On August 8th (8/08), the global music community comes together to honor the iconic Roland TR-808 drum machine, an instrument that’s inspired countless artists and changed the face of contemporary music. The events will take place on what’s been dubbed “808 Day,” and festivities can be tracked on social media with the hashtag #808day.
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer, commonly known as the 808, is a drum machine that was created by Tadao Kikumoto and manufactured by the Roland Corporation between 1980 and 1982. It was one of the first drum machines to allow users to program rhythms instead of using preset patterns.
The emergence of the drum machine was crucial to the formation of entire areas of music — especially hip-hop, but also subgenres like Miami bass, acid house, and Detroit techno. Before the 808, producers would dig for drum samples and meticulously loop them to create original drum patterns.
The 808 was eventually used on more hit records than any other drum machine.
A short list of hit records made with the TR-808 include:
Marvin Gaye – 'Sexual Healing' (1982) ...
SOS Band — “Just Be Good to Me” (1983)
Egyptian Lover - 'Egypt, Egypt'
Beastie Boys – 'Paul Revere' (1986) ...
Whitney Houston – 'I Wanna Dance With Somebody' (1987)
808 State – 'Flow Coma' (1988) ...
Aphex Twin – 'Xtal' (1992) ...
Outkast – 'The Way You Move' (2003)
Kanye West – ‘Love Lockdown’ (2008)
Lil Wayne — “Let the Beat Build” (2008)
HTRK — “Ha” (2009)
DJ Rashad (feat. Spinn and Taso) – ‘Only One’ (2013)
Beyonce - ‘Drunk in love’ (2013)
Hudson Mohawke – ‘Chimes’ (2014)
Daft Punk – ‘Doin’ it Right (ft. Panda Bear)’ (2014)
Future – ‘March Madness’ (2015)
For decades Roland as a music and technology brand has been focused on innovation and developing the best most inspiring creativity tools possible. With the launch of our Roland Lifestyle division we are creating our own unique bridge between fashion, culture, and music for everyone that loves the Roland brand.
Brand collaborations, in-line lifestyle products, and unique activations will all be part of Roland Lifestyle. Designed to fuel inspiration in artists and creators around the world our lifestyle category is here to bring us closer.
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