Today is August 8th – also known as 808 Day – and Roland is celebrating the 45th anniversary of its iconic drum machine, the TR-808. If you have even a passing interest in music-making, we won't need to bring you up to speed on the influence of the 808.
Since its launch in 1980, Roland's TR-808 Rhythm Composer has inspired musicians, shaped genres and featured in some of musical history's most memorable tracks across pop, hip-hop and electronic music. After almost five decades at the heart of music culture, the 808 and its instantly recognisable sounds remain as popular as ever.
As usual, Roland is marking the occasion with special releases and promotional events that "pay tribute to the 808's enduring legacy". These include an eight-part animated video series, The Rhythm Creators, that shines a light on untold stories from artists that have been inspired by Roland's TR-808 and TR-909 drum machines in their work.
Featuring animation by Detroit artist Vaughn Taormina and narration from the artists, the series kicks off with an episode focused on Egyptian Lover, a rapper, producer and DJ that's made liberal use of the 808 across his five-decade career since playing a foundational role in L.A.'s hip-hop and electro scene in the early '80s.
In the video, Egyptian Lover recalls his first encounter with the drum machine: "When I first heard the 808, I did not know it was the 808. It was on a song called Planet Rock. The next day I went to Guitar Center and I saw the 808 for the first time, and programmed Planet Rock in it."
A week later, the 18-year-old Egyptian Lover delivered a performance to a crowd of 10,000 at the L.A. Sports Arena with his new instrument. "This is L.A., and I had no idea what thugs and gangsters would do if they knew they were dancing to a drum machine. I was like, 'OK, I'm kinda scared.'"
"I went home and programmed it full of beats. I'm in the Sports Arena in front of 10,000 people, on the breakdown of Planet Rock, I pushed play on the drum machine and turned the volume down on the turntable, and all they heard was the 808 playing the Planet Rock beat.
"They danced for two minutes, then I changed the beat on them. They were partying even harder, and I put on an even better beat. Man, everybody was screaming out, 'what record is that?!', but it wasn't a record – it was the 808."
Alongside the premier of The Rhythm Creators, Roland has announced a relaunch of its collaboration with New Balance on the Tiago Lemos NM808 x Roland sneaker. The shoe takes design cues from Roland’s classic drum machine with a white, orange and yellow colour scheme, along with a Roland logo and TR-808 badge on the tongue.
Roland has also made the TR-808 Software Rhythm Composer plugin available for a generously discounted price of $49 until September 9, and Roland Cloud Pro and Ultimate members can enjoy a new 808-themed sound pack from hip-hop legend and founding member of N.W.A. Arabian Prince.
The Tiago Lemos NM808 x Roland sneakers will be available starting on August 8 at 10:00 a.m. EDT for $114.99 on newbalance.com.
Read our 2006 interview with Arthur Baker, the producer behind Afrika Bambaataa's Planet Rock.
