Song:Pacific 707
Album:808:88:98
808 State were pioneers in electronic dance music commonly known today as techno or house music. Of course they didn't know they were pioneers. They were just experimenting with electronic instruments. They were especially popular in their native England. 808 State are from Manchester, England. Martin Price owned a record store and he formed Hit Squad Manchester with customers Graham Massey and Gerald Simpson. They were supposed to be a hip hop group. But as they recorded their 1988 debut album Newbuild, they decided to change the name to 808 State. Price released the album on his own label. Simpson left in 1989 and he was replaced by DJs Andrew Barker and Darren Partington AKA The Spinmasters. They released Pacific State as a single and it reached #10 on the British Singles chart. Then they signed with Trevor Horn's ZTT label. Massey says there are several versions and remixes of Pacific State. Pacific 707 was their first single on ZTT and that was apparently the version that charted. Massey is playing the sax in the video clip. 808 State did release the album Ninety. But Pacific 707 was not on the album. However it is on this comp released in 1998. Price left 808 State in 1991 to get into production. The group continued recording their own music and plenty of remixes for other artists. Though 808 State's music was released in the US on Tommy Boy, they never caught on as they did in England. Today they are viewed as pioneers of electronic dance music and very influential. Massey and Barker still perform and record as 808 State. Here's 808 State performing Pacific 707 on Top Of The Pops 1989.
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