808 STATE, innovators of Britain's dance music scene for almost a decade, are to release a new single 'Azura' on July 29, featuring guest vocals from Louise Rhodes of new drum'n'bass sensations Lamb.

The single, taken from the new album 'Don Solaris', will be released as a two-CD set, and features a remix by Dillinja, who collaborated with Goldie on 'Timeless'.

The original album version of 'Azura' will be available on the other CD, backed by an 808 State remix of another 'Don Solaris' track 'Joyride', plus a previously unreleased tune 'Goa'.

A 12" vinyl club mix of 'Azura' will be backed by a remix of 'Balboa', also from 'Don Solaris', the trio's seventh album.

808 State are hoping the new 'dancier' single will have more impact on the record-buying public than 'Bond', the first single released from the album, which featured the voice of Doughty from US rockers Soul Coughing and failed to chart significantly.

Speaking to NME, Graham Massey claimed it was because the single didn't sit easily into preconceptions of the kind of music that 808 State should be releasing and so was ignored by dance music stations and clubs.

Darren Partington added: "It was well supported by the (Radio 1) Evening Session, Peelie and Mark Radcliffe, but there simply aren't enough specialist shows in Britain that cross those boundaries. There has to be more of them. But we're standing our ground. We weren't going to have a f-ing house mix just for the sake of it. Where's the quality control in that? You just end up like Sting."

Massey added: "We consider what we're doing as music, simple as that. We're not going to start making square pegs to fit into square holes."

808 State are finalising dates for a UK tour this October and will be playing the Irving Beach festival in west Scotland on Sunday, September 1, their only remaining festival date this summer.