One of the formative bands of the early UK rave scene, 808 State was originally made up of the trio of Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson.
Price was the owner of a record store called Eastern Bloc, when Massey and Simpson, joined him to found a hip-hop group called Hit Squad Manchester. The musicians soon adopted the emerging acid house sound, and released now-legendary debut album "Newbuild" in 1988 on Price's record label. Standout track "Pacific State," one of the defining tracks of early rave, achieved mainstream success, hitting #10 on the UK Singles Chart.
The trio of Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson adopted the emerging acid house sound, releasing now-legendary debut album "Newbuild" in 1988.
In 1991, Price left the group to pursue his own solo career. Massey along with a new team of collaborators released a fourth album, "Gorgeous," followed by "Don Solaris" in 1996. A greatest hits album, "808:88:98," followed in 1998.
At this point, Gerald Simpson left the group to pursue his own solo project, A Guy Called Gerald, which would also play a key role in helping mould the emerging house and techno sound. Price and Massey went on to release a pair of albums as 808 State, the second of which, Ex:el, saw them gain them enough prestige to feature guest appearances from Bernard Sumner of New Order and Björk.
