808 State are a British electronic music outfit, formed in 1987 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and their common state of mind. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson, and they released their debut Newbuild in September 1988.

The band secured commercial success in 1989, when their song "Pacific State" was picked up by BBC Radio 1 DJ Gary Davies.

Martin Price was the owner of a record store, Eastern Bloc, and was also the founder of the independent record label, Creed. Customers Graham Massey and Gerald Simpson joined with Price to form a hip-hop group called Hit Squad Manchester. Soon after, the band shifted to an acid house sound, recording the debut Newbuild in 1988, while using the name 808 State for the first time. The album was released on Price's own record label. Massey had been a member of the band Aqua in the 1970s, along with the violinist Graham Clark, a former pupil of Manchester Grammar School.

The band's "Pacific State" was released as a single, peaking at #10 in the UK Singles Chart. Simpson left the group in 1989 to form his own solo project, A Guy Called Gerald. At this point, the remaining personnel enlisted DJ's Andrew Barker and Darren Partington, known as the Spinmasters, and recorded the EP, Quadrastate in July 1989.Ninety was released in December 1989.

MC Tunes (born Nicholas William Dennis Hodgson, 1970) is a British rapper from the Moss Side area in Manchester. His name was legally changed to Lockett in 1981. Tunes was one of the big promoters of the Madchester-era during the 1980s and 1990s.

Tunes first worked with 808 State on the 1990 album, The North At Its Heights (ZTT Records). The album was a moderate success, reaching No.26 in the UK Albums Chart, and also saw European and Japanese releases. It spawned three UK singles that entered the UK Singles Chart: "The Only Rhyme That Bites" (ZTT, 1990) reached number 10, "Tunes Splits The Atom" (ZTT, 1990) reached number 18 and "Primary Rhyming" (ZTT, 1990) reached number 67 – this was also the first of the singles to have the 'vs 808 State' wording removed from the cover.

In 1992, Tunes recorded the single "Digital Bad Boy/Could You Understand" (Juice Box, 1992) with A Guy Called Gerald (Gerald Simpson, also from 808 State).

Following the stalling of his solo career, Tunes formed the group Dust Junkys in 1995, with Sam Brox on guitar, Stephen "Oj" Oliver Jones on bass guitar, Mykey Wilson on drums and Ganiyu Pierre Gasper on turntables. The band concentrated on gigging in the Manchester area and then national tours, building audiences for their mix of British hip hop and Rock music.

Bernard Sumner (born 4 January 1956), also known as Bernard Dickin, Bernard Dicken and Bernard Albrecht is an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, keyboard player and producer.

He is best known as a founding member of the bands Joy Division and New Order. He also recorded with Johnny Marr as Electronic and is the lead vocalist of the band Bad Lieutenant.

Sumner was a founding member of Joy Division, a post-punk band formed in 1976. The band are widely considered one of the most influential bands of the era. Primarily known as the band's lead guitarist (his main guitars were a Gibson SG and a Shergold Custom Masquerader), Sumner also played keyboards for synth parts and made his first vocal appearance on record singing the chorus of "They Walked In Line" on the Warsaw album. In May 1980, the band's vocalist Ian Curtis committed suicide.

Sumner and remaining bandmates Peter Hook and Stephen Morris started a new band named New Order, taking in Gillian Gilbert. Though Hook, Morris and Gilbert also contributed vocals on some early tracks, Sumner emerged as the band's permanent lead vocalist and lyricist.