Quick Facts
Biography
Graham Massey (born 4 August 1960 in Manchester) was a member of experimental jazz rock group Biting Tongues once signed to Factory Records. By 1988, he was a founding member of the British band, 808 State, formed in Manchester, England which by 1989 became the focus of his work and resulted in the demise of Biting Tongues. Originally a hip hop group called Hit Squad Manchester, they shifted to an acid house sound, recording their debut album, Newbuild in 1988 under the new name 808 State.
Music
808 State was named after Massey's favourite drum machine, the Roland TR-808, ironically later admitting that until the late 1980s they thought Roland drum machines were "severely uncool." Massey had also been a member of the D.I.Y. band Danny and the Dressmakers doing a mixture of "bad" music and Gong covers (living up to their tagline "We don't play our instruments, we abuse them") and also hippy - fusion band Aqua in the 1970s, along with violinist Graham Clark (also later of Gong).
Massey co-wrote and co-produced the tracks 'Army of Me' and 'The Modern Things' for Björk's album Post. Initially recorded in 1992 for her album Debut they were not released until her second album Post in 1995. Army of Me was the first single off Post in May 1995 reaching number 10 in the UK Singles Chart
Recent work
Massey released the solo album Subtracks under the name Massonix on Skam Records. He has side projects with 'Toolshed' and 'Sisters of Transistors', he also recently remixed Brian Dougans's (of The Future Sound of London) track "Stakker Humanoid" for the remix album, "Your Body Sub Atomic". He has also remixed FSOL before on "Papua New Guinea".
In 2004 he worked as a composer for the score of the movie "It's All Gone Pete Tong"
2008 saw the realization of a research project as the keyboard quartet Sisters of Transistors with whom he also plays live drums. Massey provided lyrics and music to much of their debut album released in 2009.
Massey is part of the Part Time Heliocentric Cosmo Drama After School Club, a Sun Ra tribute band formed in 2013 by Paddy Steer. The group performed at the BBC 6 Music Festival in March 2014.