MM Band File: 808 State
Melody Maker
19 June 1993
Page: ??
 

ORIGIN OF NAME

Named after the Roland drum machine and our favourite island of Hawaii-the only 808 State in the USA.

FIRST PUBLIC APPEARANCE

A hip hop gig at The Boardwalk Manchester.

FIRST COMMERCIAL BROADCAST

"The Other Side Of Midnight" with Tony Wilson, ITV.

BORN

GRAHAM: Manchester. 4/8/60.
DARREN: Manchester. 1/11/69.
ANDREW: Manchester. 2/11/69.

EDUCATED

GRAHAM: Birchfield's Primary, Burnage High School
DARREN St Steven's and Nicholl's.
ANDREW: St Steven's and Nicholl's and Ardwick

MUSICAL CAREER

GRAHAM: The Beach Surgeons, Danny & The Dressmakers, Biting Tongues
DARREN: Spinmasters
ANDREW: Spinmasters

OTHER OCCUPATIONS

GRAHAM: Sound engineer, postman.
DARREN: Housewife and devoted husband.
ANDREW: Car maintenance worker.

FAVOURITE RECORDS

GRAHAM: Bjork: "Debut", Orbital: "Lush 3-1", Orbital: "Halcyon", Deep Forest: "Lullaby", Ultramarine: "Every Man & Woman Is A Star", Frank Sinatra: "Songs For Swinging Lovers", Joni Mitchell: "Hejira", John Coltrane: "Selflessness".
DARREN: Everything But The Girl: "Eden", Mistics: "Open", David Essex: "Rock On".
ANDREW: Deep Forest: "Lullaby", Afrika Bambaata: "Planet Rock", Nuculus: "Nuculus".

FAVOURITE CLUBS

GRAHAM: Zouk (Singapore), Yellow (Tokyo).
ANDREW: Thunderdome (Manchester).

FAVOURITE DJs

GRAHAM: Digs & Woosh.
DARREN: Darren Emerson, Fabio Paras, David Holmes, C Collins, Doctor D, Eric Barker.
ANDREW: Swedish Eagle, The Dream Team (Sunset Radio).

FAVOURITE BANDS

GRAHAM: Ultramarine, Future Sound Of London, Orbital, 808 State, Chet Baker, Stevie Wonder, Todd Rundgren, Marvin Gaye.
DARREN: Future Sound Of London, Beastie Boys, Everything But The Girl.
ANDREW: New Order, Joy Division, Dave Chong Octet.

FAVOURITE FILMS/TV SHOWS/ BOOKS

GRAHAM: "Tampopo", "Rew & Stimpey", "The Frugal Chef".
DARREN: "Police Story", "Charlie And The Chocolate Factory", "Elvis: The Final Years", "Elvis: The Last 24 Hours".
ANDREW: "Lethal Weapon", "Married With Children", "Ford Escort Service Manual".

LIKES

GRAHAM: Leaving the country, hotel rooms, studios, mates, visiting the Sushi bar, moist secrets.
DARREN: My missus.
ANDREW: Indian food, classical music, pot noodles.

DISLIKES

GRAHAM: Minimal peaks into peoples psyche through questionnaires.
DARREN: Jeremy Beadle.
ANDREW: Henna, Vidal Sassoon, fake hair dye.

BIGGEST INFLUENCES ON CAREER

GRAHAM: Fear.
DARREN: Electra music from the early Eighties, Richard Pryor.
ANDREW: Red hair.

RESIDENCE

GRAHAM: The Bunker, Manchester.
DARREN: Manchester.
ANDREW: Rochdale Canal, Manchester.

WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE YOUR EPITAPH TO BE?

GRAHAM: "Found it, rode it, landed it!"
DARREN: "DA Partington TCB"
ANDREW: "Redheads have more fun".

DISCOGRAPHY

SINGLES

"Let Yourself Go" (Creed), November 1988
"Pacific 707"' (ZTT), November 1989
"Extended Pleasure Of Dance EP" (ZTT), February 1990
"Cubik" (ZTT), October 1990
"In Yer Face" (ZTT), February 1991
"Ooops" (ZTT), April 1991
"Lift" (ZTT), August 1991
"Time Bomb" (ZTT), August 1992
"One In Ten" (ZTT), December 1992
"Plan 9" (ZTT), January 1993
"10 x 10" (ZTT), June 1993

ALBUMS

"Newbuild" (Creed), July 1988
"Quadrastate" (Creed), October 1989
"808:90" (ZTT), December 1989
"Ex:El" (ZTT), March 1991
"Gorgeous" (ZTT), February 1993