A pioneer of the acid house sound, 808 State formed in Manchester, England in 1988 when Martin Price, the owner of the city's legendary record store Eastern Bloc and the founder of the independent label Creed, first joined forces with local musician and producer Graham Massey. After teaming with collaborator Gerald Simpson, 808 State recorded... [+] Read More

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Mancunian house and techno innovator Gerald Simpson is the odd post-rave musician who's been able to find a successful voice in a wide variety of different styles. Starting with Chicago house and moving through Detroit techno, acid house, electro, hardcore techno, and currently drum'n'bass, Gerald's been an influential contributor to most of... [+] Read More

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Bomb the Bass' Tim Simenon is a sampladelic British hip-hop producer who also co-produced a pair of massive international hits: Neneh Cherry's "Buffalo Stance" and Seal's "Crazy." Born in Brixton of Malaysian and Scottish parentage, Simenon grew interested in dance production after studying studio engineering and DJing at London's Wag Club, a... [+] Read More

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DJs Jonathan More and Matt Black, aka Coldcut, rose to acclaim in the mid-'80s through production and remix work for a number of modern rock, hip-hop, and dance outfits, including Yaz, Lisa Stansfield, Junior Reid, Blondie, Eric B. & Rakim, and Queen Latifah. While that connection has pegged them as a product of the U.K. acid house and rave... [+] Read More

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The Sheffield techno duo of Mark Bell and Gez Varley have a reputation that, at first glance, might seem to exceed them. Having released only two records and not many more singles while they worked together, the pair's apparently meager contribution would hardly seem to bear out the claim that they were one of British techno's most important,... [+] Read More

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Led by producer/vocalist/songwriter Jazzie B., Soul II Soul were one of the most innovative dance/R&B outfits of the late '80s, creating a seductive, deep R&B that borrowed from Philly soul, disco, reggae, and '80s hip-hop. Originally featuring Jazzie B., producer/arranger Nellee Hooper, and instrumentalist Philip "Daddae" Harvey, the musical... [+] Read More

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Longtime advocates of sonic terrorism even before banding together as the Advent in 1993, Cisco Ferreira and Colin McBean's assault on conventional techno flourished in part because of abundant glimpses into related styles, from electro and trance to progressive house. Soon after leaving school, Ferreira began working as an engineer at Jack Trax... [+] Read More

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