808 State - Bond (ZANG 80)

JUL 01 1996 · 12:00

808 State - Bond (ZANG 80) (1996) Director: Mika Kallwass Era: Mid-90s UK Electronic / Post-Rave Maturation (1996) - Peak era of British IDM and progressive breaks crossover, as Manchester's acid house pioneers moved into cinematic, album-oriented electronica with ZTT Records backing. A rare confirmed-director document from 808 State's mid-career Don Solaris campaign, representing a mature, cinematic phase of one of UK electronic music's most historically significant acts. The rapid editorial pace (199 cuts, 1.50s ASL), high contrast, and muted warm palette provide a precise quantitative fingerprint for mid-90s ZTT art-electronic video production, making this an ideal reference artefact for both genre history and technical era classification. Context: Released in June 1996, 'Bond' appeared during 808 State's return to prominence with the Don Solaris album on ZTT/WEA, a period when Manchester's foundational acid house acts were repositioning within a changing UK electronic landscape that now included Britpop dominance and the emergent big beat scene. The collaboration with New York spoken-word artist Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing marked a transatlantic indie-electronic fusion typical of mid-90s ZTT output. AllMusic has described 808 State as 'one of the most important dance music acts of all time,' and Bond demonstrates the group's mature, cinematic direction far removed from their early acid house roots. Director notes: Kallwass directed both 'Bond' and 'Azura' for 808 State in 1996, both produced by Lizzie Ross, as part of the promotional campaign for the album Don Solaris (ZTT/WEA). 'Bond' was released as catalog number ZANG 80 on 17 June 1996. The quantitative profile, 199 scene changes, 1.50s avg shot length, muted warm palette, moderate brightness and low motion score, points to an editorially driven, concept-oriented approach consistent with mid-90s European electronic music video aesthetics.