Everybody Needs a 303

The sound you can't improve: The story of the Roland TB-303

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Luke Vibert - I Love Acid

Released Warp Records - September 2003

Vibert grew up in Cornwall at the same time as Richard D James (AKA Aphex Twin). As a result his earliest records were released on James' Rephlex Records. Read my feature on Rephlex Records here, including a discussion of Vibert's first album Weirs (recorded with Jeremy Simmonds), and his triple album Kerrier District, named in honour of the local council in mid Cornwall where he grew up.

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Plastikman - Plasticity

From Sheet One - Released 1993 on Plus 8 Records by Richie Hawtin.

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A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray

Released June 24, 1989.

Widely considered the classic acid house anthem, Voodoo Ray was recorded in Manchester in 1989 by Gerald Simpson.

Read my feature from Mojo, May 2005, telling the story of Voodoo Ray. Featuring an interview with A Guy Called Gerald who explains that the record was made in just two days and outlines how his frustrations over not being paid for the record informed his future approach to the music industry.

Read the full story here

Read the full story here

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Humanoid - Stakker Humanoid

Released November 1988.

Stakker Humanoid was produced by Brian Dougans who would later go on to form Future Sound of London with Garry Cobain. The record reached number 17 in the UK charts, becoming the first credible UK acid house record to cross over into the mainstream.

Read my feature for the Guardian marking the 25th anniversary of Stakker Humanoid, featuring interviews with Dougans and the records' unexpected early champions Bruno Brookes and Pete Waterman.

Follow me on Twitter @stuart_aitken

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808 State - Flow Coma

From the album Newbuild. Released April 1988.

Read my feature from Mojo in Feb 2005, about the recording of 808 State’s seminal acid house album Newbuild. The story features interviews with all original members of 808 State, outlines how the album was made and discusses its pivotal role in the evolution of UK acid house.

Read the full story here

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808 State - Let Yourself Go (303 mix)

Released 1988 - Creed Records

Read my feature for Record Collector discussing 808 State's early acid house output. The story marked the release of 808 State’s acid remix of New Order’s Blue Monday. The feature includes interviews with Graham Massey, A Guy Called Gerald, Aphex Twin and Sean Booth of Autechre and discusses the importance of 808 State’s early work - including the story behind the seminal acid house album Newbuild.

Read the full story here

Follow me on Twitter @stuart_aitken

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Bam Bam - Where's Your Child?

Released 1988. Desire Records.

Recorded by Chris "Bam Bam" Westbrook.

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Virginia Featuring Mista Luv (Psychic TV) - Blue Pyramid

Released 1988. Taken from the album Various ‎– Tekno Acid Beat, released on Temple Records.

Tekno Acid Beat was an album of material by Psychic TV released under the guise of a various artists compilation album. The tracks were credited to different group names in order to make it seem that there was a bigger acid house scene in England than there was.

Psychic TV's Genesis P-Orridge is often cited as being the first person to use the term "acid house" on the track Tune In (Turn On The Acid House). 

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Zsa Zsa Laboum - Something Scary

Released 1988. Kaos Dance Records.

Emerging from Belgium's New Beat scene, Something Scary was produced by Ferre Baelen, also known as Dr. Fernando, and prolific producer Rembert de Smet.

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Tyree - Acid Over

Released by Chicago’s Tyree Cooper in 1987 on Underground, a sub label of DJ International Records.

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Phuture - Acid Tracks

Released in 1987 on Trax Records. Perhaps the most famous acid house record of all time - and for many the record that started everything. Recorded by DJ Pierre, Earl 'Spanky' Smith aka DJ Spank Spank and Herbert 'Herb J' Jackson.

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Sleezy D - I've Lost Control

Released in 1986 on Trax Records. Produced by Marshall Jefferson.

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Adonis - No Way Back

Released on Trax Records - 1986. Recorded by Chicago’s Adonis Smith.

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CTI - Dancing Ghosts

From the 1984 album Elemental by CTI.

The music was recorded as a soundtrack to a one hour video by CTI. All pieces were composed and played by Chris Carter, Cosey Fanni Tutti and John Lacey in 1982 and released in 1984. Dancing Ghosts is one of the very first tracks to combine the Roland TB303 and Roland TR808.

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Alexander Robotnik - Problems D'Amour

Released in Italy in 1983 on Fuzz Dance Records by Maurizio Dami - AKA Alexander Robotnik.

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Charanjit Singh - Raga Bhairav

From the album Ten Ragas To a Disco Beat. Released in 1982 - His Master's Voice, The Gramophone Company Of India

Read my feature for the Guardian on the unlikely story behind Charanjit Singh’s unlikely record Ten Ragas To a Disco Beat - seen by many as a forerunner of acid house. This was Charanjit’s first ever interview with a UK journalist. The interview took place on a sunny Sunday afternoon in a suburban house in Acton during one of Charanjit’s rare visits to London.

Read the whole story here.

Following the publication of this story, I did an interview for US radio. Listen here.

Follow me on Twitter @stuart_aitken

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Orange Juice - Rip it Up

Taken from the 1982 album Rip it Up.

Along with Let Me Go by Heaven 17, Rip it Up is widely believed to feature one of the first uses of the Roland TB-303 in popular music.