Acid House originals turned pioneering electronic icons, 808 State AKA Messrs Graham Massey and Andrew Barker accompanied by live drummer Carl Sharrocks will play a full headline set.
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Recorded in the former nerve centre of the Granada broadcasting empire, ‘Transmission Suite’ became the band’s first new material since 2002’s ‘Outpost Transmission’ and arrived as a long overdue and enthusiastically welcomed addition to their catalogue. More stripped-back and conscious of space than the music that first made their name in the late ’80s and early ’90s, the new record draws a line between their home city and the original Detroit scene that birthed techno, and reflects on the pivotal roles they played in defining electronic music as we know it. Evoking the past, present and future, the album pays homage to the musical heritage of the genre 808 State continue to push the boundaries of, while confirming their own vital place within it.
Speaking about ‘Transmission Suite’ and the role Manchester especially has played in shaping the record, Graham Massey of 808 State says:
“We’re trying to make a future for other people to immerse themselves in, that’s always been a big part of 808 State: these kind of landscapes of futurism…. We’re at this moment now, when Manchester is starting to feel like Singapore or something… There are so many cranes. People come back and it’s like, ‘Wow – it’s all doubled’. Everything’s going vertical, and certain parts of history are being buried. It’s an interesting moment.”
Cementing their reputation as an essential act, both as scene forefathers and as torchbearers for boundless avant-garde electronica, the album was released to critical acclaim, with The Wire Magazine praising: “808 State’s music has lost none of its foreboding, finesse and power.”
Formed in Manchester in 1988, 808 State are widely recognised as one of the prime originators and shapers of UK dance music. Breaking out with singles such as “Pacific”, “Cubik” and “In Yer Face”, the band also became the first electronica act to craft longform dance music albums, well before the likes of Leftfield and Orbital with whom they are often compared.
In a career of intrepid exploration now stretching across five decades, the band have released genre defining LP’s including “Ninety” characteristic of their early acid house era recordings, to indie-dance crossover classic “ex:el”, plus a subsequent array of uniquely boundary-pushing albums such as “Gorgeous”, “Don Solaris” and “Output Transmission”. In the process, they have attracted the attention of major stars including Bjork, Manic Street Preachers’ James Dean Bradfield, Elbow’s Guy Garvey and more, who have all collaborated with them.
Continually experimenting with new forms and styles, from drum and bass and other elements to techno, whilst always seeking to move forward and create 808 State have amassed a remarkable and essential back catalogue. Its most recent instalment, ‘Transmission Suite’ was released in 2019 to critical acclaim.
As one of the very first fully live techno acts to hit the road, 808 State’s on-stage reputation has always preceded them and their sensational 30th Anniversary shows (‘808 State: 30’) in 2018 were a just reminder of why they remain one of dance music’s best live acts.
Listen to Transmission Suite, the new 808 State album here:
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