Pacific State

Mancunian collective 808 State revolutionised the acid-house sound in the early 1990s by incorporating structured, song-based forms and some good, old-fashioned rock firepower into the overall texture of that house sub-genre. This resulted in a wondrous, utterly compelling aesthetic that deftly went beyond dance music's basic nature of spare, repetitive rhythms, and made the trio household names everywhere, from dank, cavernous underground clubs, to shimmering mainstream dance palaces, and even on the indie and commercial charts, where they scored with a handful of scene-defining hits. Of course, 808 State’s signature tune remains the blissful, glittering 'Pacific State', which effectively became the bona fide anthem of the second Summer of Love of 1989-1990 upon its initial release. While this ambient-house classic has turned up in various permutations since then, its original version remains the most exceptional edition, with its percolating, rhythmic synth chords, kinetic bass backbeat and that unmistakable, siren song-like sampled-saxophone riff. Check out the appropriately psychedelic, kaleidoscopic video clip, which seems to have been made to be played on giant video screens during those long, lost nights of frenetic, Ecstasy-fuelled raves which were all the rage back then.