retrorave facsimile

 

Boomkat blurb for Face of Another's "808 Sunset 90" - a limited edition, custom, screenprinted tape and case, includes an insert of liner notes by Graham Massey, drawn from an original cassette recording of the 808 State radio show by Tim Sheehan.

Made entirely out of samples taken from an 808 State show on Sunset 102 Radio from 1990, ‘808 Sunset 90’ is to Acid House what Lee Gamble’s ‘Diversions’ was to Jungle, a ghostly spool of faded memories parsed through the mists of time.

808 State, a constant presence, always looming; so many paths crossed; our first office was their old studio, memories of Graham Massey bringing Leila Arab to our shop, chatting about the Radiophonic Workshop, signing copies of that Rephlex / New Order remixes 12” in our office, the looming, ever-growing presence and influence of fu-cking NEWBUILD, Gerald, the GOAT.

The OG radio show, broadcast on 27th March, 1990, was made at a time when 808 state were ostensibly a chart act, just 3 years after they met and formed at Eastern Block, and just a few months after Pacific State was absolutely everywhere.

The music on this tape, issued by DDS, was made by Face Of Another in 2022-2023 and assembled entirely from samples of that radio show. it runs like one of those Pirate Radio tapes smudged and screwed to fuck, bits of manc dialogue buried beneath rave stabs and spasmodic kickdrums, pads frozen for eternity, strobe blasts almost audible. 

Listen closely, join the dots.

Doesn't seem to be any audio available, but in conception if not necessarily outcome, it is reminiscent of the DJ Wrongspeed collages of pirate radio material as done on Resonance FM and the CD-R Pirate Flava, which really ought to be on the internet.

And of course makes me think of Death Is Not the End's cassette releases documenting pirate radio transmissions and pirate radio ad breaks.