808 State RENUNION

[Souflex]

For my feeling 808 state are a 1 man band these days. Sure Daz and Andy are in the team but how much influence are they having in the choons being made?

I would like to see Gerald hook back up with Graham to be honest...i think he needs it, my feeling is that 808 state are loosing their soul. The last album had nice choons an all that but it lacked soul. Gerald could be the right person to help bring back some much needed strength to 808 State choons.

Sorry to be hard on the current state of the state...there is a lot to be positive about, but I feel the big G needs a wee helpin hand from the people he used to knock around with.

808 State are better than..."hmmm thats sounds good". 808 State should be f***in untouchable man!!!

Is there a chance for this???

Nick (you ask Gerald)

Markus (you ask Graham)

[andy808]

Graham

Why are you wasting your god like time on them two twats?
They cling to you like sushi rice !!!!!!!

You need that techno god …. the one with all the big selling record!!!
To sort out the state of 808 and make it all better for me ????

[Souflex]

I guess that is what I'm tryin to say...maybe not so hard put though.

look why is it when it comes to 808 state we are all talking about music you guys made at least 10 years ago??? wots that all about??? If I want to feel nostalgic I would go to ma dad and talk about northern soul and mowtown...I wouldn't be bothered blaggin about how many remixes you can get out of pacific!

And who else wants to??? Apart from the trainspotters amongst us??? If you ask someone on the street do yer know who 808 are wot dyou think they say??? never f***ing heard of them or didn't they do that tune cubik?

Ar you proud of that like?

I am lookin to you guys to get yerfinger out yer arse and gimme something to shout about in the year 2006!!! Not f**kin 1996!

stick it and stick souflex an al its a f***in crap tune.

yawn.... 808 who?

[nickking]

Okey dokey, time to reply!

Nah, 808 are a sum of all the parts, surely? I mean, Gerald wasn't even part of the band when '90, Ex:el, Gorgeous, etc were made (the vast majority of the chart hits came about)! About the only things that Gerald was part of was the Newbuild-era and Pacific - tunes like In Yer Face, Cubik, Olympic, 10x10, Plan 9, 808 vs Tunes, Lopez, etc were all made with Andy, Daz, Graham and (for some of them, Martin). Certainly, apart from "Voodoo Ray", Gerald hasn't had any other chart hits!

It's definitely not a one-man band - more like a collective between Graham, Andy & Daz... Sure, they could rehash Ex:El-type tunes, produce sure-fire hits like In Yer Face, etc (wasn't Invader of a similar vein?), but they're progressing beyond that - shouldn't a band be able to able to move forward in their song structures, bring something different to the fold? Anyway, something like In Yer Face or Cubik probably wouldn't chart today - dance music today seems to be set in genres, and if you don't produce a song set in that one particular genre that's currently in vogue, it won't get played. At the moment, the current genre seems to be like the type of music that Mylo's currently producing and the similar artists (e.g. Linus Loves, Richard X, Tom Neville, etc)...

I dunno, yeah 808 may not have the chart hits any more (how much of that is down to poor record company promotion - good ol' Circus!), but there and again, most dance music acts nowadays don't really chart high - the "kids" seem to be into indie bands (who in the vast majority of the cases seem to be rehashing My Bloody Valentine-era tunes) or hip-hop/R&B (and poor substitutes for what actually consists of decent hip-hop/R&B! ).

That was a long-winded reply!

[Souflex]

thanks for your reply nick and thanx for pointing out who was in the band at what times.

however there are somethings i am not convinced about. if they are pogressing beyond the realms then why do we not hear new versions of singles from OT? Why does nobody actually mention this album since 2 weeks after it first come out? if we are talking about 808 state changing moving with the times i see absoloutley nothin that would suggest it. 808 states latest tune is???

sure the ZTT thing is nice for us fans and collectors but it is looking backwards instead of forwards.

why doesn't andy take the decency and time to tell us what he thinks? instead of just bein a sarcy mancunian? oh aye but that is andy...not interested to talk to someone who invested god knows how many hundreds of pounds on their music...better just to say somethin smart.

the whole reason my first letter came was because graham is the only one i ever hear of voicing his opinions past and present about 808. andy drops in once in a blue moon (i know he just popped in lately) with nothin to say and i never hear of daz. they seem to dj a lot but how many gigs have 808 played lately. oh aye there is 1 in japan and 1 in italy...nice for japs, italians and rich people with no work in the mornin. how about playin regular in the uk? why not? coz no-one will come? why? coz they are a band of the past...not the future.

are you sure they are the sum of all parts?? i only see the work of one man these days.

pissed of and out of breath...

[Ancodia]

Sushi Rice! very good Andy.

I don't want to blame everything on the labels, but in the current climate it is extremely hard to get a good deal. The labels are going for what they feel are tried and tested formats with Pop and RnB tunes being the main sales area. Of course should the money not roll in, you're dropped like a stone.

Promotion, Singles releases and Touring all comes from money supplied by the label. Considering circus just about got the album out, we knew there would be little promotion afterwards. And we'll not go into the story following.

As for members of the group and their input, have you ever listened to the Tool-Shed stuff, try and say Andy & Daz have no input to the 808 sound.

As for Gerald, I'd rather not see that reunion, he doesn't have any higher a profile than 808 these days even with new releases. And a reunion for the sake of an old skool tour whilst good for us fans, would really make 808 look like they're past it.

808 have developed and I for one love the changes over the years, and I'd rather they didn't turn 'round and release a clone of Destroy Rock N Roll or whatever just for the money. Graham could out produce Mylo with his arms tied behind his back, so cashing in would be far too easy.

Well that my tuppence worth,

John

[SteveC]

how about playin regular in the uk? why not? coz no-one will come? why? coz they are a band of the past...not the future

You only have to look at the flyers on the LIVE page to see how prominent the words 808 State are, they are the headline act in many cases, headline act meaning the promoters know those two words will attract many people to the event. All it takes is the right promotion and 808 will do the rest to a packed crowd.

Unfortunately the last couple of years 808 have done low key gigs hence a low turnout.

808 have always been a band of the future, we just haven't caught up yet.

[Souflex]

what was the last tune they released? and when was it released?

808 state can't and never have been able to find the right record deal??? Mr G Massey who is deeply involved in all things musically cool in Manchester...and has a long music history and is highly respected producer...can't find a record company to make a deal???

I don't want to see them on TOTP...i do want them to stop blabbin about music they made 15 year ago and start talkin about their future plans and sounds.

each of you guys who responded has a point and may ultimately be correct. but as for me who grew up eating acid...loitering with intent....walkman on full blast playing you know who....finding 48 hour partys and bein proud of 808....i find it depressing that in 2005 not one of the band mention their new ideas/intnentions for the future....everythin is back back back to the good old days.

stop tryin to revive the acid house days...they are over. get a grip and bring out something to be proud of!

[newbuild]

stop blabbin about music they made

And who else wants to??? Are you proud of that like?

sure the ZTT thing is nice for us fans and collectors

808 have developed and I for one love the changes over the years...

808 have always been a band of the future, we just haven't caught up yet.

each of you guys who responded has a point and may ultimately be correct...eating acid...loitering with intent...walkman on full blast...being proud of 808...everything is back to the good old days.

revive the acid house days...get a grip and bring out something to be proud of!

[Rodders]

some good points raised..

i can't think of a single electronic band i like whose best work (IMO) isn't behind them. not every album, every release can be better than the last. i agree with souflex that OT is probably the least talked about album on here, with the quadrastate reissue and now the box set the most talked about. but i can't say that 808 have lost their soul, because i thought they'd "lost it" with gorgeous, and then they came back with don solaris.

look at the acts considered the best of electronic music, chem brothers, orbital, prodigy, underworld, faithless.. ALL their best material is the old stuff. the last chem brothers album is just bad. and it took prodigy 7 years, 7 YEARS!! to follow up fat of the land, and its shite! but its all we've got. and i still went to see them live, and yes i cheered the most for the older tracks. with all these acts it seems to go from having one bad track on an album, to having one good track. i put it down to diminishing returns. that and having too much money. the best material seems to be made when its done for the vibe, the experience, not to fulfill contracts and pay mortgages..

which 808 do not seem to be tied by, which is why i can't write them off. i also find it odd that 808 seem to struggle with finding a label, but i also trust their decisions, because its obvious they're following their own path, and that has to be a good thing, whether the music is as good as the old stuff or not. and i can't grumble that 'only' graham posts on this site, again theres not many artists who would bother to be as regular posting as he does. sure, the box sets may be looking back, but its just another fact of life that bands release box sets of old material. at least 808 are giving the fans a say as to the contents of that box set..

big love

rodders

[Souflex]

why don't they start there own record label then?

they obvoiusly have enough experience.

they should start touring around the uk more often if they want a fan base and more recognition...i know i know they have no record label...but is that the only reason behind lack of touring and promotion?

is there enough will power between the 3 of them to get it all going? that was my original point.

i'm lettin this topic go....it was purely my thoughts as a life long fan.

in peace
G

[andy808]

Don’t you just love a heated debate?

All the best

[N.JOHNSON]

Tough debate indeed.

I feel that 808 did most of their best work during the ZTT years but it is true that they were more chart driven pieces of work. 808 have always been an experimental band, mixing formulas and ideas that dont usually blend well together in a structured track. Compared to todays 808 tracks the old days seem more structured in terms of a beginning a middle and an end and some wicked hooks. But back in the day if you compared 808s stuff to other house, techno, acid and run of the mill dance tracks they too seemed out of place from the conventional music of the time.

To follow the mighty Pacific with A dirty nasty rough little track like Cubik was a bold move. People either liked it or they didnt. I still have a love hate relationship with that track depending on what mix i hear.

As for the albums, yeah, they have evolved over time too. When i heard Don Solaris i was shocked. It was so far from the lovely synthy tones of Ex:EL and Gorgeous. Bond really shocked me, i was like "what the f***?" but the album grew on me and is now and old fave. I think it was a finger up to the conventional chart stuff personally wether that was intentional or not. But it didnt stop Lopez from doing well in the charts.

As for 808 touring more i think they should play to a wider British crowd. I live on the east coast in lincolnshire. Back when 808 were touring a lot i was not able to travel as easy as i can now. Can you believe i have never seen them live even though i have been a fan since Pacific was released. I remember i was all set to see them and the shamen at the midsummer days dream festival gig and then it got cancelled. I was so pissed off!! I wish they would play somewhere closer to me as it is a long way to manchester from where i live.

I heard some Tool Shed and Crispy Ambulance stuff the other day. I downloaded some off their sites and i can say i do not like it. There is something magical about 808 state that makes it different from all the other side projects various members have been involved in to pass the time between ideas over the years. I really do hope some of that magic stays and is carried forward into the future. It would be nice to have old members come back to imput the knowledge and ideas they have explored in solo careers, even if it was for a one off reunion album. However i believe that will never happen due to contract arguments.

I think Rephlex should take them on. Its obvious that they have an understanding for the kind of music 808 produce. It would cetainly cut the red tape in terms of contract agreements on old and future releases. Oh if only. Until that time all we have got is some gorgeous memories (excuse the pun) of old classics and time to get used to the new breed of 808 sound starting with Outpost Transmission and unrelased tracks from the sounds page, so that they become old favourites too.

Heres to the future! Lets hope the 808 Statesmen make it even better

[newbuild]

i think it is important that newer fans are properly aquainted with 808's material from the earliest stages, to current...

many of the members on this site seem to be long-time fans, some of them might have even seen 808 when gerald was with them...anyone?

as for box sets-i think newer fans are lucky to hear the reissues for the first time, with bonus/previously unreleased tracks, an advantage that many of these older fans hadn't the first time 'round...

i am very pleased with rephlex and their interest in reissue material...
however, the 1988 newbuild vinyl does have its charm, which the reissue is without...i guess what i am trying to state is that i think ANY material/activity which bears any relevance to 808 is an important release...the more, the merrier!!!

i do think also, new material would be great, but honestly-i would still prefer the 88-90 material...I WANT MORE!!!

i think the works of autechre only get better (confield/gantz graf/draft 7.30/untilted)

i also think the works of squarepusher get better (do you know squarepusher/square window/ultravisitor/venus no. 17)

perhaps when your favourite music goes in a direction you disagree with, you might sit it out, make your own music and push it, or find another interest...

[Pob]

Nothing is ever as good as when you were 'a lad'. Why do you think we're all downloading radio shows from 1991 instead of listening to the radio in 2005? The only exception to this rule is 808 - you just don't know it at the time.

When I saw Don Solaris in Our Price back in 1996, I thought "Great - some new 808 tunes!" Once I'd listened to it for the first time, I wondered what they thought they were doing. It took a couple of plays for me to appreciate it. Now, when I play it after a few months, I love it even more. Outpost Transmission was a similar story.

I don't want 808 to be in the charts. Everything in the charts is shite. Just because nobody except the fans is talking about 808 doesn't mean that they not good any more. As long as they keep on churning out the choons I will keep on buying them. I don't care that I have to look under the 'E' (or is it '#') section in HMV instead of the 'Chart' section.

It would be easy to churn out a modern day dance choon - let's face it, they're not that complicated - but that is not what 808 is about.

808 STATE REMAIN KINGS OF EVERYTHING - Don't forget it!