(ZTT/WEA ZANG 38T)

Manchester's Graham Massey, Darren Partington & Andrew Barker were presumably inspired by 'Plan 9 From Outer Space' - that notoriously inept "world's worst movie" - when titling this bassily rumbled snappy 0-123.1-0bpm instrumental chugger, punctuated by tinkling guitar in both Choki Galaxy and Guitars On Fire Mixes, coupled with an exciting skittery bleeps stabbed 127.5-0bpm reworking of their enduringly popular 'Olympic', currently used as the theme tune of Channel 4's 'The Word' and now retitled 'Olympic '93 (The Word Mix)'.

[Reviewer: MR *]

808 STATE PLAN 9 (ZTT)

THIS, on the other hand, amply illustrates how ambience can be fun. Mild, orderly fun, but fun nonetheless. It's a subtle, understated dance track - you remember them - reminiscent of Art Of Noise when they were good, as opposed to when they were a novelty backing group for passing media icons. There's a smooth, spacious melody, some attractive, distinctive electronic textures, and what sounds like outbursts of florid acoustic guitar picking. It will be sampled to death, probably used to accompany sports footage on BBC TV, and possibly even bought and danced to by significant numbers of people.

DAVE JENNINGS

808 STATE

Plan 9 (ZTT)

One day, all shopping malls will sound like this . . . One side uses all those organic samples that used to decorate every Propaganda and Frankie Goes To Hollywood record all those years ago. The other is a (relatively) more fearsome experience, with bits that go uh-uh-uh uh-uh-uh and twiddletwiddletwiddle. Very clever. Very sophisticated. Very plink plink without the fizz. Clinically finished, in fact.