Artist · chart history
808 State
Band Manchester United Kingdom Formed 1988
808 State formed in 1988 in Manchester, United Kingdom. 808 State has 8 chart appearances on 6 radio countdowns from 4 stations on RockLists, spanning 1989–1992. The most successful song on radio countdowns is “Cubic”, which appears on 2 lists with a best position of #15. The station that charted 808 State most often is CFNY 102.1 The Edge (Toronto, ON), with 5 appearances. The artist’s biggest year on year-end countdowns was 1990.
808 State came out of Manchester with a name that tells you where their heads were: the Roland TR-808 drum machine, plus the "state of mind" the founders shared. Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson got it going, and their debut album, Newbuild, landed in September 1988.
Simpson was gone by 1989 and Price by 1990, and Darren Partington and Andrew Barker came in, turning the group into a proper machine-room crew. "Pacific State" was their breakthrough in 1989: Radio 1's Gary Davies picked it up, and it sat on the UK charts for 11 weeks, a dreamy, drifting groove that made acid house sound like a day at the beach. The Quadrastate EP and the album Ninety came that same year, and Ex:el, in 1991, pushed harder and heavier with "In Yer Face" and "Lift". Gorgeous followed in 1993 with "Time Bomb".
They recorded for labels including ZTT and Tommy Boy, and their early work helped push the UK's acid house boom along. Plenty of the techno, IDM and alternative dance acts that followed owe them a debt.
Written with AI assistance from RockLists chart data, MusicBrainz and Wikipedia.
Songs by 808 State on radio countdowns
| # | Song | Strength | Lists | Best | #1s | Peak year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cubic | 2 | #15 | – | 1990 | |
| 2 | Time Bomb | 1 | #40 | – | 1992 | |
| 3 | In Yer Face | 2 | #55 | – | 1991 | |
| 4 | Pacific State | 1 | #22 | – | 1989 | |
| 5 | Lift | 1 | #65 | – | 1991 | |
| 6 | Pacific 202 | 1 | #905 | – | – |
Albums with charting songs
Where each song was first released, from MusicBrainz.
Year-end chart timeline
Combined year-end countdown points per year. Taller bars mean more songs placing higher across more stations.
Every countdown appearance
| Year | # | Song | Countdown |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1992 | 40 | Time Bomb | CFNY Top 102 Songs of 1992 |
| 1991 | 55 | In Yer Face | CFNY Top 91 Songs of 1991 |
| 1991 | 65 | Lift | CFNY Top 91 Songs of 1991 |
| 1991 | 808 | In Yer Face | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) |
| 1991 | 905 | Pacific 202 | CFNY Top 1002 Songs of All-Time (1991 Edition) |
| 1990 | 85 | Cubic | KROQ Top 106.7 Songs of 1990 |
| 1990 | 15 | Cubic | Live 105 Top 105.3 Songs of 1990 |
| 1989 | 22 | Pacific State | John Peel's Festive Fifty of 1989 |
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