Rapper Afrika Bambaataa and his group The Soul Sonic Force became interested in this instrument and used it on their hit song “Planet Rock”. One of the main genres this instrument attracted was hip-hop, which was still in its developing stages during the early 1980s. The instrument eventually began to be used by American musicians several years after its initial release, and attracted a variety of producers from different genres. “1,000 Knives” by Yellow Magic Orchestra: One of the first uses of the TR-808 was by the Yellow Magic Orchestra, a Japanese electronic music group, who used the instrument on their song “1,000 Knives”. This lack of quality in the 808 also meant that the instrument was also sold at a much lower price than other competing drum machines at the time, which was very appealing to musicians on a tighter budget. ![]() Other higher quality drum machines, such as the Linn LM-1 (also produced in 1980) were able to create much more realistic drum sounds because of its ability to use real sampled acoustic drums. The reason for the instrument’s synthetic quality mainly stems from Roland’s desire to produce original electronic drum sounds rather than sampled sounds from a real drum set. The cowbell sound is not even a percussive hit like the other sounds on the machine, but instead a series of two perfect fifth intervals being produced on a sawtooth wave (on the notes C-sharp 5 and G-sharp 5). ![]() The other instrument sounds, such as the snare and hi-hat, have been unkindly described as thin and tinny. The bass drum has a low, booming ring after its initial attack (and was even the same sound used by the low toms. The main criticism of the machine was that the individual drum sounds did not match the timbres of an acoustic drum set in any way. The individual drum sounds have been described as “spacey” and futuristic, and at the time of its release, the TR-808 was described by an article in an unnamed electronic magazine as having a sound similar to “marching ants”.Īt first, the instrument was not received positively by many musicians and music producers, and was looked at by many as more of a toy than a useful instrument. The sound of the 808 was unique to many musicians at the time due to its robotic, artificial quality. The TR-808 model - “TR” standing for “Transistor Rhythm” - was originally designed as a stand-in for higher quality drum sets or drum machines and was to be used for recording demos by musicians. ![]() The origin of the Roland TR-808 drum machine starts in 1980 when the instrument was released by the electronics manufacturer The Roland Corporation. By exploring the beginnings and early uses of this instrument, its usage in 80s pop and hip-hop, and frequent usage in current hip-hop, we can see the monumental influence this electronic instrument has on the sonic landscape of hip-hop’s history and culture. Additionally, it continues to have an influence on modern music production through its ongoing use by some of today’s most well-known rappers and producers. As the quotation in this article’s title of the Beastie Boys’ 1998 song “Super Disco Breakin” suggests, the sonic qualities of this drum machine helped shape the sound of American popular music in the 1980s. This comparison could not be more accurate, as the use of the 808 has been a staple of hip hop and popular music production since its invention in 1980. In the 2015 documentary film 808, drummer and prominent hip hop musician Questlove describes the 808 Drum Machine as the “rock guitar of hip hop”. written & researched by Zach Diaz, free to access a playlist that includes all of the 808 songs in this article on Spotify here.]
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