Wednesday 23 November 2016

808 State ‎Ex:El Deluxe Edition


808 StateEx:El Deluxe Edition

Get It At Discogs
Capturing 808 State at their absolute best, none of their subsequent albums quite matched Ex:El's perfect blend of art, mass appeal, and zeitgeist (one of the most common vocal samples in techno, Willy Wonka's "We are the music makers," made its first major appearance here). A major change here from past releases is the increasing variety and power of the State's percussion: beats are heavier and more staggered, embracing earlier flirtations with hip-hop and industrial music with even greater success, as heard on heavy duty groovers like "Leo, Leo." A sign of how influential Ex:El ended up being can be seen in how one of the commonest clichés of U.K. techno albums -- the guest appearance of a noted indie/alternative rocker on a track or two -- got its start from the cameo vocals here. Fellow Mancunian dance pioneer Bernard Sumner of New Order sings one of his patented gentle ruminations over "Spanish Heart," a nice piano-led number with a solid backbeat. Meanwhile, even more notably, the Sugarcubes' Björk lends her swooping singing to the lower-key but still active "Qmart" and the dramatic, flamenco-tinged "Ooops," establishing a partnership with the State's Graham Massey that would result in his working on many of her solo projects. Add to all this two of the best techno singles from the early '90s -- "In Yer Face," a subtly politicized anti-American slammer, and the almighty "Cubik" (in America replaced by an astonishing remix of the same song, the original having appeared on UK Version) -- and Ex:El stands out all the more strongly. A true masterpiece.

9 comments:

Steven Davidson said...

So long since I heard this great album. Had it on repeat since you posted it here. Don't suppose you have Quadrastate or Newbuild do you?

Aid00 said...

Hello Steve Here's

808 State Quadrastate Reissue
http://www42.zippyshare.com/v/53CKrKW7/file.html

808 State Newbuild
http://www42.zippyshare.com/v/9hQyp5bT/file.html

Steven Davidson said...

Spectacular!!!!! Thank you so much :)

Anonymous said...

Muchas gracias! :D

Anonymous said...

I’m a bit late to the party here but just wanted to say thanks for posting :)

Aid00 said...

Hello Annymous Here's The Link https://www119.zippyshare.com/v/9DmeFvyU/file.html

Anonymous said...

Thank-you, most appreciated!

Excellent blog by the way :)

Rob M said...

Any chance of the Newbuild link again please?

Aid00 said...

Hello Rob M Here's 808 State Newbuild https://www.sendspace.com/file/8nv2hn

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