Credits:

All tracks produced by Gerald Simpson
Recorded at The Diehold Studio Berlin
Mastered at Calyx Berlin
Published by Chrysalis Music
Photography by Marcel Meury
Art Direction by Klaus Dahmen

BE 2004 2xCD; Super Belgium: superten002

3:57 Automanikk (Derrick May The Force Be With You mix) [Edit]

Released:

2004.

Credits:

Written by Gerald Simpson and Rohan Heath).
Remix & additional production by Mayday.
Copyright Control.

Comments:

The Derrick May remix of 'Automanikk', presented here for the first time on CD, although (as this is a mix CD), the full mix is not included - rather an edited down version.

David Bowie's "Earthling" album has recently been issued as a "Digibook Expanded Edition" 2xCD set, including Gerald's "Paradox Mix" of "Telling Lies" on the second disc.

A triple CD box set, comprising the special editions of "Outside", "Earthling", and "Hours" has also been released. This, of course, also includes the Paradox Mix of "Telling Lies". (This is a numbered limited edition of 2000, so be quick)!

Release date: 27th September 2004:

UK 2004 6xCD; Columbia: 5175352 [Box set feat. the enh. editions of Outside, Earthling and Hours]

Tracks:

5:12 Telling Lies (Paradox Mix by A Guy Called Gerald)

Released:

2004.

Credits:

Remixed by A Guy Called Gerald.

Comments:

A numbered limited edition of 2,000 only in a silver box, of the remastered digibook versions of David Bowie's "Outside", "Earthling", and "Hours" albums. The version of "Earthling", now includes a second CD of mixes, including Gerald's mix of "Telling Lies".

808 State - "Prebuild" was finally released by Rephlex on 4th October 2004.

Press Release:

Wind the tape back to around '87/'88, and the machines are there. Hip Hop is a powerful carrier signal on Manchester's dance music scene. Electro is aligning the sound of the Roland 808 drum machine with the glittering promise of the future. 'The 808 had such a history before the British dance music revolution, mostly in soul music, I guess. It had connotations.' The Roland 303 Bass Line had also been around for some time before '88. However, the minute you knew it was the 303 being used on Acid records you pulled it out of the cupboard and started using it again.

'We knew we were copying American music, but often what we heard on Acid Trax compilations and dance imports didn't hit the mark. The charm of a decent Acid record didn't necessarily happen every time. There was maybe one in ten that really rocked, and it was almost accidental that a track was successful. The formula was there, and we knew that we weren't coming up with anything new when we started to make Acid records. It was more the urge to take it over the edge and do that transcending thing with it.'

Prebuild follows that line of transcendence, comprising studio recordings from the period, a reel-to-reel of a radio session jammed live on air, a clutch of demos recorded by Gerald Simpson in his bedroom and a cassette of the first ever 808 State performance. An ecstatically extended fourteen-minute workout that took place at the end of a Hip Hop night at The Boardwalk Club, 'Thermo Kings' is a glistening wall of radioactive sludge, the sound of industrial waste undergoing a profound chemical change.

'That was the accident that formed it all. It was unplanned but had a definite magic to it. Gerald and Martin were on stage, and I was at the back of the hall working the mixing desk. We hadn't done any recordings before then, but we wanted to try and get that on tape again. The Roland gear did seem limiting but that's all we had, plus studio time was at a premium so you did what you could with what you had. The cheapness of the gear at least meant that we could get in the water with electronic music.'

The result was a series of barbed and energetic dance abstractions that were derived from a specific scene but yielded far wider implications. Technology both preserved and united 808 State's disparate elements.

Massey was running a basement cafe across the road and was learning sound engineering at Spirit studios a few blocks away on Tarif Street. It wasn't long before Martin was organizing Hip Hop crews into club nights and bringing them to the studio to record. Gerald Simpson and MC Tunes formed one such crew. Gerald had a Roland 808 drum machine, the sh101 mono synth and a 303 Bass Line machine.

'One of the reasons we got together was we all had bits of equipment but not enough to experiment with. The more boxes we could wire together the better. Gerald never had plugs on his gear and would jam bare wires into the mains with matchsticks. If we needed a new lead, we would cut an old one in two. I remember a scary moment when we played a rave in Victoria Baths with the pool open, and everyone's in the water dancing water-hockey style, and there's all Gerald's bare wires.'

Safely plugged into the mixing desk at the back of the hall, 808 State's wild-style circuitry left bands like Happy Mondays and Inspiral Carpets free to take over the stage at concerts, giving them a connection with dance culture they might not otherwise have made. 808 State own sets of the period would include early versions of 'Voodoo Ray', plus House remakes of New Order's 'Blue Monday' and 'Confusion'.

This volatile first rush of activity was probably over within a few months, but in that period, 808 State cracked the Acid code, laid down a methodology and shifted the number of beats per minute, unleashing tracks like the fearsome 'C.I.S.' and 'K.Narcossa' on Stu Allen's radio show or dropping twenty-minute tapes into sets at the Hacienda or at warehouse parties. By then Price had sorted out a distribution deal, forming Creed Records to release Newbuild and the 'Let yourself Go' 12" . Gerald recorded 'Voodoo Ray' and the Hot Lemonade album as A Guy Called Gerald for Liverpool's Rham label. Masking their identities as the Lounge Jays, the 808 trio also put out the sleazy driving funk of 'Sex Mechanic' and 'Massagearama' as a 12" for Sheffield's Mr Modo label. 'I think you have to take into account that there's a certain amount of automatic writing with that kind of technology,' Massey recalls. 'It's trial and error a lot of the time. You'd only press the record button when it was happening.' Now press rewind and play.

Ken Hollings London 2004

Word from Gerald:

"There's an LP with 808 State coming out on Rephlex called Prebuild first of all. It's a load of demos I did in 86/87 and I thought they were gone but Graham Massey from 808 State found them behind the cupboard when he was moving. He's compiled them into a CD and should be out mid-year."

Release date: 4th October 2004:

808 State - Prebuild

UK 2004 2xLP; Rephlex: CAT 807 LP
UK 2004 CD; Rephlex: CAT 807 CD

2xLP Tracks

Side A:

10:36 Automatic
03:19 C.I.S.

Side B:

05:09 Ride
04:06 CosaCosa
05:59 Johnnycab

Side C:

03:27 K .Narcosa
05:18 Massagerama
06:55 Sex Mechanic

Side D:

03:34 Clonezone
14:28 Thermo Kings

CD Tracks:

10:36 Automatic
05:09 Ride
05:59 Johnnycab
05:18 Massagerama
03:34 Clonezone
04:06 CosaCosa
06:55 Sex Mechanic
03:19 C.I.S.
03:27 K .Narcosa
14:28 Thermo Kings

Released:

4th October 2004 (recorded during 1987 - 1988).

Credits:

CosaCosa, Johnnycab, Clonezone recorded by - Gerald Simpson

Automatic - Simpson/Massey
C.I.S. - Simpson/Massey/Price
Ride - Simpson/Massey
CosaCosa - Simpson
Johnnycab - Simpson
K .Narcosa - Simpson/Massey/Price
Massagerama - Simpson/Massey/Price
Sex Mechanic - Simpson/Massey/Price
Clonezone - Simpson
Thermo Kings - Simpson/Massey/Price

Automatic and Ride recorded at Spirit Studios Manchester, direct to two track analogue tape, summer 1988.
CosaCosa, Johnnycab, Clonezone recorded in Gerald Simpson's attic, cassette recording, winter 1987.
Massagerama and Sex Mechanic recorded at Spirit Studios, 16 track analogue to 1/4 inch analogue, summer 1988 (Originally released on 12 inch vinyl as the Lounge Jays).
C.I.S. and K .Narcosa recorded live to air, radio session, May 1988.
Thermo Kings recorded live at the Boardwalk Club Manchester, cassette recording, 3 March 1988.

New Order - "Acid House Mixes by 808 State (1988)" was finally released by Rephlex on September 27th 2004.

Well, the New Order 12" is currently (w/c 3rd October 2004) at number 12 in the official dance singles chart and number 15 in the official indie singles chart.

Release date: 27th September 2004:

New Order - Acid House Mixes by 808 State (1988)

UK 2004 12" Single; Rephlex: CAT 806 EP

Tracks:

07:46 New Order - "Blue Monday" - So Hot Mix by 808 State
04:55 New Order - "Confusion" - Acid House Mix by 808 State

Released:

27 September 2004 (recorded during 1988).

Credits:

Remixed in 1988 by Graham Massey, Gerald Simpson and Martin Price.

"Blue Monday" written by - Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris.
"Confusion" written by - Arthur Baker, Bernard Sumner, Gillian Gilbert, Peter Hook, Stephen Morris.

"Blue Monday" published by Be Music, administered by Warner/Chappell Music Ltd.
"Confusion" published by Be Music and Shakin' Baker Music, administered by Warner/Chappell Music Ltd.

Update: 'Strangest Changes' is now not being released as a single - purely a promo. Thus, the track, 'Danger' (from that promo that features David Simpson on vocals) is (so far) exclusive to this promo, as is the mix of 'Strangest Changes'.

There are two Gerald DJ Sets to download from Little Detroit.

The first DJ mix is called "Choice Of A New Generation", and can be downloaded via the Little Detroit website here. "At LD towers this man is an absolute legend, even in the D he's held with the greatest respect by all of the players (no easy feat any day of the week) for never fearing the media boundaries or peer pressure, for taking Techno/Drum & Bass to new ground and  for never being the exploiter or the exploited. Gerald always sticks to his guns and is very much a man of honour, no one can question this man integrity. He could have taken the easy option but he's never been one to tread the well worn path - he went with his own self belief and the beats. The lone wolf. This mix is a classic mash-up of the kind you just don't hear out these days, genius!  The choice of a new generation!"

The second DJ mix is called "Steel Breeze" and can be downloaded via Little Detroit's webpage, here. "How do you like yours? Deep, Dark and Funky with a dash of Acid, thought so. A roller-coaster journey with some absolutely filthy samples along the way - it's like a NYC taxi ride on warm acid with someone beautiful driving, classic AGCG on the steel breeze and LCD. From the skuzz of the Chelsea Hotel to Central Park, sit back, spark a phat one and come with us..."

"Voodoo Ray" gets the remix treatment (by Jeff Mills), and is released as a 12" and CD single via Sugoi.

The "Hot Lemonade" album follows in 2005, together with some 12" singles. Both of Gerald's genre-breaking Drum'n'bass albums, "28 Gun Bad Boy" and "Black Secret Technology" will follow in 2005, also with some 12" singles from Black Secret Technology.

 In addition to Hot Lemonade, 28 Gun Bad Boy, and Black Secret Technology albums, there are also going to be some 12" singles from both Hot Lemonade and 28 Gun Bad Boy, as well as two compilation albums entitled "Machine Room Sessions Vol 1 (1992-1998)" and "Machine Room Sessions Vol 1 (1992-1998)" - these are going to be compilations of previously unreleased and released Juice Box-era tracks. Fantastic!

All of these have been remastered versions (more bass!) of the original - looking forward to these!

As Gerald states: "Also, you'll see some new tunes out on my own record label, Sugoi Recordings. My back catalogue will also be re-issued on Sugoi. 28 Gun Bad Boy and Black Secret Technology haven't been available for years and need to be. You'll also see a compilation of tracks from 92-95 that were only ever released on vinyl. My aim with all this is to hopefully stop people asking what I've been doing since Voodoo Ray." and You're just about to re-release all your back catalogue, any idea when we'll see them back in the shops? The wheels are turning... Very, very soon.

Check on the website over the next month

"Mixed by SST and Superdefekt this is a compilation to compete with the greats: the Kruder & Dorfmeister DJ Kicks, Qbert's 'Demolition', the Avanlanches 'Gimix' and even Coldcut's seminal '70 minutes of Madness'. And with a back catalogue like !K7, is it any wonder? Er, nope.

The album is called "MTV Mash Presents !K7 Clash", and is mix-up of 42 different !K7 tunes on one CD (so don't expect the full Ashley Beedle mix of "Humanity" to appear)!!!

More info from !K7 here.

Release date: 16th February 2004:

Title: "MTV Mash Presents !K7 Clash"

Format: CD

Country: Germany

Label: !K7

Catalogue: !K7164CD

Gerald tracks:

Humanity (Ashley Beedle Mix) (?:??)