RAMONA RADIO – 808 State

Mancunian electronic pioneers 808 State, known best for genre defining records including:Ninety, Gorgeous, ex:el and Don Solaris, are inspired equally by the haunting of their homecity’s industrial past (and, for that matter, the influence of classic Detroit techno) but stillremain true to their career-long focus on what’s to come next…“We’re trying to make a future for other people to immerse themselves in,” says GrahamMassey.“That’s always been a big part of 808 State: these kind of landscapes offuturism.”Originally formed by Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson in 1988, the group’s earlywork was a prominent influence on the UK’s burgeoning acid house scene. 808 State’s firstalbum–Newbuild-is now regarded as a milestone in UK electronica. Quadrastate followedthis and included Pacific State which became an end-of-night anthem at the Haçienda. Thetrack broke out of the dance underground when it was picked up by daytime BBC Radio 1.The band pushed against dance-celebrity culture with intentionally minimalist record sleevesand a reluctance to self-promote. In 1989 Paul Morley signed the band to the ZTT label, andthe first fruit of this partnership, the album Ninety, was awarded 10 out of 10 by the NME.The Guardian declared that with this record, “808 State mapped out the future of club music,utilising techno, ambient and rock…”