Legendary Manchester electronic wizards 808 State have announced the release of their seventh studio album and their first since 2002. The album follows the release of their recent EP Initial Granada Report which arrived earlier this month.
Transmission Suite was recorded in the former building occupied by Granada studios; the recording space they used hadn't been cleared out for decades and had retro-fab equipment like a teleprinter, boxes of floppy disks, teletext equipment, and more. The atmosphere gave the record a bit of a throwback (and perhaps haunted) feel, but overall the album features both elements that harken back to 808's electronic roots yet continues down the road of futuristic innovation.
808 State are still very connected to Manchester's scene, but they still continue to spread the love for Detroit techno which has seeped into their sound since the beginning. According to Graham Massey:
"That resonance with Detroit when we heard that music, was almost like the birth of 808 State...when I first heard Detroit techno, it really resonated with the music I love, having grown up with Radiophonic music, and stuff like that: there was a very evident futurism."
808 State's Transmission Suite features 15 tracks, including twe previously released tracks from Initial Granada Report ("Tokyo Tokyo" and "Ujala"). The album will be released as a double LP, 6 panel CD digi file, and digital album download. Head here to view pre-order/bundle options.
Published July 24th, 2019