newbie

willman85 · Post by **willman85** » 24 Dec 2003 18:12

I got into 808 state only recently after hearing Pacific State and Cubik, so I bought Ex:El. It is my most-played album. I like the way it's both aggressive and soft; and no track is a skipper. Now, I've also listened to tracks Southern Cross and Nimbus from Gorgeous (on recommendation), which I think are amazing, but I don't know what the rest of the album is like. Also, what is Don Solaris like? What is Outpost Transmission like? Is it worth it getting both UK and US versions?

Post by **markus** » 24 Dec 2003 18:50

Have you already picked up '90', I would recommend getting the UK version? Gorgeous is 808's most commercially-accessible album. Don Solaris is a lot darker. Outpost Transmission continues in that vain, but even more experimental in ways. US pressing is a bit more break-beat oriented. Does that help a bit?

joeskeys · Post by **joeskeys** » 07 Jan 2004 07:36

Yeah, I agree with Markus mostly. Gorgeous is not the most even but it's more accessible, and the two cuts you named are very indicative of the album's sound in general. Plan9, Contrique, and One In Ten are also keepers. If you like ex:el, Gorgeous and the 90 UK release are the closest thing to it (although Utd. State 90, the other version of 90, has several remixes of Pacific that are good, plus Cubik).

Don Solaris is their most varied, it's more gritty and at times borders on industrial drum-and-bass, particularly in the latter half of it... a phenomenal album. If you like the vocal tracks on ex:el then Don Solaris is a definite pickup; there's four tracks with guest vocalists and they're all stellar.

I wouldn't start with Outpost Transmission, but if you like the others, you'll wind up getting it anyway, like I did.

Mark · Post by **Mark** » 07 Jan 2004 22:56

My advice?

Get em all! they are all amazing in their own yet similar way, such is the brilliance of 808 State! It is advisable to start with the earlier recordings as Don Solaris and Outpost Transmission although they are my faves are a good deal heavier.

mark123 · Post by **mark123** » 14 Jan 2004 00:00

I haven't listened to 808 State for quite some time. I haven't listened to much of anything for the past 10 years. How boring, eh?

I've been out of "the scene" for that long and I don't even know what to pick up anymore.

I'll have to dig out my old cassettes. HAHA, Cassettes!!!!

Someone refresh my memory...what was the album with Bjork singing on the one song?

N.JOHNSON · Post by **N.JOHNSON** » 14 Jan 2004 00:33

The album that has Bjork singing on it is Ex:EL. The track is Ooops and is a proper vocal track. She also used her vocal tones on Qmart which is on the same album.

Qmart is not a song in the sense that bjork uses lyrics in the structure of the vocals. This song has no words just a dreamy landscape of Bjorks vocal tones which work well in the contrast to 808s soothing synths. not the best track on the album but certainly on of the more interesting ones and less mainstream as there are a lot of songs on this album that were used by ZTT as singles and b sides in the early 90s when EX:EL was doing the rounds.

joeskeys · Post by **joeskeys** » 14 Jan 2004 20:25

If you're down with the 808+Bjork sound, I believe Graham Massey helped write the backbeat for the song Army of Me on Bjork's album Post (can someone back me up here?), and he's given props on the liner notes of Debut too so he might have had a hand in that too...

Post by **nickking** » 14 Jan 2004 22:35

Yup, definitely 'Army Of Me' (which he also mixed on the single/Telegram album), 'The Modern Things', 'Karvel', and remixed 'Violently Happy' as well.

More info here - http://www.808state.com/discogs/propage ... objork.htm

l8rs,

Nick