The sequencer on the 808, a row of 16 color-coded buttons, offered artists a way to store beats they programmed. Courtesy of Roland Even if you don't know the Roland TR-808 drum machine by name, ...

Today is August 8, and you know what that means: it's the music tech world's annual excuse to sing the praises of history's most iconic drum machine. This year, the legendary Roland TR-808 turns 45, ...

I want to mark the passing of a genius who changed the soundscape of popular music in the 1980’s. Ikutaro Kakehashi (1930-2017) died earlier this month at the age of 87. He founded the Roland ...

The congas ring cheekily, the cowbell plays a corroded chime, the snare is parched and cruel – and the bass drum, a hard bloom of air, is barely music at all. With these core sounds, abetted by a ...

The TR-808 drum machine help crafted many classics records, to celebrate the device’s 40th anniversary, Roland decided to bless beat junkies with some freebies. There is also a very insightful ...

The history of one of the most iconic sounds in electronic music When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works. The Roland TR-808 was released ...

If you spent the 1980s hanging out at your local record store, and you don’t have a hankering for spandex and bouffant rock-god hairstyles, the chances are you’ll have more than a few pieces of ...

You may not know the 808 drum machine, but you have definitely heard it: the original Roland TR-808 was the first programmable drum machine and has been a mainstay of ...

The music-making machine that almost single-handedly birthed pop and hip-hop beats is back in production with some major updates. There hasn’t been anything quite like the 808 in decades, and Roland ...

It’s almost impossible to imagine the modern musical landscape without the distinctive sounds of the Roland TR-808 drum machine. When the Japanese electronics company Roland started releasing the 808 ...