Gorgeous [Deluxe Edition] [PA]

Performer: 808 State
Artist: Ian McCulloch
Producer: Darren Partington (Reissue); Graham Massey (Reissue); Andy Barker (Reissue)
Distributor: E1 Distribution (USA)

Notes: 808 State: Graham Massey, Andrew Barker, Darren Partington. Additioanl personnel includes: Ian McCulloch, Caroline Seaman, Rachel MacFarlane, Barrington Stuart (vocals). 808 State: Darren Partington, Graham Massey, Andy Barker. Author: Graham Massey. GORGEOUS represents 808 State at something of a creative crossroads. Despite having become dance club phenomenons worldwide and being cited in many circles as progenitors of the electro/techno second wave, they decided to pursue more commercial pastures with this LP. GORGEOUS sports some of the band's more accessible material yet. They still use an enormous assortment of vintage and contemporary equipment, including old analog synths and now-quaint drum machines, in their sonic fabric; but the more pronounced use of vocals takes them away from the new age/house subgenre they pioneered and sets them squarely in radio-friendly territory. "10 X 10" is pure Chicago house with a big beat synth chug, while "Colony" is a beatbox anthem similar to earlier tracks "Boneyween" and "Pacific." "Moses" utilizes the solemn singing talents of New Order's Bernard Sumner, and is the perfect marriage of NO's obsessive rhythms and 808 State's tremolo synth licks. More bang for your buck here, too: GORGEOUS features 15 tracks in all, enough 808 State to make the whole family happy. Gorgeous is 808 State's most vocal-oriented effort, and features a number of fairly anonymous and forgettable guest singers. The record is most successful when it sticks to the group's trademark atmospheric dance instrumentals, although even those are fairly run-of-the-mill. [A 2008 deluxe edition from ZTT added a bonus disc with 11 remixes and three non-album tracks, plus liner notes and interview quotes from Ian Peel.] ~ Jason Ankeny

Named after the legendary Roland drum machine, Manchester's 808 State had a profound influence on English dance music in the 1990s. On its early singles, the group coaxed furious beats out of electronic instruments and helped create a whole new vocabulary that was later incorporated into techno, jungle, and drum-and-bass. However, by the early 21st century, group members were concentrating more on remixing and producing.

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