808 State

808 State formed in Manchester in 1988, originally as Graham Massey, Martin Price, and Darren Partington. They signed with ZTT Records the following year and put out their debut album 'Newbuild' in 1989. That record helped establish them in the UK's electronic scene, which was then taking shape around clubs and warehouse parties.

One of their early tracks, '1 In 10,' became a kind of signature. It's a piece with a drifting, melancholic melody that people still talk about, though the group never really explained its title. They followed it with albums like '90' and 'Ex:el,' which folded together techno, ambient, and house without settling into just one style.

Over time the lineup shifted. Partington left in 1991, and Andy Barker joined a couple years later. They worked with other artists occasionally, including Björk on the track 'Ooops.' Their music from that period, like 'Pacific State' and 'Azura,' had a spacious, almost oceanic quality that felt different from the harder techno coming out of Detroit or Berlin.

They kept making records through the '90s and beyond, but those early ZTT releases and the mood of '1 In 10' are what most listeners remember. It's less a story of dramatic breakthroughs or falls than a steady, low-key presence in electronic music, one that left a few genuinely lasting tunes.