90

Classic beats.

Really great and clearly very influential

This era of electronic music is still refreshing in 2023. In fact, it's amazing what 808 State could do with much less technology. This album is a classic of the state of the art in 1990.

Awesome, the influence on a lot of electronic albums in the 90s is obvious.

Now THIS I can really jam to. 808080808 goes hard af, "Sunrise" is pure bliss, and "Cobra Bora" sounds like a 90's Sonic stage. That's good stuff right there.

I just always thought of 808 State as the Pacific 202 band, and little more. But this is a great album, and Pacific 202 actually proves to be one of the weaker tracks.

This album is basically the musical equivalent of the frutiger aero aesthetic. It feels way ahead of its time. If someone told me this came out in 2004, I would not have been surprised. An album wayyyy ahead of its time with some profound influence on techno, edm, and even hip hop. On top of everything, the music in Neon White completely copies everything good from this album. Best Songs: Magical Dream, Cobra Bora, Pacific 202, 808080808 Worst Songs: Donkey Doctor

Takes me back to listening to the House music radio station with Hans on GTA san andreas

Not as good as Underworld but not far off. Early 90's Manchester Techno? Yes please

Never heard of this group or album before and really loved it.

tum tum

2/18 Can't wait till I get a car. Standout Tracks: Cobra Obra, Pacific 202, Donkey Doctor, 808080808

increible descubrimiento la verdad. me gusto mucho

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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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!

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.

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.

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

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

falta escoltar

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.

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

Enjoyed the beats

No es mi estilo pero está bueno

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.

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.

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

de fondo movidito

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

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

Très très cool. Premier album électronique de la liste, ça fait plaisir. Un bon rythme tout du long, et donc une bonne construction globale. Je réécouterai ! 4.

I think I reached Microsoft Excel flow-state while listening to this album. Really great and it doesn’t waste my time. I wasn’t a big fan of the first song, but everything after that is pretty great. Favorites were Ancodia, Pacific 202, and 808080808.

Siistii ps2 autopeli teknoo. Sama tunnelma kuin siinä atmospheric jungle listalla mitä kuuntelen, mutta tää on vaan acid technoa. Pacific 202 kappaleessa käytetään sitä samaa lintu samplea mitä junkassakin. Parhaat: Pacific 202, Cobra Bora

8/10

This is a deeply influential album in EDM and deserves a listen. That said - does it hold up? In my view, yes. The warm basslines, subtle acid sounds and other layers of synths and percussion are all very satisfying to listen to. There's cool samples, loads of surprisingly complicated rhythms and melodies and it's overall a great collection of techno and house soundscapes. At times it sounds almost hip hop influenced, then it's more aggressive and techno oriented. In Pacific 202 we have balearic sounds, calming synths and saxophones. I'm impressed at how much is going on at once in every track. Favourites: Magical Dream, Ancodia, Pacific 202.

Acid house, huh? Like that one LCD Soundsystem song? One touch? That’s a dope track. Let’s see what this jawn’s all about. Well, the first obvious problem is how samey it is all the way through. That’s kinda it for the problems though. It’s very well-produced and it flows well, and… how do I say this? It sounds like the cover of an Alvvays album. Or perhaps it sounds like it exists in the same universe as Alvvays. Alvvays is like the Twee pop version of this, and this is like the lighter, funner, acid house version of this heat’s self-titled. Don’t @ me bout that either. Anyway the obvious standout here is pacific 202, but there are other good songs. My favorite part about this album as a whole is its use of contrasting textures, like those vocal lines and the synths in donkey doctor, or the saxophone in pacific 202. It’s just a really really pleasant experience all around. 8.0/10

Nice, good to work to and a good vibe - glad to have heard this and will come back. Why does this sound like I'm leaving eBay feedback? "top seller a++ would listen again"

I like it, some catchy, futuristic beats here. Kind of sounds like early 2000s Sega games

I really like this sound!!!!

ready to get on the dance floor? 90 by 808 state is an ideal set for blasting in nightclubs; the kind of music that pairs well with the smoke machines and flashing neon lights as you sweat the night away. it's not perfect, sometimes it's rough and shrill on the ears, but this album is captivating and lush, a great little relic in the world of early techno dance music. some of these samplers are KILLER.

Glorious. 4.5

weird, but good.

I listened while walking Ramona in some high winds and this music was a great match for that

Its not perfect, for that see their later offering ex:el but it still goood

I enjoyed this one more than I expected at first listen. It felt like I stepped into a club in a late 80's early 90's movie. You could tell that the synthesizer and sound sampling had been around for a while by this point and they were really starting to have fun with them. Some of these tracks would make killer video game boss music.

Cobra Bora is the kind of song I thought I could make using a cracked copy of ReBirth on my 133 Mhz Pentium PC.

Fun electronica, nothing earth-shattering, but I enjoyed the whole album and would happily return to it.

I enjoy a good bit of electronica & this floats my boat. It effortlessly cool

An excellent piece of electronic music just as the 80s came to an end. Pacific 202 is a standout track.

belle découverte, album bien en avance pour son temps, l’album crée une ambiance incroyable un peu rétro futuriste c’est fort. Mention spéciale pour Pacific 202, son de fou

Some classic tunes and sounds

90 is the second studio album by British electronic music group 808 State, released on 4 December 1989 as their first album on ZTT Records.[4] The album features the single "Pacific State", which reached number 10 on the UK Singles Chart in November 1989. Slant Magazine listed the album at number 54 on its list of the "Best Albums of the 1980s", calling it a "thrilling expansion of the possibilities for acid house and arguably the best LP ever produced in the style". The album was also included in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die.

i like this

While listening to this, my thoughts constantly oscillated between "WTF am I listening to" and "this is awesome!!!"

Simultaneously repititively entrancing and unpredictable enough to keep me on my toes. Very fun and I would love to lose myself in a club to this. Favorite Tracks: "Ancodia", "Cobra Bora" High 4.

Well this was a fun one from a group that I have never previously heard of. Maybe not mind blowing, but there were some solid sounds in here that kept me moving throughout. Ancodia is a vibe. 808080808 (not to be confused with Death Grips' 80808) is top tier zoning music. Reminds me a bit of another song that I can't quite put my finger on at the moment. Solid 4 in my book.

Really funky electronic which I was getting down to. Sounded like the song that Mr Krabs was trying to call into the radio station but only knew it as Be-Bee-Boop-Bop

They had more layers and more invention than almost all their contemporaries in early dance music.

*90* isn’t even my favourite 808 State album and yet it is still amazing. I absolutely love 808 State. What makes 808 State particularly special to me is they are my “John Peel band”. I discovered so much amazing music because of the legendary BBC DJ, but 808 State are the one that I associate with that process more than any others. He led the way with psych and prog, through punk and reggae. By the time I was hooked on his show it was quite indie orientated but also featured burgeoning extreme metal, ambient and electronic vibes. 808 State, when this came out in 1989, were the global masters of the dance music genre. They seemed effortlessly talented at producing track after track of progressive bangers, beats to make all producers envious, and an endless creative vision and melodic ambition. I can’t quite remember how many times I saw them live back then (probably understandable) but I also saw them just last year and it was still an out-of-this-world experience. I also met them all once and they were absolute gents and funny, but that’s another story.

Ça change, bien en soirée

J'ai trop kiffé, l'électro comme ça c'est vraiment ma came, au top en fond pour bosser

Boop Beep geeat

Clearly a precursor to a lot of 90s genres: Big beat, breakbeat/jungle, and rave. I can definitely hear what influenced the prodigy "experience" in here. Overall, the listen was very enjoyable, some tracks were a tad too long, messy and atmospherically not right for me, but the craftsmanship is all there and the creativity is off the charts. Really liked it and will be looking to listening to more 808 state stuff on my own.

Great driving tunes

che me la subió eh

pretty good beats, pretty standard nowadays but I bet it was innovative back in the day

I didn't know they did **that** track... well now I do

Catchy and fun at once. Makes me want to play Geometry Wars late into the the night or something else to vibe in a flow state.

Better on the second listen. I had heard of them but never heard them before.

T-square + Kraftwerck = 808 State

This was cool, crazy it came out in ‘89. It sounds way more modern than the 90s stuff I’ve heard off this list.

Interesting and definitely see the influence it had on subsequent music throughout the 90s and beyond. Found myself grooving out to it more than I expected. Not musc I would normally listen to.

Found myself really enjoying this one. The sort of 90s techno I really enjoy- clever use of synth and 808 machine without too harsh a sound. Good background music for working. Overall- 3.5 to 4.0

"It's 1989! It's 4:00 in the morning! We're tripping!" is what I said as the first track started up. It's a good accompaniment to the video I'm watching where somebody put a gopro on their cat and let it out to run around in the snow. Aw look at that cat, it's having fun. OK I think I'm getting a contact high from the music. This is great stuff. A couple of the tracks had vocals that detracted a bit for me, but it's mostly lots of fun. 4/5 stars

Чудовий танцювальний та некрінжовий ейсід хауз/техно з ембієнт вкрапленнями.

The comment section is about as interesting as this album. In other words: Quite. Also: Props for not making this longer than it had to be. I'm pretty tired after listening, but in a somewhat good way.

кайф

5/1001 I'm not ver well versed in this genre of music, but I like what I heard; I think I prefer when electronic music is (was?) more on the lo-fi side due to the older gear. Someone on here called it "dated" and I think that's why it's so palatable to a 60s nut like me 4/5 boiiii

Experimental, I like. Very ahead of it's time.

shaking my ass to completion

It’s a fun album that also happens to be quite revolutionary. The instrumentation is insane.

Definitely 90s electro pop

4.5

I’ve always liked but never loved Pacific 202 as a song, but hearing it within this album made me love it. This is a very good album.

Some very solid late 80s dance music I in fact danced to it

Nice refreshment after weeks of dull and boring music. I love how “Kraftwerkian” it felt.

8/10… acid house / 80s electro/ *1989

it’s a vibe!

não estava à espera de receber ganda vibe enquanto estudava geometria. isto é grande ambiente tipo kinda hacker num filme, deu para dar um bom lock in enquanto durou

4/5

I bet 90s raves loved this album. The synth was a blast from the past. First song itself was a banger.

- Definitely ahead of its time, and I can see the influence on breaks/electro. - I only knew Pacific 202, and it’s such a banger, but I really love Donkey Doctor! The vocals on Magical Dream are pretty great - very pre-St Etienne. Ancodia doesn’t do it for me and I find Cobra Bora a bit chaotic, but the rest, I’m into. - I think my cat likes it, too.

Love this wish I heard of it sooner.

Electronic House music, from 1989? It holds up really well. Decent listen.

for some reason, works for me. Npce subtle sampling

This is cool.

Roland really is responsible for every good electronic genre. These guys named themselves after the Roland TR-808 Drum Machine. Anyways, this album is great. I love the really distinct TB-303 synth sound in house music, makes it sound goofier. The music goes pretty hard, too. I especially like the more aggressive parts of the album like Cobra Bora and Donkey Doctor. They sound like music for an old Flash game that I would've randomly found on NotDoppler like 12 years ago.

Pacific is a certified 5 star classic that turns up on so many mixes. Rest of the album's a good bop.

Pretty straightforward house music. It’s very good but most significantly, the album is from 1989. The album does not sound like it’s from the 80s, seems like lots of house music from the 90s and 2000s were derived from this album.

I liked it. So much so that when it was over, I searched out more of their music. I spent the morning listening and working to their music. Very nice.

Its really good fun, obviously not something you'd listen to every day, but its great to nod your head to, and this is also in my opinion when 'dance' music had quite a lot of substance and I guess in that way, this is very ahead of its time. The acid funky, bloopy basslines are really good and something which I think was lost in later more mainstream dance stuff, for the worse in my opinion. Also the angelic pads are quite something, and makes this especially ahead of its time, as in my opinion they are more characteristic of 90s stuff. I also quite like how messy parts are in the sense that it feels quite on the spot, notably on some of the lead parts. Also certain songs, like the donkey doctor one feel very Kraftwerk-esque and definitely like somewhat of a natural continuation from them, it also feels like sort of a continuation from 80s synth pop like New Order, just a bit heavier and more trippy. The sampling is also really great. Favourite songs: all. Overall around 8/10 (actually quite close to 9 surprisingly)

a barrage of dense, factory bashing soundscapes. actually says something in the way it sounds

Very cool. Not something I'd normally listen to but I really enjoyed it

Patiko, gera muzika galvojimui.

I only knew Pacific from this album and while that's the standout track, the rest of the record was an interesting listen. I got Fatboy Slim's debut a couple of days ago and found all of the tracks repetitive and predictable, in contrast these pieces don't necessary do what you would expect them to do, whether it's the samples, the vocals or the programmed drums.

Encapsulates the sound of electronic music, specifically acid house, at the time. Similar vibes to The Orb. The albums picks up with Cobra Bora and into Pacific 202. The latter reminded me of Todd Terje.

8.5/10

Better than most of the house on this list at least

Tää oli aika raikas! Hyvä vanha meninikin myös konemusan puolella 4/5

Pari aika hyvää raitaa! Arvostan tätä kasarin konemusamenoa.

Real “I’m hacking into the mainframe” music

Really competent album for what it aims for in the genre

(hears any house music) this shit kinda sonic cd

Classic

Una sorpresa que tardó en impactarme un poco. Un disco con un sonido enérgico y onírico a la vez, un sueño vaporwave y un vistazo al pasado muy interesante. No fue sino hasta Cobra Bora que caí en cuenta de que ya estaba enganchado.

i did quite enjoy it, but it didn’t grab me as much as other electronic albums i’ve heard on the list so far. not sure how to rate it, it’s a high 3 but also a very low 4? pacific 202 was my favorite. absolutely love the mix of saxophone with all the other sounds.

August 19, 2025 Album #719: 90 by 808 State Genre: Acid House, Dance, Techno, Electropop Released around the time when Acid House was starting to enter the mainstream, I wasn’t totally sure of what to expect with *90*. Thankfully though, it still has nice electronic goodness to offer. It actually hasn’t aged too badly for what it is. The intro track, *Magical Dream* sets the mood immediately with drum sequencing and Vanessa Sherrington’s hypnotic vocal delivery, even if this is the only track with lyrics. The opener gives way to some of the longer and more house oriented songs on the album, *Ancodia* and *Cobra Bora*, which flow into each other seamlessly. It really shows how this album made me feel like I was transported back to a rave in the 90s. The way the album flows makes it feel like a live rave set. *Pacific 202* is a fun, more poppy track, with its saxophone sample and quiet synths. *Donkey Doctor* has more punchy drums and eclectic sounds, and it makes for a good jam. *808080808* is a more energetic track with its beat and keyboard sounds. The longest track, *Sunrise*, almost feels like an Ambient Techno track with its flute sounds. The short closing track, *The Fat Shadow*, is a bit jarring compared to the last track but feels like a closer to the rave this album emulates. This album has fun house songs, though sometimes the sound effects on this thing can be a bit much. They kind of take me out of it. There’s some weak moments on this album in the midst of good tracks, and it can bring songs down for me. However, *90* still makes for a fun dance album with its late 80s early 90s charm. It’s a good time for what it is. Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️, Decent 7 Favorite Tracks: Magical Dream, Ancodia, Pacific 202, Donkey Doctor

Not my style but still was cool

I like 90's drum and bass so this is pretty good! First song kinda a bit off though. I could definitely play unreal tournament to this...

Late 80s disco fusion? Vocals are very nice

Today is my 898th album to review, so this album appeared 90 days too late. I've never heard of 808 State before, but I'm guessing that this is an electronic album, and that 808 refers to the Roland 808, or whatever it's called. That will always remind me about that Aziz Ansari joke where he saw Kanye listening to 808's & Heartbreak. Remember that, when Kanye wasn't insane, and when everyone loved Aziz Ansari? Man, we didn't know how good we had it back then. Anyway, I'm really intrigued to see what this album is going to sound like, and I'm excited to fire it up! Overall, I thought 90 was a very good album, but it was a little bit short of five stars for me. Each song had a very unique sound and feeling to it, but everything was tied together nicely by the drum machines that were used throughout the album. I didn’t really enjoy the vocals and vocal samples on the first two songs (although I did like the initial ‘chiming’ melody on “Magical Dream”), but after that, I really got into this album. “Cobra Bora” was excellent. I thought the synthesizer and keyboard melodies were outstanding, and the drums are great too. It really made great use of stereo sound, pulling the listener right into the awesome synths and keyboard, and eventually going completely rapid fire with sound. “Pacific 202” was great too. The melodies and drums were once again really awesome. I really loved the wildlife sounds in the background, because they matched the overall tone of the song really well. I also loved how the tempo kicked up a bit before the outro. “Cora Bora” and “Pacific 202” were my favorite songs on the album, but everything after that was really good too. I could see myself listening to this again, and I’d be down to check out more albums from 808 State.

It's party time

i like it. I also love the first song. Makes me wanna get into more electronic music, I think I just need unique (although i'm assuming these guys are super influential since it came out in the 80s)

The beats are really cool. Feels like I'm in an old techno club or disco.

Techno city

Bit hit and miss but early pioneers with an awesome sound

Reminds me of times that I can't properly remember, and the beginning of so many more great times and great music that it inspired. Sounds dated now (as do I), but +1 for the nostalgia.

Quite good electrónica. Crucially to getting a 4 star rating it wasn't bloody country music again.

Give me all the bleep blorp you got. Hell yeah.

Detta ljudlandskap har jag hört förut i andra låtar så det är interssant man ser var det kommer ifrån

Fun vibes

At first I thought this was very similar to a bunch of other electronic music albums but then it went places. Like! 3.8

This was a fun listen. I'm not familiar enough with the genre to speak intelligently on it, but, considering this was electronic dance music in 1989, I can see how this may have been a trailblazing album. It's a solid album. I'm convinced now, though, that this list shouldn't have been titled "1001 albums to hear before you die", but rather "1001 albums deserving to be put on a list for some positive reason"

Didn't think much of this on a first listen but I've come back to it a few times. I can see how people can revere this. It's not quite a 5 but it's gonna enter I guess irregular rotation for me. Highlight: Donkey Doctor

The more I listen to this the more enjoyable it has been. It's a very nice change of pace after all the albums I have had in the last few weeks.

I’ve always found Acid House and rave type stuff fairly stark and cold compared to the 90s house and techno it spawned. However, after a slow start (and once you got over the fact it does sound dated), track 3 onwards were really great. Nicely varied and a lot going on, with a lot of subtle sounds that later groups would expand on massively. It’s also nicely paced, nothing too extreme and keeps you engaged. Just very infectious. It had me going back on repeat today. Great fun, tick. Influential, tick. Will be back, tick.

Interesting music

As one half of the global pioneers of electronic music, Houmous & Chutney, I am sick to death of people ripping off our style without any credit! Still, can’t help but love those bangers! 3.7 5/8 Donkey Doctor

Solid, high energy, electronic music. Nothing over stays it's welcome. A good time listing to this.

A good album, I liked Cobra Bora and Donkey Doctor the most.

Favorites: Magical Dream, Pacific 202, 808080808 I’ve never really explored acid house, but I absolutely adored the sounds here. Every sound was complex and alluring, and it came together in one entrancing and immersive record. This is exactly the type of recommendation I was hoping to get from this project.

It was perfect to listen to while working. Very surprised how much I enjoyed the entire thing, the flow of it was fantastic. It was a rollercoaster ride that had the drops and rises at the perfect time. Also doesn't overstay its welcome under 40 minutes unlike the vast majority of electronic albums Rating: 4.4

This is pretty minimal but classicly turn-of-the-decade 80s/90s electronica. Felt pretty nostalgic. Good for atmospheric background, but the songs are otherwise a little forgettable.

Not really in the mood for this today, but I do really like it. Feels like SMT. Charli xcx. 1989 is crazy early for it's time wow. It's some good stuff. I guess I like acid house. Deserves 4 stars

It's like the beggining of trance music

i thought this was cool! perfect music for doing boring work. i was droning the fuck outtttt

Pleasantly surprised, I had never heard of these guys. Quite enjoyed this. Particularly loved "808080808".

I get the hate. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea. For me though, there are a few songs on here that absolutely slap (Pacific 202 and 808080808 especially). It teleported me back in time to an abandoned warehouse in the early 90s where my only problem was deciding what color glowsticks I’m about to crack. Does it sound like every other techno/acid house/euro step album of the 90s? Sure. But it’s the first techno/acid house/euro step of the 90s, and to me that counts for something. 7.5/10

very good sonic cd

Going heavy on the electronic albums this week, that’s cool. Also cool to hear such an early record in the genre be so vibrant and fun. I’d call this a must-listen for the influence. #136

From start to finish you can clearly hear how big of an influence this album was on everything from acid house, to the beginnings of trip hop in the early 90s and then continuing into modern electronic and even phonk. While some sounds seemed a bit dated the album as a whole is danceble from start to finish.

Great! I really enjoyed this one.

obviously i love this nonsense. "Donkey Doctor" looped twice before I noticed

Quite enjoyable. I haven’t heard older electronic stuff as much and I sort of liked the simplicity. Didn’t blow my mind but I do like it.

This is a pretty cool album, but I think it's a bit uneven. Songs like Kinky National are awesome and I think they hold up quite well. On the other hand, songs like Pacific 202 are not quite hitting. I can't tell if that's because they're just kind of out of date, or if they're just bad songs. But I'll tell you what - when this album gets it right, the songs are BANGING. This is such a tough rating, because the good songs are *really* good, but the meh songs just drag down the overall vibe. 3.5 is the right call here, but do I bump it half a star or dock it half a star? Considering how early this album is in the electronic era, I'm leaning towards a bump. Because this isn't early, German, experimental noise electronica, it's catchy, bouncy and revolutionary.

Just so fun

Never heard of these guys before this. I didn’t like the first song, but the sound settled in for me and I ended up liking it. Kind of hypnotic. I don’t think I’ll listen to it much after this but it was enjoyable.

On one hand, was the music that great? I dunno. On the other hand, I appreciate how tactile it was — it felt like you could see or feel the music playing out — so I’ll call it a 4.

Techno beat. Had it on in the background while I was working and took no note when it paused. Not sure what exciting I guess

Not really my thing, but it's status as a genre-defining classic comes through. I was happy to listen through it a few times.

It's incredible to me that this record was released in 1989 and it still sounds fresh and powerful. Thanks in part to vaporwave and other nostalgic electronic sub-genres, 90 sounds like it could have come out last year. It's a fun, danceable record, with a lot of great ideas swirling within. Probably one of my favorite new-to-me albums from this list.

Quite dancable

4/5 Perfectly fine.

Sounds surprisingly fresh; only a couple of tracks sounded dated, and even they sound more early/mid 90s. I was expecting every track to be 8 minutes, but it's much more restrained than many electronic albums. I'm not going to revisit this album, but I appreciate it's good and was probably groundbreaking.

ate !

A+ space bee music to vibe to, thanks

Good album.

Disco dance casi instrumental. Ritmos sonidos que ahora han quedado algo obsoletos pero que en su momento marcaron la pauta. A caballo entre new Order, Pet shop boys, balearic beats y toda la música acid, este disco sigue brillando con luz propia. Madchester finales de los 80-principios de los 90... MDMA... cultura rave... Pacific más que una canción era un estado de ánimo. Antes que Inifinity de Guru Josh, 808 State ya habían reclamado su trono. 80808080 suena a gloria.

A very different slice of nostalgia today, with some Hacienda-era Madchester. I guess this is Hiraeth - nostalgia for the bond you feel with your homeland even if it's not direct experience. Leaving that pretentious sidenote aside, this is also just some big block-rocking beats, a load of euphoric electronica and doesn't outstay its welcome at any point. I can absolutely imagine taking a load of pingers in 1989 and wearing baggies, even though I listened to to it at 9am on a Sunday morning in the gym like a good middle-aged reformed character.

A little dumb but I had fun with it

Mellow, pleasant, great working music

This is brilliant. Both original and good is a rare combination and this had both in spades. It spawned a whole musical genre / culture that continues to grow and thrive to this day. The fact that is still slaps is amazing, the beats are brilliant and i loved listening.

Que buena discovery. Me gusto mucho la banda 4.5/5

Liked it a lot

January 7th, 2025 The line between 80s rave music and 90s video game music is nonexistent Does that sound like a complaint? It certainly is NOT -_- I basically took it as one ~30-minute long song. One long, noisy dumb fun song Maybe because the album/artist name is almost all numbers, was expecting something generic and impersonal- but with the bird sounds(?) in "Pacific" and the dark fantasy synth-bells in "Sunrise", there is enough here to override my ambivalence to techno/house music.

Completely meaningless enjoyable noise to me, but bonus points for naming a track "Donkey Doctor"

Love it

For me tryna discuss this album, there's two obvious questions I needa ask. First: "What, exactly, **is** acid house?" And second: "**Why** is acid house?" To answer that first question, it turns out it's very simple: house music with basslines from this one specific synthesizer, the Roland TB-303. There's more to it, of course, but that's basically its big defining characteristic. And, like, somehow I expected more? Like, I'unno, I figure if a genre's gonna get its own name, there'd be more going for it than that (again acknowledging that I'm simplifying a lot here). As for the "Why" — really more a "How"... Well, "Da Funk" was always my favorite song on Daft Punk's HOMEWORK, anyway, so no doubt that's why I had as little trouble with this album as I did. Like, I won't say I can't understand why someone would feel like this music would only be good at a rave or when you're on drugs or when you're on drugs and at a rave, but, like, I'unno, sometimes I like a good electronic groove to jive to. This album provides one of those, so, hey, I can't really complain. So... Yeah, I can give this thing a 4. I've got no heavy complaints about it. I mean, I don't listen to HOMEWORK as much as I do DISCOVERY or RANDOM ACCESS MEMORIES, so that's generally more the kind of dance, electronic and house I'm into, but y'know. It was a nice way to spend a bit under 40 minutes. And this was released in '89, too? Goodness.

Not a huge fan of the era but I enjoyed this one

I feel like 808 State are one of those bands that music recommendation services always recommend to me and it looks like I did a deep dive into them about 10 years ago. Anyway, I quite enjoyed this and certainly look forward to exploring further. Faves: Magical Dream, Pacific 202

Got this only a week after the Shamen album that's from around the same time, and it's lucky for the Shamen I got em in this order because they don't do well in the comparison. This is a bit clunky, sure, but how could it be otherwise? They were inventing a lot of what would become conventions as they went! Fave tracks - "Pacific 202" is the monster here, for sure. "808080808" is a banger too.

Groovey disco sounds that are quite nice. First song has a similar sound and feel to Ultraflex, which is a modern band.

First two tracks started off pretty uninteresting, but as soon as Cobra Bora hit I was all in. Solid house album that makes me wish I had a turntable so I could sample this.

Sometimes in the early days of a new genre, before it's really settled into a predictable pattern, you can see a lot of experiments. Techno came about from African American teenagers in mid-80s Detroit before quickly finding a more permanent home across the Atlantic. The UK in particular loved the genre and early artists helped space the house. Much later, people would criticize the endless repetition and squelchy noise, all designed to keep people dancing and spending money, without much need for creativity. 808 State were different. They programmed complex beats and sought out more organic samples to contrast the synthesizers. They became heavily influential among so called EDM artists like Aphex Twin and much of Warp Records' roster. Graham Massey would later gain particular notoriety for working with Bjork on her early solo material. Bjork, along with New Order's Bernard Summer, would also appear on 808 State's third album. The music on '90' is strange. Tracks like 'Pacific' feel like a dream layered on top of reality. I picture the California coastline under a bizarre multicolored sky. I appreciate that this album won't be most people's favorite but 808 State have always intrigued me.

This is definitely up my alley. Manchester band, late 80’s early 90s House Music. So many great tracks but “Pacific 202” is the highlight (where has this track been all my life 4/5 (going to listen to US version with extra tracks might even be better)

Not really my jam but a fun listen

Come for the sax, stay for the loons.

and just like that i'm into acid house...also 1989??? brain-breaking 8/10

It was a rollercoaster. It is big 4 by me.

man, i love the trombone/horn(?) on Pacific 202! plus the synths and drums on it are groovy as hell. this whole album is a very warm and groovy but vibey record. Ancodia has that hypnotic synth line that i can't get out of my mind. Magical dream is this sparkly funky dreamy song and donky doctor reminds me of a more chilled out prodigy. this whole album is great and keeps getting better with more listens. it's a decent to strong 8 for me right now!

I didn't think I'd like this but I did so there

I hadn’t heard of 808 State before today. The fact that Apple Music tells me it is 80’s Electronic music gave me high expectations, which we thankfully met. There is definitely a time and place for instrumental electronica, and definitely moods where I might find it more irritating than enjoyable. However, sitting at my desk today and having this playing was a very pleasant experience, and will likely lead to this album being played a fair few more times in similar scenarios. It felt like bubblegum for the ears.

I liked this album lot more than I thought that I would. Electronic music usually doesn't do much for me but I found myself enjoying this quite a bit.

I enjoyed this! Not every song was a total hit, but I liked most well enough.

Guys… I think I get acid house now

This is video game music. I have heard so many games BGMs try to mimic this style over the past 10 years of playin indie games and this is it. If you like this kind of house jungle music this is great. I could see how this would not do it for most people though. 8/10

Buen sonido

Favs: Ancodia, Cobra Bora, Pacific 202 Least fav: Magical Dream.

Classic!

Consistently high quality, and Pacific is (still) one of the greatest dance records ever made. Donkey Doctor is probably the next most banging. Aciiiiid. Peep peep.

A wild, progressive electro album. I was surprised by the sound, considering that it comes from this era. Of course there are elements that sound strange by today's standards. But overall I liked it very much, I will have to listen to the album more often. I liked Pacific 202 and Sunrise the most.

More interesting than I thought it would be. Really solid Acid-House.

This definitely used 808s A real pleasure - as a fan of the genres that derived form this, I know only the big single but found this to be an excellent album I loved it more the more acid it became You can really hear how influential its sound is, the descendants couldn’t be more clear. Orbital (or were they contemporaries?), Aphex Twin (in fact huge chunks of Warp artists), Leftfield, Chemical Brothers, Prodigy, Underworld, Fatboy Slim; British 90s dance, breakbeat, jungle, hip hop, even current-day French electronic is significantly indebted to this. So a definite landmark Best: Donkey Doctor

The second summer of love had come to pass and who better to ring in a new year and a new decade than the 808 greats. From the inviting and soothing vocals that greet the listener with the trippy telling of a magical dream to the bonkers end that comprises The Fat Shadow, 90 encompasses all the excitable possibilities that lain in front of those who seeked to listen. Of course, this has the incomparable Pacific 202 on here so those who have sun-kissed memories of this song will perhaps flock to this one even more. Favorites: Magical Dream, Ancodia, Cobra Bora, Pacific 202, 808080808, Sunrise.

🫴

Pretty progressive for techno in 1989. Way better than Daft Punk

cool early electronic music

Solid

I fw this hard

I like this album. It's weird. I wouldn't put it on at a party so I'm confused as to why it's like club music. This is like summer driving music to me. I've listened to it early morning, afternoon, evening, it works. But I like this kinda repetitive, synthy, dark stuff

808 State was one of the forerunners of Acid House/Techno at the end of the '80s and was an essential influence on the Electronica genre in the '90s. Either you like the genre or not. I do.

Surprisingly progressive for the time, very enjoyable listen.

This slaps. Fast beats and sticky synths. Techno that’s not afraid to get a little weird and playful. Loved it.

Groovy beats. Nothin wrong with that.

All I know about 808s is that they are shaking up the dance floor. So I assume this is some kind of dance music. So it's not overly dancy, but largely electronic nonetheless. It is fairly nice ambient music and I really dig the loons on one of the tracks, but outside of that I couldn't really distinguish the others as well. When tracks just kind of blend and play on through that actually helps for something to have in the background while doing something else. Good album for the purpose I'd use it for. Favorite track "Pacific 202" 3.5/5

This place simply hates Electronic Music. White dudes from the 60s pretending to have the blues? Five stars. Beeps and boops? THAT AIN'T MUSIC!

I can taste my jaws clenching around my rave pacifier. That’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Listening to this in an office cubicle that was likely constructed in the 80s really transports you to 1989. I found myself bopping my head along, especially to Cobra Bora. What a fun tune.

Esta parte de "Madchester" tan electrónica es la que menos me interesó, aún así la escuché bastante en su época y llamarse 808 les honra por homenajear a la máquina. Recordaba "Magical dream" y "Cobra Bora" por el título y al escucharlo también "Ancodia", "Pacific 202" que debe tener parte de la culpa de todos los saxofones que se metieron después todos los DJ en los años 90 o "808080808". Mucho mejor de lo que recordaba y esperaba.

This album manages to seamlessly be both evocative of the 80s without being outdated, nearly pioneering a sound that can be heard not only in acid house scenes of the 90s, but also genres such as hip hop or IDM. It knows how to tread lightly when it comes to sampling, although that doesn't mean you don't get a few cheeky ones in there that are fun to spot, and overall the whole project is just a lot of fun. More energetic than its contemporaries, 808 State manages to present a mostly instrumental release while still keeping it engaging to the common folk, especially boosted by its oh-so-familiar PlayStation-like sound design, although obviously years before that console's appearance. It just comes off as a love letter to the lighter electronic tunes that came before, whilst ushering in a new scene that takes the genre more seriously, giving way to a nice blend. Helping things tremendously is its relatively short runtime, in which later electronic albums seemed to ignore concise and tight instrumentation, while this one nails it. It does have some hiccups in the way of still being relatively repetitive, as many tracks can be cut down a minute or two with little loss, and I can't imagine legitimately getting up and dancing to this, instead it feels more like playing a racing game, and I'm never sure if that's a compliment or not. But this album still has enough bright moments for me to appreciate and enjoy what it presents. Hoping an earlier or later release from this group may click with me even more, but this album may have hit that groove just right.

Not my style, but well executed.

liked it more as it went on, hotline miami-y fave: 808080808

Banger! Has aged excellently for an electronic record more than 30 years old. Funky grooves that work well for both surface listening and deeper examination

Kova

Vibes, tidlig house/techno

Mjög gott stöff. Iconic í Acid House geiranum og gerði mjög mikið fyrir teknó senuna. Fjarka þetta.

Lol and then the synth beat kicked in and I realized I was deep in the 80s here. Not too many words.

Rock solid and really fun

80's electro - feels very very modern

Really enjoyed this. It's like great video game music or something.

As I type this the average rating for this album is 2.9. I done know why! I loved this. Great rhythms and melodies. The orchestration, such as it is, is wonderful. Maybe I’m just an electronic guy. The more I spend with this it could creep up to be a perfect 5 but for now it’s 4.5/5

👍🏻

I drank beer all day and then put this on, lad vibes are rattling through my chest. Killer fucking album innit?

I've never heard them before. It was interesting.

Never heard of this! At all! Really dug it! Love the little tastes of the Hustle and Do You Know the Way to San Jose. Good boss battle music.

Этот альбом я сильно упустил, прям что-то откладываю, откладываю. Я ожидал, что 808 будет обозначать БАСС, а тут какая-то лёгонькая электроника? Внезапный контраст с ожиданиями. Эйсид хаус/Дэнс/Техно. Получается, это machine girl и aphex twin в одном флаконе. Мне нравится. Не настолько чтоб я прям улетел, но мне было по кайфу.

nais! Likte det

I had my hands in the air the whole time

Surprisingly enjoyable. The songs have samples(?) or very familiar tunes that really make the album good. Standouts: Ancodia (L-O-V-E Love), Cobra Bora ("The Hustle"), Pacific 202 (a.k.a. Pacific State). For an electronic album that I didn't like at all the first few times I heard it, I am really getting into it now. I'm somewhere between 3.5 and 4.0....

Was pretty banging front to back, and for 1989 feels pretty ahead of it's time. Liking the older electronic stuff i've got from this list like this and the Orbital albums, can see myself going back to them.

This was way better than I expected. Dense and layered and bouncy and wicked cool, if dated.

Very fun background noise, I would have favored a bit more substance but I am not unhappy with it!

This was a bop. Parts of it sounded almost like vapor wave, but of course not quite. Definitely dug this one, I'll be coming back to it.

4.5

Excellent and fun acid house album from the late 1980s rave scene of Britain, I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Great background noise!

Blind album. Was petty good I'd say. It's good house for sure. Good house for sure. Good house for sure.

Short-ish and fun dancing whilst cooking vibes, enjoyed

Summary: The first track's title sums up the album. A really solid album with some creative and very technologically-impressive (for their time) synth/electronic drum beats. The electronic percussion, in particular, stands out greatly on this album. A lot of the ideas are pretty cliched now, but at the time of release they would've been revolutionary, not only for acid house, but for all modern genres of music. Magical Dream: Crazy drum machines. This would be an incredible event to experience while high. Rhythm is 4/4 but has an alternating 7/8-9/8 feel at times. The vocals are very weak, but this is forgivable since they clearly aren't the focus. Rave-like synths and other high-pitches sound effects I can't name. Smooth transition to the next track. Ancodia: Reminds me of something you might hear in a 2000s/10s rhythm video game. The soundscaping is definitely ahead of its time. The drum machine is killing it again (in a good way). Vocals are better in this track than the previous one. Very jarring but fitting transition. Cobra Bora: Normally I dislike drum machines, but the drum machine work on this album is just great. Hyper-syncopated riff at 0:45ish that is really well composed. The track could be cut down a little. Video game shooting solo at 3:10 - cool. New high-pitched synth introduced in the outro - also cool. Pacific 202: Great intro, with a strange bird-like electric sound repeating heading into the verse. Hard to tell if the sax is real or fake, but the melody on it is solid. Jarring percussive noise at 5:00 takes us into a great percussionless synth outro. Donkey Doctor: Solid track. Not too much to say here. Terrible transition to the next track - the music just stops. And this ain't no I Want You (She's So Heavy), so don't think you're getting away with this, 808 State. 808080808: The drum track is a little less in-your-face than the previous tracks, but this means the primary charm (and strength) of the artist's music is slightly lost. Bubbly noise throughout. Fun chords, but they never resolve because of another really badly cut ending. Sunrise: Very repetitive rhythm, but the airy synths hovering around the mix create this awesome, mystical, spacey atmosphere that definitely makes up for any lack of interest in other parts. Synths are especially noticeable after the texture drop at 3:25. The Fat Shadow - Pointy Head Mix: prototypic. Reminiscent of a "Seven Seas of Rhye" off Queen's debut album. Some cool synth-voices in here.

This is the real deal. The gay club music of my dreams. Noises so high pitch can be aggravating on Cobra Bora and 808080808 but great stuff all around

Is this... polyrhythmic electronica? from 89? Okay, that's cool

Old school acid house, Pacific 202 is a clear highlight

Day 122 Back in the day I couldn't care less about acid house and rave culture. It was only recently that I became curious about it all and started digging back and checking out some of that scene records; some of them became part of my collection, some others went on to become part of my never ending wantlist. Now according to my wantlist I already heard Utd. State 90, which is kind of the US version of this album. I must have heard that in 2017/2018; my hearing has changed since: I now seem to struggle with much music that was originally mastered for CD and this doesn't have to do with genres but with audio quality, a certain brightness of sort. In short, I'd probably like the music on this album a lot but I can't handle the recording, it causes an increase in the buzzing in my ears. It is sad really because it is an interesting album, full of poly rhythms instead of the insisting beat on the third, with some scratching, some wah wah funky effects, and a lot more going on; I can also hear its influence on the 90s scene that was about to explode a few years later, especially Dig Your Own Hole by the Chemical Brothers, which by the way doesn't bother me as much. Also, it would have been nice to include Cübik, included the US version, which in turn adds more tracks and loses The Fat Shadow, which I don't think is necessarily a filler. Rating: the whole square, minus a drop.

Don't understand the hate, I quite liked it.

Never heard this. It's a pretty cool listen. Apparently this group were involved in the UK import of acid house. Much of this (especially the first half) sounds like straight-up retro electro. There isn't a four-on-the-floor beat for the first three tracks. Then there are bits of techno, house and breaks, with just a little bit of the squelchy acid sound. The whole thing feels dated, but in a good way - like a fantastic time capsule of late-80s futuristic drum machine fun. Each track has a different style and mood, and the whole thing is balanced and paced well. Really enjoyable album! 4*

Solid stuff

very good

Pretty decent electronic music. This is not usually one of my go to genres of music but I enjoyed this enough to earn it another listen. Cool

I had an epiphany while listening to this. Maybe I've been approaching dance albums on this all wrong. Maybe the purpose of things of this genre is losing yourself in the music like you would on a dance floor, and when you came to, you enjoyed what you were listening to. I think it's difficult to say whether that's right or wrong, but approaching this album like that, it definitely became my favorite dance-music album on the list. It's a little dated in spots, but you can see some of the influence it would have further down the line. Favorite tracks: "Donkey Doctor", "Pacific 202", "Sunrise"

8/10 pretty fun, good vibes

This is fucked up good. Every track, bar Sunrise, is a genuine banger. It's rare to have an electronic album that feels so equally at home in a club or in a bedroom (maybe it lends itself slightly more to a club, but this has enough substance to entertain no matter where you are). So impressive to me that electronic albums from decades can still up hold up, given just how far technology in the area has come. Fav Track: I'd love to say Cobra Bora but Pacific 202 is impossible to go past, one of the electronic GOATs. 4.5

I really enjoyed the album. Perfect for getting some work done

A low 4, but Pacific 202 is such a fun track. There are other moments of being good here, other times its quite dull, and some times where its kinda bad and good at the same time. Surprised how 90s this sounded for an 89 album, and thats usually a sign of someone pushing the envelope.

This rules. I'm going for a run outside

Pretty decent electronic dance music.Id listen to it again.Not a super strong recommendation but pretty good.

This album shocked me. I was not expecting to experience this. Very early Aphex Twin type sound. Some early IDM ideas that would carry own to other genres. Very good listen.

A nice break from lots of moody rock-adjacent music. I wish some of the songs were a bit more varied, but definitely good overall

808 State laid the groundwork for electronic dance music. It may sound dated, but they are pioneers for their genre. Gotta love when Speak & Spell was used as a musical instrument.

Who knew 80's synth music could be so vibey?

Lush, perfectly produced acid house as likely to get your brain moving as it is your body.

Beep boop boots and pants but all and all pretty enjoyable

groovy danceable stuff. 4 stars.

An acid house release.. elements of it have dated but there are still some bangers in here

Mér finnst þetta æði. Mikil nostalgía, dans og chill. Pacific 202 verður á rípít hjá mér næsta klukkutímann.

This is one my son would be proud of me for listening to. But, he wouldn't realize I went through a Madchester phase a long, long time ago.

Got me feeling like a fruity little dance floor baby first thing in the morning. Loved this ‘bum

Da future

Techno jazz, je pensqis pas ca existait, c’est vraiment pa smauvais .4

I wish I could go back in time to when dance music sounded like this.

Stand out tracks - Cobra Bora - Pacific 202 - Donkey doctor

Really enjoyed this slab of electronica

I sometimes get bored with electronic music, but this one was quite enjoyable. I loved that it sampled the Hustle.

This was some fine electronic music. It had some good rhythm and some engaging samples. I struggle to appreciate why this album is so important to be on this list. But, I didn't mind listening.

This was a lot of fun to listen to. Enjoyed hearing shades of The Hustle and Do You Know The Way To San Jose? on Cobra Bora and Sunrise. Was a perfect accompaniment to an afternoon of housework.

Liked it more then expected

Like the music at the end of an epic boss fight.

Late 80s electronic album from the UK. Pacific 202 still sounds as great now as it did in the 80s. The other tracks are very good: 8/10 overall

good electronica sound. I liked it. Ahead of its time.

Good stuff! Not all was ground breaking but I definitely found a hit