This is a cut-out, so the barcode is punched, but the price is great! In the late '80s, 808 State were at the forefront of England's still developing electronic music scene. Now, thanks to the mercurial trends that define the genre, the Manchester collective is nothing more than a blip on the techno radar. While new styles like drum & bass and hardfloor take the spotlight, 808 State continues crafting remarkable albums that sound like none other. Don Solaris is one of the most impressive electronic music outings of 1997, if not necessarily the most innovative. Pulling in vocal contributions from artists as diverse and stellar as Soul Coughing's M. Doughty ("Bond"), Lamb's Louise Rhodes ("Azura") and the Manic Street Preachers' James Dean Bradfield ("Lopez") certainly makes it contender as the most interesting. But the backbone of 808 State's sound is still in its propensity for propulsive rhythms and dazzling synthwork. Songs like "Jerusahat" and "Black Dartangon" practically soar out of the speakers.