Pacific State (song)

For other uses, see Pacific State.
"Pacific State"
Single by 808 State
Released21 November 1989 (1989-11-21)[1]
Genre
Length
  • 3:53 (7" edit also known as "Pacific 707")
  • 6:29 (Quadrastate version known as "Pacific State")
  • 5:36 (90 version also known as "Pacific 202")
LabelZTT
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)808 State[6]
808 State singles chronology
"Let Yourself Go" / "Deepville"
(1988) 		"Pacific State"
(1989) 		"The Extended Pleasure of Dance (EP)"
(1990)

"Pacific" is a single by the English electronic music group 808 State, released in 1989. It exists in various mix versions known by different titles, such as "Pacific State" (as included on the Quadrastate mini-album that year) and "Pacific 202" (as included on the album 90).

The song charted for 11 weeks in the United Kingdom, peaking at number 10 on the UK Singles Chart.[7]

Background and release

Gerald Simpson began working on the track before leaving 808 State in 1989, after which it was released and entered the charts. However, according to Simpson, they had finished and released the track without his permission.[8] Although Simpson was credited on its first release on the album Quadrastate both as a writer and co-producer, the dispute escalated as Simpson claimed to have written the entire track.[8]

According to Massey, "Pacific" was "the last track at The Haçienda for the six months before it even got out. Then Gary Davies heard it in Ibiza and started playing it on daytime Radio 1. A few features made it stand out: the birdsong and the saxophone. I played the sax part – which is good because I didn't really play saxophone at the time. It's a moot point whether I can play that part properly now."[9]

Release and legacy

There are many variations and remixes of the song. The remix called "Pacific 707" would be released as a single by ZTT in 1989 and "Pacific 202" would be released on their album 90. Though, many versions of the song are still performed by the band during live shows.[10][11]

The single was released by Tommy Boy Records on 15 March 1990 in the United States.[12]

In retrospective reviews, The Independent reviewed a live concert by 808 State in 1997, describing "Pacific State" as "the song that made a nation chill out. Mellow but insistent beats, a light garnishing of wildlife noises, and a soprano sax threading through it like a viper in the Eden undergrowth. It was the aural equivalent of throwing a party inside a giant flotation tank. That was 808 State."[13]

Pacific's iconic bird sample, a recording of a loon, was popularized by the song, and went on to be used in many other electronic songs such as Lady Gaga's "Babylon".[14]

References

  1. ^ "808 State - Discography". www.808state.com. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
  2. ^ Oldfield, Paul (10 March 1990). "Ambient House: Th Ecstasy Fantasy". Melody Maker.
  3. ^ Stanley, Bob (13 September 2013). "Smiley Culture: Acid House and Madchester". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 626. ISBN 978-0-571-28198-5.
  4. ^ Shade, Chris (2016). "New Order - Technique". In Dimery, Robert (ed.). 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die. London: Cassell Illustrated. p. 609.
  5. ^ "Pacific State - 808 State". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  6. ^ "Quadrastate". Allmusic. All Media Guide. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  7. ^ "808 State". Official Charts Company. Retrieved 25 August 2014.
  8. ^ a b Colin Larkin, ed. (2000). The Virgin Encyclopedia of Nineties Music (First ed.). Virgin Books. p. 5. ISBN 0-7535-0427-8.
  9. ^ Q, May 2001, page 7
  10. ^ "808 State - Pacific". www.808state.com. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  11. ^ Buskin, Richard (April 2014). "Classic Tracks: 808 State 'Pacific State'". Sound on Sound. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
  12. ^ "Pacific - 808 State". AllMusic. Retrieved August 25, 2014.
  13. ^ Gilbey, Ryan (February 7, 1997). "Pop Live: 808 State LA2, London". The Independent. p. 12.
  14. ^ Philip Shurburne (8 September 2014). ""Anaconda", "Pacific State", "Sueño Latino", and the Story of a Sample That Keeps Coming Back". Pitchfork.

External links