' (featuring Bjork) and 'In Yer Face' which both deservedly did well in the charts. A lot more of the tracks had an individual feel to them, unlike those on 'Ninety', but the familiar 808 beats were present throughout. The fairly raw sound of the tracks makes them seem a bit dated now, but this album is still worth looking for.
	Gorgeous (1992)	Fifteen tracks long, this has to be the definitive 808 album. 'One in Ten', 'Timebomb' and 'Nimbus' are excellent dance tracks, and although the album briefly goes a bit dead about half-way through, most of the others are quality techno rhythms too. But the one track which will go into the all-time hall of fame is the truly gorgeous 'Europa'... I'm telling you, there's something magic about that song!
	Don Solaris (1996)	The first 'proper' 808 State album for far too long, Don Solaris is a fairly good record, but doesn't have the impact of earlier releases. Although the sounds are more polished and less electronic, the music doesn't seem to have moved on too much since Gorgeous - except for the addition of the obligatory drum and bass track 'Azura', which is a complete waste of time. Luckily they can still produce some great dance tunes! By far the best of these is 'Lopez', a collaboration which James Dean Bradfield which is a lot quieter than the rest of the album... a new direction for the band perhaps?