Collection: I finally found 808 State's Quadrastate EP!

So this week and last I ordered some things from Amazon for my birthday, but this I definitely didn't expect to find. I love 808 State, and their Quadrastate EP is one of my favourite records. Sadly, when I first heard it two years ago I tried to find a copy of it on CD and was unsuccessful. In fact at the time I wrote the briefest blog post on it HERE. I tried looking for it many times on Amazon but the only time it was issued on CD was as part of their 2008 series of remastered albums, but for some reason it's always been unavailable on Amazon despite their other albums being easily obtainable. Even on Amazon Marketplace it seemed to never be available. So last week when I saw a brand new copy of it for £4 for sale on an Amazon Marketplace seller that I hadn't used before I was so excited and ordered it immediately. It came two days ago and I was so excited, I had thought this was one CD I would never get! Now if only I can get similar luck with Joe Strummer's Earthquake Weather album...

808 State - Spanish Heart (Ft. Bernard Sumner) (Updated 14th June 2013)

A track from their third (fourth if you count the Quadrastate EP) album, ex:el. As you might expect I was initially very interested in hearing this track as it features Bernard Sumner of Joy Division/New Order on lead vocals. Initially the track didn't have much of an impact with me, it's a lot slower than 808 State's other material and is a lot more vocal driven, and if I'm honest I prefer electronic music when it's more melodic and instrumental based rather than focusing too much on the vocal side of things. Having said that, there are still a few more dance-oriented flourishes within the song so its not totally chilled. For me the best part of the song is Bernard's vocal, and how well it gels with the rest of  the track and ties it together. It's ice cold (as expected), especially with the piano chords punctuating it in the chorus. The song has quite a sad tone really, and that's reflected in the lyrics which depict a pretty bleak atmosphere. I can't say I know for sure what the lyrics fully mean, initially I thought that the song was about a failing relationship but the mention of "you both" in the chorus indicates there is a third party of some sort. A love triangle maybe? Who knows. In any case we are made to sympathize with Bernard's character as we discover that something he believed to be real wasn't quite so and the character is in denial. In any case, the songs sombre lyrics really suit Bernard's slightly melancholic vocal. I know he isn't technically the most gifted vocalist, nor does he have much of a range, but he has an authenticity about his voice that I like and it has emotive qualities too I think. I don't like the first minute of the song really were its just Bernard singing with some drum machines and not much in the way of melody around the vocals, but once the melody comes in it becomes actually a really lovely song. Its not the most instantaneous track I've heard, but its a great track and I can't help but feel its become quite overlooked in 808 State's body of work!

808 State - Pacific State

This is a total dance classic, and one of my favourite electronic songs ever! It initially appeared on the EP Quadrastate, but was then remixed prior to becoming the group's first release on record labetl ZTT records (founded by Trevor Horn and former NME journalist Paul Morely and whose roster contained Grace Jones and Frankie Goes to Hollywood among others.) The was key in gaining the group commercial success after it was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies. It reached a very respectable #10 on the charts, but the song's influence and sustained popularity transcends its chart placing in my opinion. The remixed versions have their own respective titles: Pacific 707 refers to the 7" version and Pacific 202 refers to the 12". The version found on their sophomore album, Ninety, is the 202 version. The track's arrangement is also unique, typically bass lines in techno music tend to be short and repetitive, whereas in Pacific State the bass part has its own melody which constantly changes during the course of the song. For me, what makes the song stand out is the horn. It gives the track a timeless feel and gives it an organic kind of quality, whereas some other electronic tracks from the same era can sound a little bit stagnant or stale. It's a versatile song for me, you can relax to it (again thanks to the horn melody) but it also has an incredibly infectious and danceable quality which makes it a classic. I first heard this song a few years ago, on a compilation called In The Mix: Rave Revival, this was when I was just dabbling in electronic music. The song blew me away, as it was unlike anything I had heard before, and I've loved it from that initial hearing. The song is a staple feature on many compilations of the era and rightly so, it is one of the finest electronic songs ever!

Currently unavailable..... *sigh*

Finally got round to some album testing these past few days. An album (well EP) that I fell in love with was 808 State - Quadrastate. Ever had one of those musical moments were you fall in love and its something along the lines of "I need to buy this CD as soon as humanly possible?", well for me it was one of those CD's. So I go onto the usually excellent Amazon UK website, knowing that 808 State had released some remastered albums in the last few years as well as a greatest hits this year. Of course, one album came up as "Currently Unavailable" and it was, you guessed it, Quadrastate! I don't even think a high portion of the tracks were on their recent greatest hits CD so I've got absolutely no clue how to track that down. Damn!