808 State are an English electronic music group, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson, and they released their debut album, Newbuild, in September 1988. The band secured commercial success in 1989, when their song "Pacific State" reached the top ten of the UK singles chart and was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies.
Links To Peel
According to the 808 State official website, the band was close to having a session with Peel's show in one of the Sessions That Never Happened. Graham Massey of the band mentioned the group wanted to do the session in Manchester in their own home studio rather than the BBC's choice at Maida Vale in London:
"It was actually down to John Peel that 'Quadrastate' came about. "He used to come up to Manchester to scout out new records and we had a meeting with him in a café near [legendary student/boho hangout] Afflecks Palace. We'd already had word that they wanted us to do a session and so we'd already been working on some ideas. We said to him we'd do it, but could we do it at home, because we didn't really think we could do what we wanted to do at the BBC. But the BBC said we had to do it there or not do it at all, so in the end it never actually happened!" [1]
808 State were predominately played during the popularity of the acid house rave scene in the late 80's on Peel's show. Peel on his 27 September 1988 show mentioned that the group's material was a subject of most calls and letters to him over the past couple of weeks and in 1989 listeners voted their track Pacific State at number 22 in the 1989 Festive Fifty.
Before the emergence of 808 State, Peel had played earlier local outfits containing Graham Massey: Danny & The Dressmakers and Biting Tongues.
Festive Fifty Entries
- 1989 Festive Fifty: Pacific State #22
Shows Played
808 State - Pacific State
- 1988
- 20 September 1988: Sync/Swim (LP - Newbuild) Creed
- 20 September 1988: Flow Coma (LP - Newbuild) Creed
- 21 September 1988: Narcossa (LP - Newbuild) Creed
- 27 September 1988: Sync/Swim (LP - Newbuild) Creed
- 03 October 1988: Flow Coma (LP - Newbuild) Creed
- 04 October 1988: Compulsion (LP - Newbuild) Creed
- 08 October 1988 (BFBS): E Talk (LP – Newbuild) Creed
- 10 October 1988: E Talk (LP – Newbuild) Creed
- 15 October 1988 (BFBS): Headhunters (LP – Newbuild) Creed
- 26 October 1988: unknown track (LP – Newbuild) Creed
- 01 November 1988 (Radio Bremen): Narcossa (album - Newbuild) Creed
- 12 December 1988: Let Yourself Go (303 Mix) (12" - Let Yourself Go / Deepville) Creed STATE 003
- 1989
- 04 January 1989: Let Yourself Go (303 Mix) (12" - Let Yourself Go / Deepville) Creed STATE 003
- 07 January 1989 (BFBS): Let Yourself Go (303 Mix) (12" - Let Yourself Go / Deepville) Creed STATE 003
- 17 January 1989: Let Yourself Go (303 Mix) (12" - Let Yourself Go / Deepville) Creed STATE 003
- 05 July 1989: State Ritual (12" EP - Quadrastate) Creed
- 15 July 1989 (BFBS): Disco State (12" EP: Quadrastate) Creed State 004
- 17 July 1989: Firecracker (LP - Quadrastate) Creed
- 26 July 1989: Pacific State (album - Quadrastate) Creed
- 27 July 1989: State Ritual (LP - Quadrastate) Creed
- 31 July 1989: Pacific State (LP - Quadrastate) Creed
- 03 August 1989: State Ritual (v/a LP - Freak Beats - Volume 1) Scam
- 05 August 1989 (BFBS): State Ritual (LP - Quadrastate) Creed
- 10 August 1989: Disco State (12" EP: Quadrastate) Creed State 004
- 17 August 1989: Fire Cracker (LP: Quadrastate) Creed
- 26 August 1989 (BFBS): State Ritual (LP - Quadrastate) Creed
- 29 August 1989: State Ritual (LP – Quadrastate) Creed
- 02 September 1989 (BFBS) / Peel 114 (BFBS): 'Disco State (12"-Quadrastate)' (Creed) (JP: 'Why is it that all of the best things seem to come out of Manchester? Apart from football, of course.')
- 24 October 1989: Pacific 707 (7") ZTT
- 06 November 1989: Pacific 707 (7") ZTT
- 09 November 1989: Pacific State (7") ZTT
- 18 November 1989 (BFBS): Pacific 707 (7") ZTT
- 21 November 1989 (Radio Bremen): Pacific-707 (7" - Pacific) ZTT
- 04 December 1989: Ancodia (album - Ninety) ZTT
- 06 December 1989 / HO John Peel 17 1989: 808080808 (album - Ninety) ZTT
- 07 December 1989: Magical Dream (album - Ninety) ZTT
- 20 December 1989 / Peel Festive Period 1989-1990: 808080808 (LP-Ninety) (ZTT)
- 26 December 1989: 'Pacific State (12" EP-Quadrastate)' (ZTT) FF #22
- 27 December 1989: Donkey Doctor (CD-Ninety )' (ZTT)
- 30 December 1989 (BFBS): Ancodia (album - Ninety) ZTT
- 30 December 1989 (BFBS): Magical Dream (album - Ninety) ZTT
- 1990
- 06 January 1990 (BFBS) / Peel 128 (BFBS): 'Cobra Bora (LP-Ninety)' (ZTT)
- 08 March 1990: Cobra Bora (Call The Cops Mix) (12" - The Extended Pleasure Of Dance EP) ZTT ZANG 2T
- 31 March 1990 (BFBS) / Peel 139 (BFBS): 'Cobra Bora (Call The Cops Mix) (12"-The Extended Pleasure Of Dance EP)' (ZTT)
- Peel Snubbed 1990: Dance Yourself To Death
- 1994
- 07 October 1994 / HO John Peel 57 1994 / HO John Peel 58 1994 1995: Mondonet (12”: Trance Europe Express 3) Volume
- 1998
- 29 December 1998: 'Quincy's Lunch (7 inch)' (Slut Smalls)
- 2004
- 01 September 2004: 'Confusion' (12") - (Rephlex)
- 17 November 2004 (Rob Da Bank): Pacific State
- Lounge Jays
- 21 November 1988: Massage A Rama (12") Not On Label
- 29 November 1988 / CD November 1988: Massagerama (12") Mr Smiley
- 09 January 1989: Massage A Rama (12") WAU! Mr. Modo
GRAHAM MASSEY (other)
- Danny & The Dressmakers
- 16 January 1980: Cathy And Claire (v/a EP - Weird Noise) Fuck Off
- 21 January 1980: The Truth About Unemployment (EP - Weird Noise) Fuck Off
- Biting Tongues
- 25 November 1985: Trouble Hand (7") Factory
- 07 August 1989: Love Out (Edit Mix) (12") Cut Deep
- 19 October 1989: Loving Out (Edit Mix) (12") Cut Deep