808 State are... ‘masters of their art’ (Q), ‘pioneers’ (Future Music), ‘for sonic trailblazing and inestimable influence, among our most important groups’ (Record Collector) and ‘Godfathers’ (Nude), who ‘sketched the blueprint for British techno as we know it’ (Mixmag).

Indisputably one of the most important UK acts of the late 80s and 90s dance music explosion, 808 State’s influence will reverberate in the genre for years to come. They were that particularly rare beast: an accomplished singles outfit that was also taken very seriously as an albums act.

Salvo takes great pride in presenting their “Greatest Bits”, from 1988 to the present day. The very best of the psychoecstatic, trance-inducing, groove-riding, techno-funkalogical sound of 808 State!

REVIEWS

The title of this retrospective is particularly prescient, since 808 State are true pioneers. It’s hard to recall any other dance album from 1989, let alone one as good as the Manc group’s ’Ninety’. But that’s not even the start of the story, with the techno and acid sounds of the preceding ’New Build’ and ’Quadrastate’ EPs being hugely innovative and influential.

Whereas their last compilation in 1998 was a fairly straightforward ZTT-era Greatest Hits, this collection revisits tracks both pre and post that era, positioning itself as a "Greatest Bits" rather than just the singles. Being just a one CD affair, there’s inevitably plenty of essential stuff absent, but everything present is a masterclass in how to create compelling machine-made music full of character and humanity.

’Pacific State’ remains an impossibly seminal track but the likes of ’Nephatiti’ and ’Plan 9’ prove that they could consistently deliver soulful electronica, whilst elsewhere the .......
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