808 State lost Gerald Simpson shortly after the release of their classic debut album Newbuild, which was largely an Acid House based musical release. The other members of 808 State, seeing that they had some considerable successes with their music, opted to carry on. They still had some musical mojo at the time, and they opted to go on with their music with some new releases. This was one of their first releases after all that and is now widely considered to be an extremely important release and indeed, track of the latter Acid House era. Without further delay, let’s take a listen to this single EP and hear what it sounds like.

Pacific – 707 launches into a sped-up version of the original tune. This isn’t the best rendition of the classic piece, but it does sound breathtaking and amazing all the same. It is a good remix that is more beat based and has some Acid House styled textures throughout. Nonetheless, this is good listening for those of you who crave something wonderful and different musically. A great listen, all the same, it progresses beautifully and nicely throughout. Little really can be said here as the original is better. Still, this is great as well to hear and sounds euphoric and different. In the midsection is a bongo led breakdown with some other extraordinary and different textures to boot. A fascinating listen, this builds nicely on the original track and has some differentiating melodies, particularly on the saxophone section on this track. Great for what it is, regardless of any comparisons that need to be done. A cool listen, with the birds chirping front and centre at the end. Not bad.

Pacific – b is a shortened version of the original. Unfortunately, due to this reason, it doesn’t sound quite as magical here. Still, it is a good piece of music that deserves its place here on this EP. Another wonderful listening experience, albeit short and sweet. Regardless, this is a good taste tester of the main tune. If you aren’t emotionally touched by Pacific State, then you are missing out. A very, very good listening experience and just a great example of what an impatient listener can experience from this tune. A forward thinking and excellent listen, this is great to hear, although this is very much a radio edit of the original tune. Pleasant, pretty and interesting, this is undeniably worth your time and ears. Excellent music, and something to clearly remember when it comes to music. A great listen, towards the end it fades out.

Pacific – 202 is another sped up version of this tune, sounding very high-pitched. It’s still not as good as the classic Pacific State but as a remix, it does sound well-crafted and excellent. The Acid House sounds return for your ears to enjoy. Regardless, this is another good remix that doesn’t disappoint for all intents and purposes. A really pretty, gorgeous and interesting listen, without giving up too much from the original. An unusual keyboard part enters when the saxophone plays, along with stardust sounds as well. Pleasant enough to enjoy, although this is merely a remix. The bongos return as well, which makes this more flavoursome. All in all, for remixes, this is a wonderful listen for what it is. There is a breakdown with percussion and bongos, before launching back into the main section of the track. It is really up to the listener to decide which version of Pacific State changes their own life and musical tastes, as they all are designed for different ears. In the second half, the percussion, stardust and Acid House sounds duke it out well and nicely. A really awesome and wonderful musical listen that doesn’t disappoint. This is a rather long remix at over five and a half minutes long, but it works well. Towards the end, the intro returns and we conclude with sped-up melodies and birds chirping everywhere, before this concludes. Good.

Pacific State – 12″ Version is the original version of the classic tune, and in many ways, the best version of it. It begins with spacey atmospheric sounds and lovely birds chirping. It is extremely beautiful. Soon into it, an amazing saxophone enters and the tune sounds interesting, beautiful and amazing. A real classic. Roland beats quickly enter, with handclaps and this gets going nicely. A really thoroughly great listen. Some extra electronic melodies are thrown into the mix as this tune goes along, along with more extremely romantic sounding saxophone. This is an instant classic of a tune, and one you need to hear on repeat listens. The saxophone melodies are purely fantastic. More spacey sounds via keyboards enter, and this tune sounds really fantastic musically. This is a tune to make love with your partner to or play at a wedding, it is that romantic sounding and beautiful indeed. The main melodies cut out near the middle, and this tune continues with more birds chirping and beats galore. This is a stunning and amazing listening experience, and one you will never forget. Some reversed sounds occur, and we lead into the second half with some pretty and additional textures. The spacey keyboard becomes much more prominent here, and this tune continues along in a beautiful way. A joyous and interesting listening experience that is a true classic of EDM based music. The saxophone throughout is majestic. This is so beautiful that some listeners will have tears of happiness in their eyes upon hearing this. A great listen from start to finish, not a moment is wasted here. Towards the end, the track stops and there are some nicely mixed bird sounds and keyboards, which are sped up and pitch-shifted right at the end. Absolutely amazing, and you must hear this. Period. Excellent.

Pacific – 303 is yet another remix of the classic tune. It is the more pitched shift main remix of the tune. It’s not as good, to be frank in the intro section, and it sounds like not something we really need to hear at this point. It quickly launches into the main section of the remix. Still, this is a very good remix for what it is, yet again. These different versions all have different listening purposes here. Some Roland TR-808 and TR-909 sounds are thrown into the mix, including beats and bell sounds. All the same, this is a clever and interesting remix that goes down well. There are some unusual Spanish vocals thrown into the mix here, which make this different, but quite unnecessary to hear as a result. Nonetheless, this is quite enjoyable, although this remix kind of kills the original a little. Some different saxophone parts are here, and this tune sounds better for it. Different, but not to the standards of the original tune. There are some interesting cyber sounds in the second half that are quite different, and the Spanish female chanting returns. Weird yet wonderful, this is a strange listen for this EP. It sounds super pleasant and interesting, to say the least. A gorgeous and interesting listening experience, for all its quirks and oddities. Very different and intellectually made, this is a strange listening experience that is really cool. Not as good as the original, though. It concludes with stereo panned Spanish vocal parts, and the tune gradually finishes here nicely. The outro has cyber melodies galore and some more bird sounds, before fading out.

Cobra Bora – Shortcut is a brief piece of music showcasing what else 808 State could do musically. It sounds quirky, Acid House based and different, being a remix of another tune from around this time. It only goes on for just over a minute, but is a nice little intermission from the different Pacific State remixes. It quickly fades out, a nice taste of some other EDM styled music.

Pacific – 909 / Mellow Birds Mega Edit begins with some unusual clarinet like sounds and birds chirping nicely. This is a lengthy piece at seven minutes long. It launches into some delayed saxophone before the main track enters. It sounds completely different to anything else on this EP and sounds very low-key and magical. It is more bass driven and quirky sounding, which is really different as a result. In any case, this is a very lovely listen and although it is very musically different to the original tune, it does sound great and kicks the proverbial nicely. There is an Acid House styled breakdown in the first half of this tune, followed quickly by a nice and pleasant listening experience that this remix creates. A great listen, through and through with some unusual and different melodies throughout. Towards the middle, some unusual percussion enters, which is reoccurring throughout this tune and sounds very amazing. A very relaxed and chilled sounding tune, this is very exciting, interesting and enjoyable to listen to. Of course, there are elements of the original here, but this sounds totally different than expected. Some trumpet sounds are present in the second half, along with a huge barrage of variable and excellent sounds. Towards the end, this launches into a really excellent and beat heavy listen that sounds very cool. A nice and cool remix of the original, sounding completely different from the original Pacific State. Definitely worth your ears, and sounds fantastically amazing throughout. It sounds very warm towards the end. A worthy addition to this EP, it ends suddenly with hi-hats predominant in the mix.

Pacific – Bonus Bird Beats returns the hi-hats from before, launching into a very nice addition to conclude this EP. It pretty much does musically what the track name says, bird sounds and beats. It is a really quirky, cool and sweet addition to the end of this EP. The beats are really fantastic sounding and nicely percussive. It is almost like a drum solo, in fact. Some pitch-shifted main melodies are here from the main track as well. All in all, a really fresh and lovely listen to conclude a collector’s item of an EP. The percussion here is really fantastic, and this is a great conclusion to an excellent EP. The beats get quirky at the end before this wraps up with Psychedelic EDM sounds and birds chirping. Sweet.

If you need a taste of beautiful EDM based music that is inspiring and life-changing, look no further. Although this is an EP, it sounds very amazing and interesting, with not a dull moment to hear. This is a collector’s item today and something you should listen to, especially when getting romantic with a lover. Should you listen to this EP? Definitely give it a spin, this is an outstanding listen of its kind.

Truly beautiful, wonderful and amazing.

9/10