The story of 808 State defines an era of electronic dance music and
sets a blueprint of possibilities for future generations. As the NME
observed “808 State revolutionised a whole genre of music in the
late-80s, inspiring Underworld, Orbital and the Chemical Brothers in
the process.”
Formed in Manchester in 1988 by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald
Simpson, 808 State’s first album ? Newbuild - is now regarded as a
milestone in UK electronica. Quadrastate followed, including Pacific
State, becoming an end-of-night anthem at the Ha?ienda and breaking
out of the dance underground when it was picked up by BBC Radio 1. The
band pushed against dance-celebrity culture with intentionally
minimalist record sleeves and a reluctance to self-promote. During
this time Gerald recorded his own hit, the acid house anthem Voodoo
Ray and decided to pursue his own career as A Guy Called Gerald. He
was replaced by the 808 State DJs, Andrew Barker and Darren
Partington.
In 1989 the album Ninety was released to critical acclaim, with the
the the Guardian declaring that this record had “mapped out the future
of club music, utilising techno, ambient and rock...”
In 1991 they released their biggest ...
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