Ex:el

ex:el
Studio album by
808 State
Released4 March 1991[1]
RecordedSeptember – December 1990 at Revolution Studios
Genre
Length
  • 57:32 (UK)
  • 63:34 (US)
Label
808 State chronology
Utd. State 90
(1990) 		ex:el
(1991) 		Gorgeous
(1993)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[3]
Drowned in Sound7/10[4]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[5]
Entertainment WeeklyB+[6]
The Line of Best Fit82%[7]
MusicHound4.5/5[8]
Q[9]
Record Mirror8/10[10]
Select[11]
Tom Hull – on the WebB+ ((2-star Honorable Mention)(2-star Honorable Mention))[12]

ex:el is the third studio album by 808 State, released on 4 March 1991 by ZTT Records.[9] 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".[3]

The album also features the guest vocals of Bernard Sumner of Joy Division and New Order, who sings on "Spanish Heart".[9] In addition, Björk sings on "Qmart" and "Ooops", and is credited with co-writing both;[2] this album marked the start of a long-running working relationship between Björk and Graham Massey.[9]

It is considered to be the first major release to feature the sample from the film Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory of the phrase "we are the music makers", which became one of the most common vocal samples in electronic music. It is also the first electronic album to feature guest vocals by important alternative rock artists on selected tracks, which became commonplace too on later pop-oriented electronic albums.[3]

Phil Sutcliffe in Q Magazine called the album "irresistibly full of fun"[9]

The album is last to feature founding member Martin Price, who left the group in October 1991 to perform solo production work, eventually forming his own label, Sun Text.[13]

In 2007, The Guardian included the album in their list of "1000 Albums to Hear Before You Die".[14]

  1. ^ "808 State - Discography".
  2. ^ a b c d e f g "808 State Album Review: Gorgeous". www.808state.com. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. ^ a b c AllMusic review
  4. ^ Gardner, Noel (22 March 2010). "808:90, ex:el, Gorgeous, Don Solaris (reissued)". Drowned in Sound. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  5. ^ Larkin, Colin (2011). "808 State". Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Omnibus Press. ISBN 9780857125958 – via Google Books.
  6. ^ "ex:el". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on 16 August 2022.
  7. ^ Rueben, Simon (17 October 2008). "808 State - EX:EL (Deluxe Edition)". The Line of Best Fit. Archived from the original on 19 October 2008. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  8. ^ Graff, Gary; Durchholz, Daniel, eds. (1999). "808 State". MusicHound Rock: The Essential Album Guide. Visible Ink Press. p. 378–379. ISBN 1-57859-061-2.
  9. ^ a b c d e Sutcliffe, Phil (5 March 1991). "ex:el review". Q Magazine. 55: 68.
  10. ^ Nicholson, Tim (9 March 1991). "808 State: ex:el". Record Mirror. Vol. 38, no. 10. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  11. ^ Collis, Andrew (April 1991). "Building an Empire State". Select. No. 10. p. 88. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  12. ^ Hull, Tom (8 November 2023). "Grade List: 808 State". Tom Hull – on the Web. Retrieved 11 November 2023.
  13. ^ Strong, Martin C. (2000). The Great Rock Discography (5th ed.). Edinburgh: Mojo Books. pp. 311–312. ISBN 1-84195-017-3.
  14. ^ "Artists beginning with E". The Guardian. 20 November 2007. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 15 August 2024.