808 State
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808 State
| For The Record... |
| Members include Andrew Barker (born on March 9, 1968), DJ, mixer; Graham Massey (born on August 4, 1960), synthist, producer; Darren Partington (born on November 1, 1969), DJ, producer, mixer; Martin Price, producer; Gerald Simpson, producer, songwriter. Released EP as Hit Squad Manchester with DJ Tunes, changed name to 808 State 1988; released debut album Newbuild on Price’s Creed Records, 1988; Simpson left band and Barker and Partington joined, 1989; released Utd. State 90, 1990; released biggest-selling album Ex:El, 1991; Price departed the band; the group released Gorgeous, 1992; released collaborative effort, Don Solaris, 1996; released 808:88:98, 1998. Addresses: Management—e-mail:fuse@sol.co.uk, phone: (+44) 208 964 4778, fax: (+44) 208 968 4861. Booking—Value Added Talent, e-mail: vatlondon@aol.com, fax: (+44) 171 226 6135. Website— 808 State Official Website: http://www.808state.com. E-mail—808@808state.com. |
Techno group
One of the only enduring bands to emerge from Manchester, England’s acid house scene, 808 State create groundbreaking music and remixes. Paving the way for electronic outfits such as Underworld and Prodigy, the group was initially on the periphery of what was known as the "Madchester" phenomenon. When the press initially discussed acid house, they usually focused on dance music from a guitar angle. Bands such as the Happy Mondays and the Stone Roses received most of the coverage, while 808 State were busy pioneering British techno. Their popularity grew, however, and the group continued to diversify their style. Although 808 State’s exposure in the United States has only been moderate, they have had 18 top 20 hits on the British charts alone.
808 State formed in 1988 when two customers of the Eastern Bloc, a legendary DJ record shop in Manchester, began talking to the store’s owner and founder of the label Creed Records, Martin Price. The customers were Graham Massey, from the 1980s band Biting Tongues, and Gerald Simpson. Once the three realized how much they had in common, it was only natural for them to decide to collaborate. Their first release was a hip-hop style EP, which they recorded under the name Hit Squad Manchester, along with MC Tunes. After this attempt, they renamed themselves 808 State after the Roland TR 808 drum machine they used and for their collective state of mind.
The group’s first album as 808 State was Newbuild, released during the summer of 1988 on Price’s Creed Records. A raw acid house album, it has become collectible. During the recording of their second album, Quadrastate, Simpson left the band to continue with his side project, A Guy Called Gerald. Massey and Price then recruited two DJs, Andrew Barker and Darren Partington, known as the Spinmasters, to fill the hole in the band. Quadrastate contained a single called "Pacific State." At this point, things started to happen for the band. For quite a while, "Pacific State" had been an anthem at the clubs and raves around Manchester. All of a sudden, the song began to climb up the national charts, and all of England began to dance along with the kids from "Madchester." 808 State was signed to the ZTT label, and musicians from around the scene started to make regular appearances on the British Broadcasting Corporation’s (BBC) music television show Top of the Pops.
In 1990, the band released Ninety on ZTT. It again included "Pacific State," which was now a full-blown hit. The album was also released in the United States as Utd. State 90 on Tommy Boy Records. Around this time, the band produced an album for MC Tunes and also released several hit singles, including "The Only Rhyme that Bites," "Tunes Splits the Atom," with MC Tunes, and "Cubic/Olympic."
After a parade of diverse singles, 808 State released Ex:EI in 1991, a major sales success. The album
featured guest vocals by New Order’s Bernard Sumner and Björk, who was just beginning her solo career after her departure from the Sugarcubes. These two tracks and the unusual single "Lift" all showed that the band had depths they could reach outside the boundaries of acid house. "This has always been our problem," Massey told Richard Hector-Jones of Melody Maker. "After ‘Pacific State’ we went off at so many tangents, it’s amazing people stuck with us. We’ve never followed a single with another one that sounded anything similar."
As the Madchester phenomenon grew larger, it also grew more commercial. 808 State headlined Manchester’s massive G-Mex festival in 1991, but the initial culture had been lost and the scene was dying. 808 State’s contemporaries the Happy Mondays were decimated by drug problems and personality conflicts. The Stone Roses had contractual problems and also suffered from drug burnout and disappeared for five years. Also, Price decided to leave the band and work as a solo producer, forming the label Sun Text.
In 1992, the band released the album Gorgeous, which included a remake of the UB40 classic "One in Ten." Around this time, the group was also extremely busywith a variety of remixing work for various artists including David Bowie, Soundgarden, and Bomb the Bass. They then embarked on a tour with New Order, opening their eyes to a world of possibilities outside of England. The tour included a huge show with New Order at the Hollywood Bowl in California. "We saw the way dance music was going," Barker explained to Hector-Jones, "and we just f***ed off around the world. If we hadn’t done all this traveling, we wouldn’t have lasted five years, let alone ten." All of this exposure expanded 808 State’s style, making their work broader and more eccentric as time progressed. After extensive touring, the band took a break and released nothing until the single "Bombadin" in 1994. They also released a fan club-only CD called Statetostate, which included previously unreleased material.
Over the next two years, the band worked on a new album, which proved to be much more experimental than their previous work. Released in 1996, Don Solaris included collaborations with artists such as James Dean Bradfield of Manic Street Preachers, Louise Rhodes of Lamb, and Michael Doughty of Soul Coughing. This album showed the band to have a darker side. To celebrate its release, a free concert was held at the Castlefield Amphitheatre in Manchester in June of 1996.
On the tenth anniversary of 808 State’s inception, 808:88:98 was released in May of 1998. This album coincided with the tenth anniversary of the genesis of acid house as well. It was preceded by and featured two new remixes, "Pacific808:98" and "Cubic98," and one new song, "Crash." "You know, the weirdest thing about putting together this compilation," Massey told Hector-Jones, "is realizing how mad half the singles we put out really were. I threw on the compilation the other day and just shook my head going ‘Why? Why? Why?’ At the time, I was mystified that a track like ‘Lift’ couldn’t get in the charts. But listening to it today, the reason’s simple… it’s about 18 different tracks nailed together!"
808 State re-released Newbuild on the Rephlex label in 1999, marking their first release in a triple vinyl pack. The group’s schedule stays busy with remixing production work as well, having completed a track for the Stone Roses remix album called the "Made of Stone 808 State Mix," in October of 2000. They also frequently appear as DJs around England.
808 State’s studio and stage talents have pleased crowds and helped the group to consistently pioneer and push the envelope of the techno genre. Their list of remix credits is also endless, with the band’s favorite collaborators being David Bowie, Jon Hassell, Quincy Jones, R.E.M., Rolf Harris, and Tom Jones. Through it all, 808 State have never stopped expanding their style and have never been afraid of surprising their audience. As of 2000, the group left ZTT Records and was looking for a new recording contract.
Selected discography
Newbuild, Creed Records, 1988; reissued, Rephlex, 1999.
Quadrastate, Creed Records, 1989.
Ninety, ZTT, 1989.
Utd. State 90 (U.S.), Tommy Boy, 1990.
The Extended Pleasure of Dance (EP), ZTT/WEA, 1990.
MC Tunes: The North at its Heights, ZTT/WEA, 1990.
Ex:EI, ZTT/WEA, 1991.
Gorgeous, ZTT, 1992.
Forecast (Japanese compilation), ZTT/WEA, 1993.
Statetostate (fan club promo), State to State, 1994.
Don Solaris, ZTT/WEA, 1996.
Thermo Kings (Japanese remix compilation), ZTT/WEA, 1996.
808:88:98 (compilation), ZTT, 1998.
Sources
Periodicals
Melody Maker, June 6, 1998, p. 18; March 13, 1999, p.20.
Online
GlobalState-The Official 808 State Website, http://www.808state.com (November 13, 2000).
Ultimate Band List, http://www.ubl.com (November 13, 2000).
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808 State
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808 State
- Genres: Electronica
Biography
A pioneer of the acid house sound, 808 State formed in Manchester, England in 1988 when Martin Price, the owner of the city's legendary record store Eastern Bloc and the founder of the independent label Creed, first joined forces with local musician and producer Graham Massey. After teaming with collaborator Gerald Simpson, 808 State recorded its debut EP Newbuild in 1988, and also began remixing tracks for groups like the Inspiral Carpets. After Simpson exited to form his solo project A Guy Called Gerald, Price and Massey enlisted DJs Andrew Barker and Darren Partington (known together as the Spinmasters) for the recording of 1989's Quadrastate EP, which earned the group a huge club hit with the track "Pacific." After signing with ZTT, they released the album 808:90, which was embraced by the burgeoning rave culture. 808 State's next single, "The Only Rhyme That Bites," recorded with hip-hopper MC Tunes, marked a dramatic shift into hardcore rap, but was another huge hit. A series of diverse singles followed, culminating in the 1991 album Ex: El, which featured guest vocals from New Order's Bernard Sumner and Bjork; the same year, 808 State also wrote, produced and performed the music for the MC Tunes LP The North at Its Heights. In 1992, Price left to work as a solo producer, later forming his own label, Sun Text. The remaining trio continued on in 1993 with Gorgeous, and handled remix work for the likes of David Bowie, Soundgarden, and Bomb the Bass before returning with the experimental Don Solaris in 1996. The 808:88-98 compilation followed two years later. ~ Jason Ankeny, RoviWikipedia on Answers.com:
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808 State
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This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2010) |
| 808 State | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Manchester, England |
| Genres | House, techno, rave, acid house, experimental, ambient house, Madchester,Mixture Punk |
| Years active | 1987–present |
| Labels | ZTT Records (UK) Tommy Boy/Warner Bros. Records (US) |
| Associated acts | MC Tunes, A Guy Called Gerald, Biting Tongues |
| Members | |
| Graham Massey Andrew Barker Darren Partington |
|
| Past members | |
| Martin Price Gerald Simpson |
|
808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester,[1] taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson, and they released their debut Newbuild in September 1988.[1]
The band secured commercial success in 1989, when their song "Pacific State" was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies.[2]
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Contents
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History
Martin Price was the owner of a record store, Eastern Bloc, and was also the founder of the independent record label, Creed.[1] Customers Graham Massey and Gerald Simpson joined with Price to form a hip-hop group called Hit Squad Manchester. Soon after, the band shifted to an acid house sound, recording the debut Newbuild in 1988, while using the name 808 State for the first time. The album was released on Price's own record label. Massey had been a member of the band Aqua in the 1970s, along with the violinist Graham Clark, a former pupil of Manchester Grammar School.
The band's "Pacific State" was released as a single, peaking at #10 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] Simpson left the group in 1989 to form his own solo project, A Guy Called Gerald. At this point, the remaining personnel enlisted DJ's Andrew Barker and Darren Partington, known as the Spinmasters, and recorded the EP, Quadrastate in July 1989.[1] Ninety was released in December 1989.
MC Tunes worked with the band on the 1990 album, The North At Its Heights. The album was a moderate success, reaching #26 in the UK Albums Chart,[3] and also saw European and Japanese release. It spawned three UK singles, "The Only Rhyme That Bites" – featuring a sample of "The Big Country" performed by The City of Prague Philharmonic – (UK #10), "Tunes Splits The Atom" (UK #18) and "Primary Rhyming" (UK #67).[1] The first two issues credited MC Tunes versus 808 State, whilst the latter was simply MC Tunes.[3] Tunes later returned in 1996 to work with on a new track, "Pump", taken from 808 State's album Thermo Kings.
808 State's next album was released in 1991, Ex:el, which featured vocals from Bernard Sumner and Björk. Other hits included "In Yer Face" (UK #9), "Cubik Olympic" (UK #10) and "Lift" (UK #38).[1]
In October 1991, Price left the group to perform solo production work, eventually forming his own label, Sun Text. The remaining members released a fourth album called Gorgeous, and after that, did some remix work for David Bowie, Soundgarden, and other performers, before returning with the album entitled Don Solaris in 1996. It featured contributions from James Dean Bradfield, who sung vocals on "Lopez", which reached #20 in the UK Singles Chart.[1] This song was remixed by Brian Eno. The song "Bond" featured vocals by Mike Doughty from the band Soul Coughing and "Azura" featured Louise Rhodes from Lamb. They released a greatest hits compilation album, 808:88:98 in 1998. In 2000, Newbuild was re-released.
In 2003, they released Outpost Transmission which featured guest collaborations from the Alabama 3 and Guy Garvey from Elbow.
In May 2008, the re-issue of the album Quadrastate completed a trilogy of pre-ZTT releases on CD for the first time. The band is still active, touring and performing DJ sets.
Pseudonyms and side projects
In 1990, 808 State composed the theme tune to the Channel 4 television programme, The Word.[4]
808 State and its various members have recorded under a variety of pseudonyms. An early EP, containing the tracks "Mssage-a-Rama" and "Sex Mechanic", was released under the name Lounge Jays. These tracks have since been re-released by Rephlex Records on the Prebuild LP. Another early EP, Wax on the Melt, was released under the name Hit Squad Mcr. This is the only EP to which all five members of the group (Massey, Price, Simpson, Barker and Partington) contributed simultaneously.
Massey released the solo album Subtracks under the name Massonix on Skam Records. He is also a member of Biting Tongues, an experimental jazz rock group once signed to Factory Records. He has a side project with Toolshed.
Price released a couple of EPs under the name Switzerland.
Barker has produced a small number of tracks as Atlas, Benaco, and remixed various tracks.
Partington has recorded under the name Jeep.
Partington and Barker presented the 808 State radio show, firstly on Sunset 102 from 1989 to 1993, and later on Kiss 102 from 1994 to 1997.
In 1997, 808 State appeared on the Spawn (film) soundtrack alongside Mansun in the track "Skin Up, Pin Up".
Band members
- Graham Massey (born 4 August 1960,[1] Manchester) — guitarist, keyboardist, saxophonist (1988–present)
- Martin Price (born 26 March 1955, Farnworth)[1] — keyboardist (1988–1991)
- Gerald Simpson — keyboardist (1988–1989)
- Andrew Barker (born 9 March 1968[1] — keyboardist (1989–present)
- Darren Partington (born 1 November 1969,[1] Manchester) — keyboardist, percussionist (1989–present)
Discography
Studio Albums
| Year | Album details | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Additional information[1] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [5] |
||||
| 1988 | Newbuild
|
- | Often cited as a major influence by Autechre[6] and Aphex Twin.[7] | |
| 1989 | Ninety
|
57 | Includes guest vocals from Vanessa Daou. | |
| 1991 | ex:el
|
4 |
|
Includes guest vocals from Bernard Sumner and Björk. Martin Price left the band shortly after the album's release. |
| 1993 | Gorgeous
|
17 | Includes guest vocals from Ian McCulloch, Barrington Stuart, Rachel McFarlane and Caroline Seaman. It also features a reworking of UB40's One in Ten.
A limited vinyl edition album of the album included a bonus 12-inch record unofficially dubbed Disco. It included the last three tracks from the CD version of the album plus two new tracks. These tracks later appeared on the Forecast compilation. |
|
| 1996 | Don Solaris
|
88 | Includes guest vocals from Mike Doughty, Lou Rhodes, James Dean Bradfield and Ragnhildur Gísladóttir.
Paul Morley conceived the album's packaging design, evoking the spirit of his similar work for Art of Noise, Propaganda and Frankie Goes to Hollywood, all of whom had albums published by ZTT Records. |
|
| 2003 | Outpost Transmission
|
- | Includes guest vocals from Guy Garvey and collaborations with Simian and Alabama 3. |
EPs, compilations and remixes
| Year | Album | Label | Additional information |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1989 | Quadrastate | Creed Records | EP |
| 1990 | Utd. State 90 | Tommy Boy Records | An alternate version of the Ninety album for the US market. The track The Fat Shadow (Pointy Head Mix) is dropped, but additional tracks are included, comprising remixes of Ninety and Quadrastate tracks plus new material. |
| 1993 | Forecast | Warner Music (Japan) | Includes various remixes that previously appeared as b-sides on singles for Plan 9, Timebomb, One in Ten and Cubik/Olympic, as well tracks exclusive to the bonus Disco 12-inch given away with a limited edition of the Gorgeous LP. |
| 1994 | State to State | Feedback Communications (ZTT Records) | An album produced exclusively for members of 808 State's official fan club. It featured artwork and packaging designed by The Designer's Republic.
All the tracks were previously unreleased, comprising live performances and tracks from Gorgeous, Quadrastate and Fon Studio sessions. |
| 1996 | Thermo Kings | Warner Music (Japan) | Like Forecast before it, Thermo Kings was a Japan-only compilation of various b-sides, this time from the singles for Bond, Azura and Lopez, as well as a number of previously unreleased tracks. |
| 1998 | 808:88:98 | ZTT Records | A greatest hits compilation, featuring most of 808 State's major single releases. It also includes a new track, Crash, plus a new remix of Pacific. |
| 2002 | Opti Buk + State to State 2 | ZTT Records | Opti Buk DVD promo video collection. Includes the second State to State compilation with previously unreleased tracks from various studio-based sessions. |
| 2004 | Prebuild | Rephlex Records | A collection of previously unreleased tracks and demos from the Newbuild era. It also includes tracks from an EP released under the pseudonym The Lounge Jays. |
| 2011 | Blueprint | ZTT Records / Salvo Records | A career overview, that features newly revisited tracks from years 1988 to 2003 as well as original versions thereof, unreleased and released before remixes and two new tracks, "Spanish Ice" and "Metaluna". It also features an extensive booklet with a foreword by Orbital's Phil Hartnoll, archive interview with members of the band by Paul Morley, and contributions from The Prodigy, Simian, Moby and The Future Sound of London.[9] |
Reissues
- Newbuild (2000)
- Quadrastate (2008)
- 808:90 (2008)
- ex:el (2008)
- Gorgeous (2008)
- Don Solaris (2008)
The reissue of Quadrastate contained three tracks from the Let Yourself Go/Deepville 12-inch single, plus four previously unreleased tracks from the Quadrastate sessions. The reissue of Ninety was retitled 808:90. All four reissues of 808 State's albums for ZTT Records included a second disc of B-sides, remixes and unreleased tracks from their respective eras. Detailed liner notes and new interviews with all band members were included written by the journalist Ian Peel.
Singles
| Year | Tile | Peak chart position | Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| UK [1][3] |
IRL [10] |
US DCP [11] |
US DCS [11] |
|||
| 1988 | "Let Yourself Go" / "Deepville" | – | – | – | – | — |
| 1989 | "Pacific State" | 10 | 17 | 30 | 27 | Ninety |
| 1990 | The Extended Pleasure of Dance (EP) | 56 | – | – | – | |
| "The Only Rhyme That Bites" (MC Tunes Versus 808 State) | 10 | 21 | – | – | The North At its Heights (MC Tunes album) |
|
| "Tunes Splits the Atom" (MC Tunes Versus 808 State) | 18 | 28 | – | – | ||
| "Cubik" / "Olympic" | 10 | 23 | 8 | 21 | ex:el | |
| 1991 | "In Yer Face" | 9 | 13 | – | – | |
| "Ooops" (808 State featuring Bjork) | 42 | 24 | 13 | 23 | ||
| "Lift" / "Open Your Mind" | 38 | – | 23 | 27 | ||
| 1992 | "Time Bomb" / "Nimbus" | 59 | – | 19 | 36 | Gorgeous |
| "One in Ten" (808 State vs. UB40) | 17 | 19 | – | – | ||
| 1993 | "Plan 9" | 50 | – | – | – | |
| "10 X 10" | 67 | – | 43 | – | ||
| 1994 | "Bombadin" | 67 | – | 3 | – | — |
| 1996 | "Bond" | 57 | – | – | – | Don Solaris |
| "Azura" | 84 | – | – | – | ||
| 1997 | "Lopez" (808 State feat. James Dean Bradfield) | 20 | – | – | – | |
| 1998 | "Pacific 808:98" / "Cubik" (remixes) | 21 | – | 3 | – | 808:88:98 |
| 1999 | "The Only Rhyme That Bites 99" (MC Tunes Versus 808 State) | 53 | – | – | – | — |
| "Invader" | – | – | – | – | ||
References
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 311–312. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
- ^ IMO Records. “808 State Biography", IMO Records, London, Retrieved on 25 January 2012.
- ^ a b c Roberts, David (2006). British Hit Singles & Albums (19th ed.). London: Guinness World Records Limited. pp. 179–180. ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ Simon Donohue (2002-12-31). "Madchester revival may be on the cards – News – Music – Greater Manchester's CityLife". Citylife.co.uk. http://www.citylife.co.uk/music/news/2820_madchester_revival_may_be_on_the_cards. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
- ^ "UK Chart Company". theofficialcharts.com. http://www.theofficialcharts.com/artist/_/808%20state/. Retrieved 2011-08-29.
- ^ O'Leary, Matt. "Artworker of the Week #43: Autechre", Kultureflash, 2005.
- ^ Allmusic.com
- ^ a b "Certified Awards Search". British Phonographic Industry. Retrieved on 29 August 2011. Note: User needs to enter "808 State" in the "Search" field, "Artist" in the "Search by" field and click the "Go" button. Select "More info" next to the relevant entry to see full certification history.
- ^ "ZTT Records". 22 July 2011. http://www.ztt.com/news/808_state_blueprint.html. Retrieved 2 August 2011.
- ^ "The Irish Charts - All there is to know". chartstats.com. http://www.irishcharts.ie/. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
- ^ a b "allmusic ((( 808 State > Charts & Awards > Billboard Singles )))". Billboard. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p50075. Retrieved 2012-01-14.
External links
- Official website
- 808 State discography at Discogs
- ZTT Records official site
- ZTT Records official store
- Ian Peel: Warriors of Pop, 21 years of ZTT Record Collector, September 2004 (copy at Zang Tuum Tumb and all that) Article about ZTT's history, and contains information about 808 State
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Mentioned in
Electro Dance 2: Synthetic Future
(1999 Album by Various Artists)
Quadrastate EP
(1989 Album by 808 State)
Foundations (Coming Up from the Streets)
(1997 Album by Various Artists)
K-Scope
(Electronica Artist, '80s, '90s)
Zance: A Decade of Dance from ZTT
(1995 Album by Various Artists)
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