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Graham Massey | |
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| Birth name | Graham Vernon Massey |
| Also known as | Massonix |
| Born | 4 August 1960 Manchester, England |
| Genres | Electronic, house, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Record producer, musician, remixer |
| Instrument(s) | Synthesizers, drums |
| Years active | 1979–present |
| Labels | ZTT, Tommy Boy |
| Website | myspace |
Graham Vernon Massey (born 4 August 1960 in Manchester) is a British record producer, musician, and remixer.
He was a member of experimental jazz rock group Biting Tongues, once signed to Factory Records. [1] After recording with the latter he enrolled in a sound engineer course. [1] By 1988, he was a founding member of the British band 808 State. [2] Originally a hip hop group called Hit Squad Manchester, they shifted to an acid house sound for recording their debut album Newbuild .
808 State was named after Massey's favourite drum machine, the Roland TR-808. He said he thought Roland drum machines were "severely uncool" when they first appeared. [3] [1] Massey had also been a member of the D.I.Y. band Danny and the Dressmakers, a member of the Manchester punk band Aqua in the latest 1970s [4] (not to be confused with the Danish pop band Aqua from the 1990s), and collaborated with violinist Graham Clark.
Massey co-wrote and co-produced the tracks "Army of Me" and "The Modern Things" for Björk's album Post . Initially recorded in 1992 for her album Debut , they were not released until her second album Post in 1995. "Army of Me" was the first single off Post in May 1995, reaching number 10 in the UK Singles Chart.
Massey released the solo album Subtracks under the name Massonix on Skam Records. He has side projects with 'Toolshed' and 'Sisters of Transistors', and remixed Brian Dougans's (of The Future Sound of London) track "Stakker Humanoid" for the remix album, "Your Body Sub Atomic". He has also remixed FSOL before on "Papua New Guinea".
In 2004 he worked as a composer for the score of the movie It's All Gone Pete Tong .
2008 saw the realization of a research project as the keyboard quartet Sisters of Transistors with whom he also plays live drums. [5] Massey provided lyrics and music to much of their debut album released in 2009.
Massey is part of the Part-Time Heliocentric Cosmo Drama After-School Club, a Sun Ra tribute band formed in 2013 by Paddy Steer. [6] The group performed at the BBC 6 Music Festival in March 2014. [7]
A drum machine is an electronic musical instrument that creates percussion sounds, drum beats, and patterns. Drum machines may imitate drum kits or other percussion instruments, or produce unique sounds, such as synthesized electronic tones. A drum machine often has pre-programmed beats and patterns for popular genres and styles, such as pop music, rock music, and dance music. Most modern drum machines made in the 2010s and 2020s also allow users to program their own rhythms and beats. Drum machines may create sounds using analog synthesis or play prerecorded samples.
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine manufactured by Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1983. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns. Unlike its nearest competitor at the time, the more expensive Linn LM-1, the 808 generates sounds using analog synthesis rather than by playing samples.
The Sisters of Mercy are an English rock band formed in Leeds in 1980. After achieving early underground fame there, the band had their commercial breakthrough in the mid-1980s and sustained it until the early 1990s, when they stopped releasing new records in protest against their record company, WEA. Currently, the band are a touring outfit only.
808 State are an English electronic music group formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson. They released their debut album, Newbuild, in September 1988 and secured commercial success in 1989, when their song "Pacific State" was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies and charted for 11 weeks in the UK.
Simply Red are a British soul and pop band formed in Manchester in 1985. The band is led by singer and songwriter Mick Hucknall, who, by the time the band initially disbanded in 2010, was the only original member left. They have released thirteen studio albums, spanning from Picture Book (1985) through Time (2023), all of which have peaked within the top ten on the UK Albums Chart; with the albums A New Flame (1989), Stars (1991), Life (1995) and Blue (1998), along with their Greatest Hits (1996) album, reaching number one. Their 1991 album Stars is one of the best-selling albums in the United Kingdom.
A Certain Ratio are an English post-punk band formed in Greater Manchester in 1977 by Peter Terrell (guitar), Simon Topping, Jez Kerr, Martin Moscrop and Donald Johnson (drums), with Martha Tilson (vocals) joining soon after.
Gerald Rydel Simpson, better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British record producer and musician. He was an early member of the electronic group 808 State, contributing to their debut LP Newbuild (1988) and hit single "Pacific State" (1989). He also achieved solo success with his 1988 hit single "Voodoo Ray", which became a touchstone of Manchester's acid house scene and reached No. 12 in the UK charts. He embraced breakbeat production in the 1990s, with his 1995 album Black Secret Technology becoming a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'" He also ran the London-based independent record label Juice Box Records from 1991 to 1998.
Stephen Paul David Morris is an English drummer who is best known for his work with the rock band New Order and, previously, Joy Division. He also wrote and performed in The Other Two, a band consisting of Morris and his girlfriend and later wife, Gillian Gilbert. Morris also participated in the New Order spin-off band Bad Lieutenant.
Lamb is an English electronic music duo from Manchester, whose music is influenced by trip hop, drum and bass and jazz. The duo consists of producer Andy Barlow and singer-songwriter Lou Rhodes. They achieved commercial success with the hit singles "Górecki" and "Gabriel".
BGM is the fourth studio album by Yellow Magic Orchestra, released on March 21, 1981. The title stands for "Background music", though Japanese TV and press advertising alternately used "Beautiful Grotesque Music". This album was produced by Haruomi Hosono. Recording started on January 15, 1981, in an effort to release the album by March 21, 1981. The album was the first of any kind to feature the Roland TR-808, one of the earliest programmable drum machines; YMO had already been the first band to use the device, featuring it on-stage as early as 1980. In addition to the TR-808, this was also their first studio album recorded with the Roland MC-4 Microcomposer.
Red Snapper are a British instrumental band founded in London in 1993 by Ali Friend, Richard Thair (drums), and David Ayers (guitar). The three core members are also joined by various guest musicians and vocalists on different records. Since the 2007 reunion Tom Challenger (saxophone) has also been a member of the band. According to music journalist Jason Ankeny of AllMusic, "the British acid jazz trio [are] notable for their pioneering synthesis of acoustic instruments and electronic textures".
Nicholas William Dennis Hodgson, also known as MC Tunes, is an English rapper from the Moss Side area in Manchester. His name was legally changed to Lockett in 1981, and he also goes by the name Nicky Lockett. Tunes played a significant role in the Madchester-music scene during the 1980s and 1990s. In his early career Tunes took niche music genres into the UK Singles Chart, whilst fronting 808 State, and later achieved cult status with the band Dust Junkys.
"She's Lost Control" is a song by British post-punk band Joy Division. Released on their 1979 debut album, Unknown Pleasures, "She's Lost Control" was first performed live by the band in June 1978 and draws primary lyrical inspiration from a young woman experiencing a violent epileptic seizure.
The March Violets are an English post-punk/gothic rock band formed in 1981 in Leeds, incorporating male & female singers, drum machine rhythms and echo-laden electric guitar, much in the style of fellow Leeds band the Sisters of Mercy. Seven March Violets singles reached the UK Indie Chart; the Natural History collection also was an indie hit.
Newbuild is the debut studio album by English electronic music group 808 State, released in September 1988 by Creed Records. It was the only album recorded with founding member Gerald Simpson, who departed shortly afterward for a solo career.
Crispy Ambulance are an English post-punk band, formed in Manchester in late-1977 by Keith Darbyshire (bass), Robert Davenport (guitar), Alan Hempsall (vocals), and Gary Madeley (drums). They had been inspired by the Sex Pistols' second gig in the Lesser Free Trade Hall, in addition to the bands Magazine and Hawkwind.
ex:el is the third studio album by 808 State, released on 4 March 1991 by ZTT Records. In contrast to the band's previous work, the album features more catchy melodies and heavier acid techno beats and percussion, "embracing earlier flirtations with hip-hop and industrial music".
Richard James Burgess is an English musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, author, manager, marketer and inventor.
Intimacy Remixed is the remix album to Intimacy, the third album by indie rock band Bloc Party. It was released on 11 May 2009 in the United Kingdom through Wichita Recordings, the band's primary label, in limited edition CD and triple LP formats to coincide with Bloc Party's worldwide touring schedule. The record entered the UK Album Chart at number 79. In the United States, it achieved a peak of number 15 on the Billboard Dance/Electronic Albums chart.
Henrietta Smith-Rolla, is a British-born Ghanaian-Russian-German composer, producer and DJ based in Manchester, performing under the alias Afrodeutsche. Alongside her prolific DJ career, she has produced music for her own studio album, as well as music for television and film, including composing the score for BAFTA nominated short film Kamali.
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