In a world full of generic dance music, 808 State shine out as pioneers with a distinctive sound.
Whilst the death of Andy Barker last year means the future of the band is uncertain, their legacy is assured. My favourite 808 State album is "EX:EL" and here we have the numbered, double yellow vinyl release from 2016. Despite being a "Music on Vinyl" release on coloured wax, the sound quality is quite good.
"San Francisco" is the perfect introduction with its amazing bassline that has Graham Massey's fingerprints all over it. Bernard Sumner from New Order adds vocals to "Spanish Heart" which grooves along with TR-909 beats and Roland D-50 presets. "Leo Leo" is a fun track that I imagine would always have a dance floor singing and grooving along. "Qmart" sounds like a track the band got so far with and then decided to ask Bjork to ad lib over the top - it's good but not inspiring. The next track, "Nephratiti" seems to morph through a whole series of ideas with each one raising the bar a little higher.
The standout pop-dance instrumental "Lift" is next with its searing string refrain, 808 beats and bouncy bassline. Personally I'm not a massive fan of the second Bjork collaboration "Ooops" but I can hear that it isn't entirely without merit. At this point most albums would throw some filler in and begin to wind down for the last track; yet this is the juncture at which everything begins to really kick off on EX:EL.
"In Yer Face" is a distinctive dance track that managed to breach the top ten in the UK. Whilst tracks such as "Jack Your Body" had infiltrated the charts as far back as 1987, it felt like a boom in electronic music occurred in the early nineties and 808 State were among the vanguard. The relentless "Cübik" provides another aggressive and hypnotic dance tune that is irresistible. "Lambrusco Cowboy" and "Techno Bell" keep the pace high before the magnificent "Olympic" breezes in to round out the album in style. Side four also has a couple of remixes and the bonus track "Ski Family" which sounds a prototype of The Chemical Brothers mixed with some deep house. Highly recommend album. 4/5
