808 State were a band born in Manchester during the height of rave culture, helping bring about the birth of house and techno music. Described by NME as ‘acid house pioneers’, the group were influential in the ‘Madchester’ scene, which Dale Grogan of ‘Skiddle’ describes as combining acid house and psychedelic indie music, giving us groups such as Happy Mondays, Stone Roses and 808 State themselves. They were known for top 10 hits such as “Pacific State”, which gave them recognition after being picked up by BBC Radio 1 back in 1989. Considered important influences by well-known groups like Aphex Twin and The Chemical Brothers, many famous names have taken to Twitter to offer their condolences, including Liam Gallagher (of Oasis) and Rowetta Idah (of Happy Mondays).
Andy barker RIP — Liam Gallagher (@liamgallagher) November 8, 2021
Barker had begun DJing at the age of fourteen after having been influenced by hip-hop and electronic music. In a 2019 interview, he said: ‘By the time I was old enough to go out clubbing, house music had arrived. The similarity between electro and house was what seduced me to the new genre. It had a huge influence on what I was playing in my sets and creating in the studio.’
The band was founded in 1987 by members Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson, the latter of whom left in 1989 to form his own outfit, A Guy Called Gerald. In his place, Barker’s duo outfit – Spinmasters – joined the group. They went on to have several successful albums, such as 1989’s 90, which was described by Slant Magazine as a ‘thrilling expansion of the possibilities for acid house and arguably the best LP ever produced in the style’. Collaborating with well-known artists such as Bjork and Bernard Sumner of New Order for their 1991 album Ex:el, the band were at the centre of the early nineties acid house craze.
In recent years the band’s membership had been whittled down to just two, founding member Graham Massey and Barker himself. The band has been active even in recent times, their latest album, Transmission Suite, having been released in 2019. 808 State had recently finished their 2021 Autumn tour last Friday with a performance at the Liverpool Arts Club. Since Barker’s death, Graham Massey has become the sole remaining member of the group.
