90

This was better than some of the other DJ albums on the list but on the whole this just isn’t my bag.

I thought i remembered this being good. Clearly I was mistaken. Honestly, I think I just liked the band name.

Early Techno. 3.

Once again, this site’s users immediately turn their nose up at anything electronic. To get something this genuinely compelling and masterful in 1989 is almost unbelievable to me. Some of the composition here feels almost 2 decades ahead of it’s time, and whilst I don’t think all of it works perfectly it’s evocativeness and unique flair carry tracks through. This was a lovely find when I first attempted to listen through my copy of 1,001 Albums and it was a pleasant rediscovery again tonight.

Funny beep boop music sounds good to my ears.

When this first started, I hated it. But it grew on me. I was working on some busy work and it worked man. Like it worked. I don’t think I would go back for it, but I wouldn’t complain if any of it came on random.

Out of the entire album, I only kinda enjoyed Pacific 202. It's very much my kind of music, but this particular album, with the majority of its tracks, feels too chaotic for me.

I love the history, design, and music of New Order, Factory Records and the whole Manchester scene. 808 State weren't on the Factory label but close enough to it. So I was really looking forward to this. But disappointed. Maybe you had to be there at the time in the 80s. 3 stars

I question the inclusion but this one is a bop for sure

I've greatly enjoyed music like this but I need to be several pints in and much more 'energised' than I was today.

The start was intriguing, the middle was overstimulation station to the extreme, Sunrise felt like a bit of an apology and then it went out with confusion.

Keygen music.

I was excited to check out this album after listening to another release associated with the “Madchester” scene. Unfortunately, whereas the other album endeared itself with eccentricity and variety, I found this album to be overwhelmingly repetitive and tiring.

I'm a big fan of late 90s/early 2000s video game soundtracks. I believe it's what sparked my interest into the electronic music genre. This is obviously a huge inspiration of "things to come" for the house music genre of the 90s. What makes electronic music "good" to my ears is its ability to create a trance without being too repetitive. 808 State succeeds here.

3.75

4/10

808 State - 90 It's fun enough - but it's not doing much more than other, more talented artists were doing in the era with trackers. The more rhythmic eccy-like mantra of the tracks would benefit from leaning further into the melody, because weirdly enough for acid-house the bottom-end bass doesn't really fill out on half the tracks. Of course, Pacific is a certified banger - if there was an album with more of that funky pad sound this would be the kind of album commanding a 5. As for the rest of the more typically Roland-esque beats, it's been done better. Would make a pretty solid soundtrack to a pill-popping warehouse rave or some MS-DOS Doomclone for sure, but beyond that context it's not impressing me much. An 808 heartbreak. The album has become pretty dated obviously, but I find that the charming side of it - I just think there's a lot more interesting acid-house/techno to listen to from this era and beyond. I give it some slack though since I'm a sucker for old techno beats no matter how shitty (and I don't even think this is shitty). For example, some undeniably really great drum pattern work here; clearly 808 State are masters of programming the Roland TR808 that gave them the name. Fav tracks: Pacific 202, The Fat Shadow

I’m no expert in the genre, but this was a fun listen and clearly set a precedent for modern house music. I really appreciate the different musical journeys and explorative sounds within this album.

Thank god this is only 40 minutes long. Electronic music must be far more popular than I realized because there are a lot of electronic albums on this list. Pacific 202 is the biggest song on the album, I guess people love saxophone music over electronic beats, it's like someone took the seduction scene in Bull Durham and put techno behind it. 808080808 is the soundtrack to a movie from the early 90s about computer crime from a time when dial up was still how people accessed the internet and cyber crime was still like a science fiction premise. For what it's worst (not much) Sunrise is the best song on the album.

It was just fine. Wasn’t long enough to overstay its welcome, but while it was still enjoyable it wasn’t great enough to set itself apart. I was generally entertained by it but couldn’t tell you a single thing about it now.

Give me better albums plz

I actually liked this. The parts with vocals reminded me of a club in the early 90’s, which really was not my thing. But the instrumental parts were a lot of fun and upbeat.

I think the beats are really interesting, but as the sound is kind of repetitive, this is not something that I would listen.

Eclectic.

I like electronic music, but this was too acidic for my taste.

The first track sounds like someone tried to flesh out an iPhone alarm tone into a full song, and it doesn’t get much better from there.

1037 - "Here's your juice box and orange slice. Thanks for coming."

non il mio genere, ma sottofondo perfetto

I'm not a dance music guy. Never have been, never will be. I lived through the early beginnings in the 80s, the madchester and other expansions in the 90s, and the americans catching up to it in the 2010s. I get the appeal and I get the skill. But it is too repetitive and narrow for me. And this sort of album sounds horribly dated. And there is rarely any emotional connection, especially when vocals are rare. So like most albums of its ilk, each track is roughly 30 seconds of music, stretched artificially to a random length. Each song here could be 2 minutes or 20 minutes and the only difference would be your tolerance levels. So... it's cool, they do a thing, it blips and blaps. But it's entirely meaningless to me.

Foundational Acid Jazz. You can hear the influences loud and clear here. Sounds like a lot of contemporary dance and electronic music punt into a blender. I would have hated this in 1989.

I am haunted my Manchester’s inability to let go of the Hacienda and “Madchester” scene everywhere across town. And I’m sure others local to the area know exactly what I mean. Good enough record, but not really my bag.

73

Cool, clubby, trancy vibes.

분위기는 나쁘지 않다고 생각했는데 듣는 것이 썩 즐겁지는 않았다. I didn't think the atmosphere was bad, but listening to it wasn't exactly enjoyable.

Not as bland as I expected.

I am not a big electronic guy, but this is one of the best albums of all time. Each songs is distinct and high quality, and the loops on this album are incredible.

This experimental electronic album sounds too outdated and raw, even considering its release date. Its music sounds more dated even than some chiptune works. Oddly, it never even develops an electronic melody texture even though it does show signs of capability to do so, "Pacific 202" being the only decent track on the album that at least comes close to it. All in all, this release it challenging to listen as its monotonous, very often noisy tunes just don't work and cannot be seen as relevant today. In theory, such albums might have influenced intrumental hip hop artists and others later on, but then I would prefer just listening to the latter. That is a poor quality album, and I hope the only one electronic piece that I rate this low.

You'd expect an album like this to have aged very poorly. In a way it has, but it still manages to be a very enjoyable listen. It's the birthplace of many a more modern genres, you can really hear what came to be House on here. It still works as decent dance music on its own, perhaps not something you'd actively put on but it wouldn't be out of place. Pleasant surprise really.

Interesting, but not my thing. I really wouldn't want to listen to it again, it was kinda grating.

Really liekd it wasnt expecting it. I knew it would be electronic and its true i like the sound of modern electronic but i really loved it for its innovation of its time.

piolapiola, anales en la musica electronica, auto

66/100. Some absolutely nasty beats on this record. The opening stretch was so incredibly acidic. For sure has its moments and works as a great mix of dance and acid house.

näää...

Dancetronica EDM stuff. While not displeasing, it misses my sweet spot, Trippy!

This would have made an interesting video game soundtrack, but outside of this, it was meh

Ironically this is the most 80's album I have ever heard. It gives vomiting long island iced tea into the upper deck of the ladies room toilet.

This felt like I opened a time capsule that a bunch of high schoolers buried in the 80s and gave me a very strong urge to go to the mall.

Space invader background music.

Jag ångar mig, ge tillbaka tangomusiken

Still sounds quite contemporary despite being from 1989

Well that's 39 minutes of my life I'll never get back

Universal Records UD-53191 (US 1998) CD rip: Felt like I was at a really bumpin' mall in the 80s. Favorite tracks: "Pacific 202" and "808080808"

3.6/5

Infinitely listenable. Pacific 202 is the gem but realistically top to bottom this is all great. I hadn't listened in a while but it quickly came back to me like a warm blanket. One of the only albums that I would say should have been longer.

Thank god this is only 40 minutes long. Electronic music must be far more popular than I realized because there are a lot of electronic albums on this list. Pacific 202 is the biggest song on the album, I guess people love saxophone music over electronic beats, it's like someone took the seduction scene in Bull Durham and put techno behind it. 808080808 is the soundtrack to a movie from the early 90s about computer crime from a time when dial up was still how people accessed the internet and cyber crime was still like a science fiction premise. For what it's worst (not much) Sunrise is the best song on the album.

Bleep bloop I don’t care

An express train through EDM history

Repetitive, corny and annoying.

Relatively generic, some good songs

Ugh, I like electronic and minimal but that's just garbage in a can

Fun edm

Early techno vibes

donkey doctor ok? eigentlich nicht. lame early electronics. c

I dunno... It's good. It's not great, but it's good.

Meh

This is a complete snoozefest

I gradually lost interest in this as I listened.. maybe a good EP to start. Electronic from the 80s is cool.

YES!!!!!!! NIN (PHM) + AHS + wow :) = me learning a little more about myself through this listen!! I love 80s house music!!!!!!

Tried to like it. I failed

Clearly highly influential and still very interesting acid squelching, but maybe has faded over the years.

3....for three songs in particular....boneyween, kinky national and donkey doctor....

A great album to put on in the background if your brain needs a subconscious pick me up, I felt myself being extra productive at a manageable pace- mostly due to their not being a lot of lyrics. It feels like you’re privy to jam session by a couple of early 20s space nerds, who are still kind to their mums. You’re actually in a basement apartment but are transported to another plutonic plain, where people have permission to be weird but not seedy. A great late 80s album. Space vibes.

Kjennskap: 0% Simen-musikk. Mye artige lyder. Faktisk ganske greit å jobbe til, men skjønner ikke hvorfor jeg MÅÅÅ høre dette før jeg dør.

I will be coming back to this quite a bit. This is fantastic, love every sound. Genuinely no complaints

As a fan of dance music, I have to admit I don’t know what “acid house” is meant to represent (EDM categorization is sometimes futile) but this is a lovely precursor to the best of 90s dance. At first glance, the stock drum machine sounds and flat mixing seems to indicate a lack of depth, but the vibrant cultivation of samples and textures adds so much life that is hard to do in purely instrumental music. Excellent album.

Rave music royalty. The Rave scene was a cultural moment which this is a core part of. However, trying to analyse music like this is spectacularly missing the point of it. It absolutely deserves to be here. It is a key part of the journey to modern dance music. And if you're ever in need of something to dance to whilst chemically enhanced then I would imagine this still does the trick perfectly. Nowadays it’s good for when i’m stuck in traffic and need to zone out! 4

Хей джанг лав

1/5

It might be really good, but I didn’t listen to it really carefully at all mlao

Not a genre I am into.

Maybe it's totally unfair but while I was trying to give this my attention, the 23yo was playing beautiful Mexican pop in the other room, and that was so much better that I could barely stand it.

Horrible

2.5 i get it

Not for me

It sounds like an 80s futuristic video game. 2.2/5 Favorite Song: Pacific 202

Trance, acid and anything to do with the Madchester scene in general (possibly also Manchester - yet to find an exception) are the exact opposite of my thing. This was awful

music is love

It was so annoying I couldn't stand it anymore- way WAY too much 808.

It's definitely some techno bullshit...in a good way. This is a little more than dance music, with some soundscapes, sampling, and ambient vibes all around. But it's also propulsive enough to keep things moving and, clocking in at just around 40 minutes, it's a perfect length and mix that never really gets tiresome. This definitely grabbed me, an acid house album that's far closer to those it inspired than its other contemporaries.

some really cool bits

Un clásico de la electrónica, agradezco escucharlo

Peppy on hold music.

I have a pretty high tolerance for electronic dance music, but there was a sharp incline in quality between the late 80s and mid 90s. Sadly this album arrived just before that. It has its moments and my 12-year-old self would've been on board, but he also dug the likes of 2 Unlimited and the original Axel F, so take that with a pinch of salt.

one of the biggest discoveries for now! gimme more electronica!!!

Pretty enjoyable

this is fantastic. You can hear the inspiration for later acts ie Orbital, Bicep etc

never heard of this band before. They kinda remind me of The Chemical Brothers, except there's hardly any lyrics. This kind of music was definitely built for nightclubs in the 90s. Some of the tracks were alright. A few of them somewhat bordered on 90s electro-industrial. I still prefer TCB, daft punk and The prodigy though.

Nice to have another positive discovery day, but I still haven't gotten around to looking up more work from the previous one I was more enthusiastic about

No all the way round.

I was initially against this but once I locked into it's vibe it grew on me. Still very dated, and sounds like a video game but I can accept it.

Just more repetitive noise to me.

(Decent to strong 8/10) This thing tickles my brain in ways it hasn't been tickled in a long time. The 3 song run from "Pacific 202" to "8080808080" sends me to another plane of existence where the only thing that matters is acid house and squelching synth loops.

I was debating on giving this a 5 start, but it's a little too outdated for me. I really enjoyed this album though.

Was working out at home, felt like I was in a puregym

i vibed to this while working, but I wouldn't want to listen again - 2?

If this is the group that created much of the sound of modern electronic dance music, then maybe modern electronic dance music has strayed too far from its ur-tracks and should return to this. 3.5 stars rounding up.

3.5

Soort early house 2 nummertjes wel prima, daarna hoofdpijn Voor als je ad drugs zit

Hypnotic & monotonous. Best experienced in a mass of people on speed & moving in a barely conscious collective trance (rather than on my laptop with a coffee).

Still enjoyable.

POV: you went into an MRI on hallucinogens

Just learned about this band a couple days ago by my mum. "Are they on this list?" she asks. I check. They are! Then now I generate them. That's pretty funny The list is very rock-centric, so that means a lot of people doing the list will tend to have a rock bias. If it was a purely electronic music list, I bet people would have more favourable reviews overall

++: Cobra Bora, Pacific 202, Donkey Doctor, Sunrise, The Fat Shadow +: Magical Dream, Ancodia, 808080808 8,8/10

Requires drugs

i hate the reviews on here. do people think that this book is all beatles and bob dylan albums and there wouldn't be anything unfamiliar or not part of the accepted rock canon? good fuckin album

It’s better than people make it out to be, but it gets old really quickly

PlayStation loading screen music, but in a good way.

1,5/5

I found this kind of enjoyable kind of like a John Carpenter soundtrack or something. I like those sort of crunchy 80s synths and the songs were pretty cool. I’m not sure that I would put this on the list in particular though.

653/1001 2026.07.08

Here's the most interesting thing about this album. The first 5 star review you come to (3rd overall) is from someone who reviewed a grand total of 66 albums in 2021, with a 3.64 average rating, before punting the project. His/her top styles were Techno, Big Beat, House, Dance Pop, Breakbeat (wtf?), Drum N Bass, Madchester and Leftfield (double wtf?!). He/she amassed 5 "Popular Reviews," all 5 stars, including the elite: "It's Drum & Bass. Its a 5! Legendary album." for something called Timeless by Goldie. What the fucking hell?

Pleasant electric music. Good for background when working

Skipped it after 3 songs. Did not enjoy it.

not bad, just unremarkable. Ig i would listen as background music at work, but not my first choice

There is nothing special or different about this album.

Dated ambience but listenable

Teenage nostalgia, I just wish I'd been old enough to be in the clubs when it originally came out.

increible descubrimiento la verdad. me gusto mucho

Techno sux as a general rule. This was not the suckiest, but it still sucked.

"best LP ever produced in the style" - that's great but acid house is a singles style, so that's like being the tallest short person or something. Anyway, better than I expected.

I can see/hear why this early acid-house/rave album made it into the collection, but more for genealogy reasons than anything else (at least for me). I'll take the "1001 Albums" entry reviewer for their word that this album lent respectability and musicality to the rave scene, but to my untrained (and non-UK) ears it doesn't sound all that distinctive or ground-breaking, but perhaps that's because of all the artists that followed that incorporated their sensibility? Regardless, I can sort of see how this album worked magic on the UK/Manchester dance floor scene, especialyl piled high with drugs and glow sticks, and the two big singles ("Pacific 202[State]" and US-only "Cubik") didn't seem as interesting as "Ancodia" and "8080808".. The rest sounds a bit to me like an instrumental version of Weird Al Yankovic practicing, honestly (and that's not really fair to Weird Al, I know).

Didn't thrill me but okay ambient music.

This was better than I was expecting, but still something that I would enjoy more dancing in an abandoned warehouse on drugs than listening to in my office chair. "Cobra Bora" "Pacific 202" and "Donkey Doctor" were the standouts for me

Interesting, but not my thing.

This album is like a fever dream from taking too much acid. You think you're trapped in an 80s arcade game, needing to beat all the games to escape. One minute you’re driving a sports car down a road that is lit up by colourful fluorescent lights, next thing you are in a dance battle with some street toughs who are trying to kidnap your girlfriend. After an alpine ski race through a ski field that featured a lot of native pines, you listen to a lecture from a grizzly bear about the importance of road safety, and how it is nice to help elderly women cross the street, before finally waking up in an alley behind a casino.

Kinda generic beeps and boops. Some casio inspired lead lines. Nothing special

I'm a sucker for electronic music, but I could never get into 808 State.

I like EDM and electronic music, but didn't really enjoyed it, although it wasn't too bad

Electro sonic dance spectacular. Some enjoyable moments making hard to skip through.

who knows what makes good electronic dance music, this was fine?

Imagine this: 2005 or so. You come home from school and, while your parents are at work and haven't yet had time to force you to do your homework, decide to play some futuristic racing game, like Wipeout or F-Zero, depending on your console. You turn on the console, launch the game, but before you can even press "Start" to access the menu, your body, eager to remind you that you ate a ton of hot and spicy Buldak noodles the day before, abruptly forces you to the bathroom for about forty minutes. And the whole time you're sitting there, like the thinker's sculpture, the background music from main game screen plays from the TV. That's roughly what this album sounds like. I'm sure it was a hit with the English clubbers of the early 90s, who had already consumed a tab, but why anyone would listen to it now is completely unclear, since in our time and in the clear mind, it's perceived as a collection of funny sounds and noises accompanied by a straight bass drum.

Well, no. Mostly waiting for something to happen - it rarely did. Favourite: None

1990 loading. This felt like soundtrack to my prom except those Rob Base, C&C Music, Paula Abdul songs were catchy. Track 1 irritatingly repetitive. Track 2 direct rip off Herbie Hancock Rock-It. By Track 3 questioning if I have stomach to continue. By track 5 actively skipping. On to tomorrow. 1/5

electronica rara, un poco rallante, medio funk, medio scratch, medio organillo, 2/5

Nostalgic electronic dance music. Definitely feels of the early '90s and is nice to throw on in small amounts.

3 - BAD

Took a little bit to find its groove, but this is actually one of the better early electronic releases on this list.

This felt like 34 minutes of video game music

I hadn't heard of 808 State before. This was a pretty cool album, what they were able to produce in 1989 is pretty impressive. 6.24.26

electr., dance, 1989 -> 2

I don't like electronic music, except when I do (Elastica, Soup Dragons...). This is not in that exception category. This was irritating. I'm not sure if this is Electronica, or house, or techno, but it is a no-no.

Surprise, another 90s techno album! I read some of the listeners notes to understand why anyone would consider this a great album. It’s mostly because they heard it when they were young and it now has some sort of nostalgic feeling for them. I suspect the author was a teenager in the 90s.

Contrary to popular belief on this site, you don't have to be spaced out on drugs and/or alcohol to like acid rave electronica dance music. I am long-time evidence of this. Just get up and throw some shapes. Man. (Listens : 3)

This ended up a much more interesting listen than I expected it to be once it started playing. I found it to be a well executed concept of the future of music. Even if the 90s sounded different than this in the end, it still sounds fairly fresh. I would have liked a little more space in it… there are notes playing every second of every track.

Wow!

Why would anyone want to listen to this.

Nice album. Not my kind of stuff but still enjoyed it. Not repetitive and enjoyable.

Slightly dated acid house, it’s definitely evocative of a time and I recently scored the Coldcut album fairly well which you could argue is similarly ‘of its time’. I don’t have the same nostalgia for this and perhaps it only suffers for that. It’s sound was influential, I hear it even in Primal Screams early 90s output but in of itself, it’s something I don’t mind but that I wouldn’t personally choose.

Pretty good as far as techno goes. I wonder why I usually have positive experiences with the genre in this list, and yet, when I go to raves, the songs just feel bare-bones and repetitive for me. Could it be that they don't play the classics this list compiles? Or do I just not know how to enjoy techno at DJ sets? I may never know.

Dazzling! Super fun listen. Danceable, very listenable house that never overstays its welcome.

Bad electronic

Electronic music isn't really for me, this album begins by building off some repetitive themes. The first two songs feel very similar to each other however the change from Ancodia to Cobra Bora is kind of insane. From a very repetitive pattern to an even more repetitive pattern but on cowbell so its latin. Interesting break down on Cobra Bora switching to some 808s I think? Funky latin inspired with an interesting synth layover? How is this song still going 😮‍💨😮‍💨. Slow build up but eventually plays every looping track at the same time? Massive slowdown into Pacific 202. All of these songs are really long. Bird calls at the end of pacific 202, some kind of symbolism likely with pacific ocean but doesn't fit the vibe? Going to have to be harsh with this album, 2 stars.

I cannot fathom how this album has an average of 2.7 stars (at the time of writing). This one was a new listen for me today, and it's the exact reason I wanted to try this project out in the first place: Amazing, one of the best electronica albums of all time.

Electronic music without much humanity to it.

6.11.26 The vibes are major Favorite Song: Cobra Bora Rating: 4/5

Milquetoast. 3/10

Not really my sound, I can tell they are talented and it’s well made music but it just isn’t a kind of music that works for me

It was pretty tolerable album. I wish the vocals from the first track were on all the songs, I feel it could've made this album a lot more better. There's cool drums tones and patterns, the album has atmospheric elements which contrast pretty well with the drums. The synth sounds on here are quite trippy-sounding. Like I said earlier, I think more vocals would've improved the quality but it's a more than fine album. High 3 star album. Highlight Song/s: "Ancodia" and "808080808"

Pretty solid stuff; I dug this more than I thought I would. Kind of crazy that this came out in 1989.

So, that's good, an electronica album that I didn't hate, featuring songs that feel like songs, developing and expanding on themes. It maybe even helped me understand why people enjoy this when they're working or driving (and certainly feels good for a relatively chill club). Did I enjoy it? Nah, not really, but I'd give it a 2.5/3, and might even say that if there's electronica on a list of 1000 albums with a somewhat historical framing, this is a pretty good one.

Album #179 808 State: Ninety Well, just mere days after I was presented with a good album in one of my most maligned genres (metal), I am yet again surprised by my enjoyment of an album in a genre I traditionally dislike, this time electronic. Or more specifically, 90s rave/house electronic music, which I tend to find jarring and repetitive. Though I do enjoy some electronic albums, they tend to be more minimal and subtle, rather than a constant barrage of noises. Ninety seems to lie somewhere in the middle; some tracks are quite soft and beautiful like Magical Dream, and others seem to be more harsh and clumsy like 808080808. But for the most part, the album is a pleasant listen, with some engaging and exciting instrumentals. I guess it’s because this isn’t technically a 90s house album, but rather an 80s one; and as we all know, the 80s were the peak of music, and it can do no wrong as a decade. Best Songs: Magical Dream, Pacific 202, Cobra Bora Worst Song: 808080808 Score out of 10: 6.5

808 State is one of those real pioneers of modern electronic dance music, so fun to see it here on the list. For me, 'Pacific 202' and 'Sunrise' are the only strong songs on this album. The rest are a bit too busy and all over the place for my taste. Sonically the songs haven't aged as bad as one could expected, but the arrangements are definitely not modern to me. In summary, this is a fun album to run into and to have on the list, but not something I'd go around listening to today.

A while ago i played the game Neon White which had a really cool soundtrack (and cool game as well). The music sounded a lot like this. This was quite different and I enjoyed it. Maybe not the album with the biggest hooks but still a fun one, and a new discovery. I especially liked how hard it was to place to when it was released. Anything form late 80s to today seemed like valid guesses. Pacific 202 and 808080808 were my favourite tracks.

WOAH! This was the first album that I have not heard of on this list. This album was a first of it's kind for me. I was never much into the electronic scene when it comes to music. Unfortunately this album didn't sway my decision. I thought plenty of the songs started off strong, but then switched midway through and had no clear path. Not quite my tempo. Nothing much more to say about this album, had it's parts, but nothing stood out to me.

Not a bad album to listen to while doing something else, but not really enough “song” on here to really grab me.

So aggressively 90s, which, for an album from 89, is impressive. It’s a really fun listen.

This is the kind of electronic music that gives electronic music a bad rap. Too techno for my jam and the garbage backing track through every song makes my head hurt.

Nope. Maybe if I was high and at da clerb dancing or in a video game, then it would be a fun time. but this did not work for me.

Man… this was actually fun - in the weirdest way possible. A fun little surprise, but musically can only give it a 2.4 😂

One of the top reviews compares this to tubular bells on speed. Seems apt. It was…fine? My jet lagged brain is probably not primed for this. 5/10 Decent

Too repetitive for me, but you can hear there is something interesting going on

This was a cross between dance party music and atmospheric sound effects, and sometimes waiting music. I guess that's how I would describe techno. The songs were all pretty similar, not much variety. I didn't care for it.

A strong open, but not my jam

Feels like I'm in a high stakes Nintendo game escaping monstrosities while my manager asks the status of my yet to start task...

Relentless dance electronica. Not sorry when it finished.

Acid house in the late 80s, a thrill for your ears.

Magical Dream - 4/5 Ancodia - 3/5 Cobra Bora - 3.5/5 Pacific 202 - 4/5 Donkey Doctor - 3.5/5 808080808 - 3/5 Sunrise - 2.5/5 The Fat Shadow - Pointy Head Mix - 3/5

This shit is awful. It's like disco and techno had a child and no one had the good sense to drown it immediately. Cage match with Slayer!!!

I have come to the conclusion that I am the problem. I don't believe techno/acid/house/dance/electronica is different enough to have 10+ subgenres which all contain differences in the sound that my ears are hearing. I do like this kind of music, but I also have to admit I can't tell the difference at a certain point. The 2.70 grade this one received lets me know that I am not alone in this thought. This album is shorter than most other albums in this genre. There are no 8 minute tracks with the same drumbeat over and over again. Okay, so there is a lot of repetition, but it goes on for 5 or 6 minutes, which can still be too long for me. It is difficult for me to state what my favorite songs were, as Magical Dream is the only song I really could differentiate from the others. I was hopeful after the first track this could be something different from the other acid/house/dance/electronica albums on this list. It was not terribly different and I'm sure this is for someone, but that individual is not me.

sick stuff, very dancey. 808 state had been on my radar for a while so this was perfect timing

Sounds like you're in a field that was created in a computer / lab. 'Pacific' is one of the greatest songs of the 80s.

A quite fun listen. It's good as a bit of background noise but it's not something I would ever want to sit and listen to with the intent of giving it my full attention again Some of it it just a bit weird, that Sonicstyle sound on Donkey Doctor is really distracting and the only thing I really remember about it. Other sections also sound like something limmy would make on Ableton, so I'm guessing he must be familiar with this Highlights: 808080808, Ancodia

Fine for mowing my lawn yesterday, but I will never think of 808 State again after today.

Not terrible but just overall uninteresting.

euuuuhh pas tant sorry

Pretty much hated this. Why is there so much ofcthis awful 90s British electronica?

Not usually my genre but a decent listen!

Hard no

It’s not excel but it’s good stuff.

It's not the sort of music I listen to a lot, but perhaps I should listen more. I enjoyed this album quite a bit. Pacific 202 in particular.

The link took me to the UK version but something made me listen to the US version as well and omg it is so much better. It’s a bit longer but it just flows so much better. Takes me back. Banging!

Music that Marty McFly thought we would be listening to in 2015.

This would be great video game soundtrack I’d give it a 6/10

I find it hard to listen to and enjoy the older electronic albums on here because while I’m sure this was groundbreaking for its time, in today’s modern electronic scene, this just comes off as cliche and repetitive. Likes: Magical Dream

This had a rough opening, but once I adjusted, I had a nice time.

Oh no please no. Mancunian Electronic bands are not for me. Electronic Pop like the Pet Shop Boys, sure but this is just hooks with funny noises and feels very clubby, that’s so who I am not. This band influenced acid house music too, just another nail in the coffin for me. Make it stop.

Big electronica fan. Cool to listen to some older stuff.

stereolab sans whimsy

Mid

Seemingly random arrangements of beats, samples and casio sounds. Too flat and too repetitive.

Fun, electronic. Not a big fan, but reminds me of “Streets of rage” soundtrack

# Album Name: 90 # Artist: 808 State # Rating: 1/5 # Comments: Terrible # Top Tunes: # Would I listen to it again? No

I was not previously familiar with the artist or album. This is an electronic dance/house album. I don't particularly care for it. It's pretty repetitive and does not really do much for me. I wouldn't listen again.

Not bad. Better if tripping balls.

More like 101 10.

This was awful but it is still better than Mariah Carey’s bullshit.

My long tenure as a raver came in handy when listening to this album, which was clearly way ahead of its time. I’m a huge house and techno head, and I was really impressed with the drum sequencing and the deep and funky grooves and melodies. Of course it sounds dated, but I can trace the influence of this album in the evolution of my favorite electronic music genres. Lots of creativity and innovation on display here.

love it, kinda housey, putting in the rotation

The beat is like an extra powerful disco. Not much for me to really appreciate. 2/5

Today I listened to The Yardbirds, Emmylou Harris, that French mf, Chicago and now this. Was this the BEST of the day? Who could say. Most fun? Certainly. It reminds me of Todd Terje “It’s The Arps” the Arps being the synth he used to make the entire thing. Here obviously it’s the 808, but both have the consistency of style without being boring. Want to go 4, but I think I was vibing mowing the lawn and on re-listen it won’t hold up.

A few tracks had some staying power - Cobra Bora was cool This doesnt work like Gary Numans album and I dont know why. Maybe it tries too hard to be dance music instead of just music?

Kind of fun running music but also a little annoying.

It was impossible to avoid house/techno at university, and although I didn't hate it, I never found it very interesting to dance to, and never listened to it outside of a club. I never went to Ibiza either, or took any pills with smily faces on. Looking back, I think I was reluctant to accept it as real music, remaining stubbornly loyal to bands where the singer played a bigger role, due to being an "indie" (in the UK sense, call it "new wave" if you must) kid. I'm more appreciative now, and can see that techno grew from disco, electronic pop and even art rock, all of which I really liked. So I missed out, at the time, by only focusing on what felt like the monotony of it. Now, I find it creative and oddly satisfying, certainly as far as this album goes - it's a great example of the genre. As another reviewer put it, I was engrossed, and my brain was happy.

Purely for the memory of hearing Pacific State for the first time on a dance floor in Manchester in 1989/90. Could have been the Hacienda but I remember spending more time in the rain in the queue to get in than actually dancing there. Could have been the Man Alive or the International. A long time ago but the track still reminds me of those carefree times.

I’m sorry I genuinely hated this so much. Fav song is ‘808080808’.

2/5

Another completely unexpected awesome album - I'm not sure what I'm supposed to wear to a rave, but I guess I need to buy whatever it is.

Pretty good and enjoyable early techno, the kind of thing I'd go wild for back in the day after a zesty pinger or two, still nice to work to

No, sorry. This isn't really my cup of tea. Two stars...

Meh

Awful

Phonk type of beat crazy

I don't even like good electronic music, and this is not that. 1 star or F.

Compelling house music.

I almost bought into this album. I was almost ready to give it a four. But like so many other electronic albums on this list, it just can’t sustain itself for an hour. There were some bangers. There were also a ton of misses on here too.

Pointless electronic nonsense.

This represents part of the sound of 'Madchester' and features one of the defining tracks of the acid house scene in 'Pacific State'. I found it quite a good listen to accompany other activities and the sound seemed familiar despite last hearing any sound from it on the soundtrack of the '24 Hour Party People' film. Evocative, but that did not mean a lasting career was guaranteed.

first listen cool stuff

This was probably hot shit at the time, but now just sounds like ringtones

I'm a slut 4 synths. No entiendo por qué está tan mal rateado, la gente odia lo raro. Honestamente no es algo que escucharía a diario, pero sí drogado.

Bunch of clicking and clacking. Extra star because I have a soft spot for pacific state

High 4, really enjoyed this one. Very catchy and groovy, and didn't find it all that repetitive

If I wanted 80s/90s techno I'd boot up Sonic the Hedgehog. At least I'd have some fun along the way. This album took for-fuckin-ever to make no point at all. At least put a donk on it mate.

Enjoyable electronic House, felt quite ahead of its time

It's fine enough I suppose

Felt like I should have had this on while playing Contra or something. Not bad, but not something I would ever return to and did not make me want to explore the genre much further. Maybe some other album will, but this one didn’t hit for me

One of those that starts well - I quite enjoyed the first three tracks - but that becomes a bit of a blur of electronic synths and beats after that. Plus I can’t imagine when I’d ever listen to this again.

My rating 2.6. Now it’s sounds old and stale but take into account they this came out in the late 80s and you have to give it more respect.

not my jam, but in terms of background-music quite o.k. 1,5

falta escoltar

Not my type of album but it definitely evokes a very specific vibe which I appreciate. When I listened to it I felt like some 80s spy with and impeccable fashion sense and enormous shoulder pads. It’s like 80s opulence avant-garde mysterious core

What a great album! You can really feel the influences from early electronic music coming together. So many sounds from this album were used across genres of hit music over the next decade.

Nope.

Nah

Not a bad electronic musician. Some good music.

Hadn't expected to like this as much as I did honestly

5am nightclub music. Shite.

Un logro francamente sorprendente para la época en la que salió este trabajo. La programación de los 808s empleados en las canciones es exquisita, y los efectos seleccionados realmente se sienten como una forma primitiva de trance y house. Habiendo escuchado que este es un precursor del acid, no me queda más que apreciar uno de los pilares fundacionales del género que se tomó el underground noventero y que se mantiene fuerte hasta el día de hoy. PD: Increíblemente influyente. Pistas destacadas Magical Dream Ancondia Cobra Bora Pacific 202 Donkey Doctor 808080808 Sunrise The Fat Shadow

I guess I don't really need to hear this again. It was fine as kind of intense background music while I was doing something else, but I don't think I'd ever what to hear it and actually be paying attention to it.

Decent electro, quite enjoyed this but probably more as a background thing

Enjoyed the beats

Cool album, if a smidge forgettable

Not for me

No.

No idea but pleased to know what an 808 is (vaguely) Oh released a few months after I was born! Wild that there was a world within the last decade that I claimed to categorically dislike electronic music? That said… this isn’t my vibe. I did quite like the first song and are those birds on pacific 202? Jury’s out re “acid house” and I imagine I’d feel differently if I listened in a trancey dancey vibe rather than driving home from the beach I’m reading this was wildly ahead of its time and that’s always impressive

No es mi estilo pero está bueno

Mostly instrumental electronic music that wasn’t too droning. Not the worst, but still not great. 3/5

This is an album with a purpose, and that purpose is to give people who are totally off their respective faces (due to consumption of their drug of choice, wether it be alcohol or something stronger) something to dance to. And I expect it fulfills this purpose admirably. It is not, however, an album to sit and listen to when straight. This makes rating it very difficult as I suspect very few people going through this list will listen to it under the circumstances for which it was designed (I know I wasn't). Therefore although it probably deserves higher I cannot justify giving it higher than a 2.

Rather enjoyed that. Probably won’t get round to ever listening to it again as there’s too much proper music out there to enjoy on repeat.

Pacific State is an immense track. A staple of the indie dance scene which was emerging at this time. That song is a cause of many calories disappearing from my body. Now I find it much more difficult to shed the calories and find the energy to throw shapes to this lot. Still, it brough back plenty of good memories.

4/10

If calculators made music it would probably sound like this!

A lovely techno record that feels like it bridges the gap between the Pet Shop Boys, the Art of Noise, and Aphex Twin. "Donkey Doctor" is probably the best track, but the sounds throughout are all successful.

Little nostalgic

Some good old songs on here

deus sabe o quanto eu gosto de pacific state puta que pariuUUuuuuuU gosto bastante do 90, acho diferentasso pra época, a sonoridade me agrada demais

ou é gostosim demais, viu. acid house de primeira qualidade, bão pra ficar batendo a cabeça e dançandinho. bom album pra trabalhar, inclusive

Relentless unending beat. Not in a good way. Monotonous sound

Not my cup of tea, but first song was nice.

My age back in 2007.

I assume that the chemical enhancements of ecstasy made this much better, but as a teenage drinker making the most of student night at Utopia (£1 entry, £1 a pint all night) this sort of stuff was just interminable to me in the late 80s / early 90s. Listening now, I can at least acknowledge that there was some craft in its creation, but it’s never going to be music of choice for me.

Good but indistinguishable

Okay... I'm not exactly sure what genre this is, but I'm listening to this following listening to an Aphex Twin album and it low key sounds the exact same. If you gave me an Aphex Twin song from select recordings, and gave me a song off this album, I would not be able to tell you which came from which. Not my genre, great for if you're playing laser tag tho. Favorite track was 8080808

This was alright. I did appreciate the futuristic sound to this album, but I didn't feel like it was anything substantial. A lot of the songs did sound the same to me, so nothing really stood out.

No es para mí negro qué querés que te diga.

Nope

This is fine. This genre is over represented, but this is fine.

01) Magical Dream - 7,5 02) Ancodia - 7,0 03) Cobra Bora - 6,5 04) Pacific 202 - 10,0 05) Donkey Doctor - 7,0 06) 808080808 - 7,0 07) Sunrise - 6,5 08) The Fat Shadow - 5,0 TOTAL: 7,06 (71/100) Current ranking:

So much fun. Dated, but in a good way – you feel like you’re driving in a Corvette down a coastal highway, palm trees flying by, circa 1989. Best track: “Pacific 202”

de fondo movidito

Another album where the historical context and impact do pretty much all the heavy lifting. I mean, I do like to imagine how head-spinning music like this probably was for a lot of people in 1989. But really beyond that it strikes me as some really boilerplate-ass 90s rave music. I don't hate it, but absolutely nothing stood out to me about any track.

Very cool, very groovy. Ancodia, Cobra Bora, and Pacific 202 were my favorites. Had me bumping my head in the car hard. 7.2/10

Elektronisk musikk av typen acid house. Passer meg dårlig. Når det i tillegg knapt er noe tekst, faller jeg av lasset. Helt håpløst er det dog ikke. Kan minne om en mindre interessant Plastic Beach, med livlige rytmer og kreative ideer. Top 3: Magical Dream, Pacific 202, Ancodia

Not enough ecstasy in my coffee this morning. Do I need to break dance? Or play mortal kombat?

Innovador, que algo del 89 tenga tanta preparación técnica y se sienta como un electro más reciente es muestra del talento de este grupo, genialidad de álbum que revisitaré 3.5

This did not make me want to dance. It did not make me want to turn it off either, so you get a 3.

I can absolutely see how somebody wouldn't like this, but I did. It was perfect walking and putter around the house music at that moment. Was definitely ahead of its time. I really wish that there were half stars bc I don't like this as much as Dookie or Back in Black but I couldn't squeeze a fourth star out for those. Anyway, I'd listen to more when in the mood.

This wasn't terrible but I'm not in a rush to listen to it again

Feels like a draft of songs designed to be remixed for the dancefloor.

Easily one of the greatest electronic albums from this particular era. Every song here has a great starting hook and progresses brilliantly from there. It's a very dynamic and layered album that debunks many allegations against electronica I've read here. An essential listen. Favourite track: Pacific 202