808 STATE GORGEOUS Tommy Boy

One of the few bands from the Manchester rave scene with any staying power, 808 State's brand of techno-rock could be described as New Order meets Tangerine Dream, with more percussion. They've been together for more than four years -- an eternity in dance music terms. Their sound has evolved from pure beat-driven house music to include softer mood pieces. "Gorgeous" is an ambitious project with a wide range of styles that never falter. Cuts like "Plan 9" and "Time bomb" will please dance music fans, while the more moderate "Black Morpheus" has a jazzier feel. Other standouts include "10 x 10," which segues seamlessly in an enchanting re-mix of UB40's "One in Ten"; and "Moses," with vocalist Ian McCulloch (Echo & The Bunnymen), which includes samples from Joy Division's "She's Lost Control." The whole disc flows evenly, as layers of synthesized sound wash over and delight. 808 State performs tonight at the Middle East in Cambridge.

[Reviewer: Jimmy Crawley]

808 STATE: Gorgeous (ZTT 4509 91100-2)

THE signs are faint yet unmistakable: just when you thought it was safe to go out in platform shoes, the early '80s revival is about to descend upon us. Adverts are appearing in the what's-on rags for an early '80s club night, a remix of Heaven 17's 1982 hit Temptation is successfully doing the rounds; sitting in a city coffee lounge last weekend I even heard Ultravox's pomp epic Vienna for the first time in years.

The latest album by British electro-bofims 808 State contains further evidence: a naggingly attractive reworking of UB40's One In Ten (complete with that band's Ali Campbell on vocals); the bassline from Joy Division's She's Lost Control in Contrique (technically from 1979, but let's not quibble), while Echo and the Bunnymen's former lungsmith Ian McCulloch airs his tonsils on Moses.

A club DJ described them to me the other day as "techno" but 808 State have less to do with today's clubland scene than with that era, pre-Howard Jones and Nik Kershaw, when a bank of synthesisers stood for a brave new world of progressivism, when groups stopped calling themselves "bands" and formed themselves into "corporations". Yet their approach is never revivalist, drawing as much from jail fusion instrumentalists Weather Report and Eno-cohort Jon Hassell as from '80s synth outfits like Yello, while the influence of Latin and African music is discernible in their syncopated rhythms.

At their best, 808 State are masterful manipulators of rhythm, texture and melody. A few too many tracks on Gorgeous merely mark time, but they are never less than listenable.

[Reviewer: LYNDEN BARBER]

Electronically Tested: The NME Team's pick of the month's best LP's:

808 STATE
Gorgeous (ZTT/All formats)

THIS RECORD is far removed from the ubiquitous whacked-in-the-microwave dance syndrome. 808 State spent so long sculpting 'Gorgeous' that the whole thing was remixed as the dance world turned. The result is brave and painstaking - widescreen electronic jiggle-and-chill-out fodder for the CD generation.

PIECES OF EIGHT

808 STATE GORGEOUS (ZTT)

IT'S two long years since 808 State's superb "Ex El". And it's not so much that there's been a lot of water under the bridge since then, more that the bridge has been knocked down and all the water's dried up. In the interim since 1991, 808 State have lost the services of Martin Price, who presumably took all his electro-toys with him to form Switzerland. The whole Manc scene that buoyed them up around the turn of the decade is in receivership, and as for MC Tunes, his whereabouts is these days speculated on by Denis Norden on daytime quiz shows for the elderly. But are they still gorgeous? Aye, in patches. The opener, "Plan 9", draped with a fetching flamenco guitar (as also used by electro stablemates, Orbital) languishes in its own melody before upping gear into a frantic whirligig of angular techno. Images of tropical Sixties aquadromes deep in the forest are savoured then scuppered by the bpm accelerator. "Europa" featuring the flat, unearthly vocals of Caroline Seaman (a sort of Bjork without the plunging exclamations) hints alluringly at sterile, unsullied new worlds.

Much of side one, however, is devoted to recharging the plugs of a few early Eighties favourites. "Moses", for instance, features a morose Ian McCulloch vocal and lyric which 808 treat with electro kid gloves. Disappointing, this, to those who feel that McCulloch is just the sort of has-been whose decaying corpse remorseless futurists like 808 State should be zapping to death with the full laser treatment. "10x10", similarly, races through a gospel break, thunders up cable and down pylon only, disappointingly, to arrive at a sample of "Start" by The Jam. "Contrique" is great, with its overheated moog and silvery synth breaks but turns out to be an elaborate encasement for a sample of Joy Division's "She's Lost Control". "One In Ten", which you know, is surprisingly successful, especially in its sneaking underneath of the riff from Kraftwerk's "The Model". But what are 808 State doing hanging around with a bunch of twats like UB40, ask the kids. The rest of "Gorgeous" is mainly instrumental, twisting, colourful pieces of rhythmically driven electro-chamber music which rivet and relinquish your attention by turns. "Orbit" is pretty, pretty generic, "Southern Cross" is broodily brilliant with a subtle and sinister rhythmic undertow. "Nimbus" and "Colony" point up 808 State's musical schizophrenia, shifting sharply between solemn and handsome melodic sequences that enhance the suspicion that 808 State are about trying to reinvent the Manc sound of the early Eighties for the early Nineties and fast-cut, whippersnapping electro-breaks.

If you like 808 State you'll like "Gorgeous" for sure. Their problem is, however, that they are sneered at by many younger hipsters -unfairly, perhaps but sneered at nonetheless. The early Eighties ties which they've cultivated here reinforce the unfair notion that they're old hat and this means that they don't get played alongside the new young techno turks any more. That, and they're largely too elaborate to sit comfortably alongside the stripped down back-bedroom generated young bpm merchants. Hence side two "Gorgeous" which, like late Yello, sounds like dancefloor music which will never be played on any actual dancefloor. But where will it be played, and by whom? 808 State haven't lost it, they've just lost a context for the moment, that's all.

[Reviewer: DAVID STUBBS]

'Gorgeous'
808 State

Usually, any adjective used as an album title can be safely considered an exaggeration. But not in the case of 808 State's third effort, "Gorgeous" (Tommy Boy 1067). Even though the 808-ers' taste in electronics doesn't quite conform to classical notions of aural beauty - like many synth-heavy dance acts these days, they adore the buzz of sawtooth waves and the hiss of cheap drum machines - there's something undeniably luscious about the soundscapes here. Granted, that's more pronounced in the ambient-house overtones of tunes like "Orbit" or the gently burbling "Southern Cross," but there's an equal amount of aural majesty in conventional club material like "10 x 10" or "Europa." And that, in the end, ensures that "Gorgeous" will be worth hearing even when you're not in the mood for dancing.

[Reviewer: J.D. Considine - The Baltimore Sun]

808 STATE
Gorgeous
WARNER BROS/ZTT12

808 STATE
Gorgeous
(WEA ZTT12)

Conventional wisdom runs that ravers don't buy albums - something to do with the ephemeral nature of the genre. 808 State are doing their damnedest to counfound the theory with dance productions which boast a lingering, more soulful, something.

'10X10' wittily steals The Jam's 'Start' bass-line, then brings in a battery of soulful backing vocals, and it all somehow works. Ian McCulloch brings those distinctive vocals to bear on 'Moses', which elevate the track from mere mash-up dance music to the stately grandeur of fellow Mancs New Order. We're off to a great start then, with an influx of rock personalities that works wonders.

'One In Ten', as the title suggests, lifts from the UB40 song (there's clearly some allure in early '8Os British pop for these boys) and underpins it with a hardcore hip-hop rhythm. Elsewhere they go for more straight-ahead, ambient rave material. 'Sexy Dancer' is mesmerising; the Darth Vadar vocal is a nice touch.

It's been a long wait, but 808 State have managed to create an album which transcends the blipvert generation. Gorgeous is as apt a title as any.

8

[Reviewer: Michael Odell]

808 STATE
Gorgeous
PRODUCERS: 808 State
ZTT/Tommy Boy 1057

Third album by leader of the now-defunct ambient-house movement shows the U.K. act at a creative crossroads. Material is
skewed between signature soft synth tones and aggressive techno beats-with a dash of modern pop tossed in for even more diversity. Regardless, diehard club fans will revel in "10x10," with its house piano lines and caustic rave riffs, and the dreamy "Europa," which has a lovely vocal by Caroline Seaman. Chances for radio crossover are strengthened by "Moses," three minutes of pure pop pleasure bolstered by the liveliest performance guest vocalist Ian McCulloch has delivered in a long time.

SOLID STATE SURVIVORS

808 STATE
Gorgeous (ZTT/All formats)

808 STATE came surfing into the mass-consciousness of post-acid '89 with the panoramic electronic dancescapes of 'Pacific State' and 'Cubik', found instant chart success, spawned a host of imitators and by last year were packing out Manchester's G-Mex. The underground became a distant blab as they jostled with the big boys for markets all over the world.

But if the arena into which 808 first poked their 51000 was ripe and ready for their cinematic future-glides, things have certainly changed as they (finally) unveil their third long-player.

Hardcore has been and gone. Techno has forged light years ahead from when 'Ex:El' was released in '91. And there are myriad new strains coursing through a dance musk which has finally wrested the baton from tired old rock as the cutting edge youth music.

But 808 State, who deliberately took time out to create this new work at their leisure - and then some - also return to a climate which can propel an electronic sound-painting-with-throbs-on like The Orb to pole position in the album charts. Mew listens to the near-hour of 'Gorgeous' and it becomes apparent that they have no interest in shifting a few hundred white labels and galvanising discerning dancefloors.

This is An Album. A multi-faceted, highly-polished Complete Work. Wide-screen electronic jiggle-and-chill-out fodder for the CD generation. And also that rare species, the dance-spawned album which doesn't possess potholes under the hall carpet.

Good food takes time to prepare, say the techno chefs. This record is far removed from the all too common steak-pie-whacked-in-the-microwave dance album syndrome. 808 spent so long sculpting 'Gorgeous' that the whole thing was remixed as the dance world turned and raced on. Singles like 'Lift' and 'Timebomb' – both here – seemed more like stop-gaps and an ill-advised collaboration with UB40 on 'One In Ten' failed to really pull the public pleasure-cord. The album has also been ready for months but repeatedly shunted back in the record company boardroom.

Indications are that 'Plan 9', the ambiently-stroked new single which also kick-starts the album, could do the business like 'Pacific'. That would help, for the entire tonal spectrum of these IS tracks could be too much for the casual passer-by. They experiment with jazz techno on 'Black Morpheus' but get dirty and trancey on 'Sexy Synthesiser'.

Often it's like John Barry has come back in breakbeats. There are the expected metallic movie theme outings and those collaborations – the UB40 hook-up, Ian McCulloch crooning away on 'Moses', while Joy Division and The Jam are credited for samples.

Brave and painstaking with many stools to fall between, 'Gorgeous' is a soundtrack to 808 State growing up – but not in public.

(7)

Kris Needs

HOT ALBUM
808 State
"Gorgeous," Tommy Boy

Old-line fans of electronic pop music - those who can remember being transfixed by the cool keyboard musings of Kraftwerk and Brian Eno a generation ago - must be just a little bit embarrassed by what has become of their favorite style. Certainly, electronics have come a long way, baby, but who would have thought music that once conjured images of serene European landscapes would be pushing a salute to rear ends in "Baby Got Back" or a cheesy remake of the theme from "Sesame Street"?

Well, the fogies can hold their pristine visions of electronic music with their Tangerine Dream albums; electronics now belong to the young. Whether it's techno, house, deep house, ambient house, hardcore, hip-hop or gangsta rap, the sampling and keyboard revolution has been kidnapped from the hallowed halls of musical academia and put on the streets. But, as with all revolutions, there are more followers than leaders, and so much of this new-generation dance music seems to be just a matter of switching on the drum machine and leaving the room. That's why England's 808 State, named after a Roland synthesizer, is so valuable. While so many instrumental techno outfits are content just to crank out the BPMs (beats-per-minute), 808 State at its best actually seems to care about such old-fashioned values as melody and composition.
808 State, which helped popularize ambient or new age dance music, doesn't alter its approach too much from its last album, "Ex:El," for its latest release, "Gorgeous." Instrumentals alternate with tracks featuring such guest vocalists as Ian McCulloch and Caroline Sea mon.

But there's nothing stale about "Gorgeous," whether it's the booming club grooves of "Colony," the Ottmar Liebert-meets-Kraf twerk romanticism of "Plan 9," the electro-reggae take on UB40's "One in Ten" or the sax-inflected techno-jazz of "Black Morpheus."
True, there are less-than-stellar moments (the perfunctory "Southern Cross") and, ironically, the songs with vocals come across with less personality. McCulloch gives an enthusiastic performance on "Moses" but the song is still freeze-dried New Order.

But, for all that, "Gorgeous" manages - more often than not - to live up to its title.

[Reviewer: Cary Darling/The Register]

808 state gorgeous (ztt)

Isn't it about time they faded into obscurity? Dance acts, they're supposed to have a hit or two, run out of ideas and disappear, right?

A couple of months back, I was convinced it was about time for 808 State to hand in their floppies and join the great Techno scrapheap in the sky. At three in the morning, in front of fifteen thousand E'd up ravers in the middle of nowhere, 808 State came on and played what was basically a greatest hits set. I mean, what the hell were they playing at? In a medium that thrives on its disposability and its fashion quotient, for better or worse, surely there's no place for the dance equivalent of a lumbering prog-rock
dinosaur that plays a fucking greatest hits set.

Yes, I can see it all now... 'Telstar presents - The Best Of 808 State - remember those special moments under the influence of your favourite hallucinogens - and don't forget, this album is not available in the shops...' What could 808 State possibly have to offer in 1992?

Well, there's always this album. It's...it's...well, gorgeous actually. There I was, all ready to give it the panning it so richly deserved, and they hit me with the sheer enormity of Colony. And then the effortless Moses, with its irresistible Ian McCulloch vocal, the kind of thing Electronic have tried and failed to achieve ever since the glorious Getting Away With It. And then Contrique, with what sounds suspiciously like the bassline from Joy Division's She's Lost Control. And then the delirious, uplifting space pop of 10x 10. And then, believe it or not, an update of UB40's 'classic' One In Ten, complete with the original vocals. Somehow, God knows how, but it works...

And then there's Europa, featuring as it does the exquisite talents of one-time This Mortal Coil vocalist Caroline Seaman. And that's just side one.

Everything's going swimmingly - Gorgeous is already shaping up as a serious contender for those end of year charts - when we hit track twelve: Timebomb, the single. It sucks big ones. Why pander to the rave-by-numbers mentality they so obviously detest? The remainder of the album heaves with highly suspect rave-ology that should be avoided at all costs. Sexy Synthesiser? I ask you!

808 State ought to have realised by now that they no longer owe anything much to rave culture. Those achingly beautiful panoramas of sound don't need to be justified by turning them into chart-orientated singles. 808 State are very much an album band now, and probably the only dance act that has sold consistently since their rise in popularity in the wake of '88s acid explosion. And they still matter. They have proved, almost single-handedly, that it is possible to sell electronic music in a long-play format that is adventurous and beautifully (expensively?) produced without descending into electronic muso wank, for much longer than the customary hit-single-cobbledtogether-cash-in-album routine. Five albums down the line, 808 State just keep getting better.

[Reviewer: Tony Morley]