MALIK ARSHAQ
A BRIEF
HISTORY
OF THE
TR-808
You might have heard the term
“808s” being tossed around
in reference to drums that
have a low sub-heavy kick.
The term originated from the
legendary TR-808 drum machine
produced by the Japanese
electronics company, Roland.
38
The
Score Magazine
highonscore.com
Back in 1980, when hip-hop producers were primarily sampling drum
breaks from jazz, blues or rock records, Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of
the Roland Corporation created the TR-808. It was one of the earliest
programmable drum machines that allowed the user to program
custom rhythms. The feature that made the 808 different from other
drum machines was that the sounds did not resemble real drums
or percussion. Instead, they were Roland’s futuristic interpretation
of the classic drum sounds. The machine particularly stood out for
its powerful bass drum sound. The main reason for the 808 failing
commercially was that the sounds were perceived as unreal and toyish.
Over the next few years, the TR-808 had garnered a strong cult following.
The hip-hop producers that were mainly crate-diggers, now had the
opportunity to program their own unique drum patterns without the
need for having search for samples or record a live drummer. What was
also interesting was that rather than playing pre-recorded samples,
this machine generates its sounds using analog subtractive synthesis.
The TR-808 led to the rise of a lot of bedroom producers because of its
simplicity of use and the lack of a need for any sort of training in music.
The impact of this drum machine was felt by almost all forms of
electronic music but it played a massive role in the direction that
hip-hop was heading towards. Producers began to move from more
musical sample-based instrumentals to a stripped-down synthesized
sound. The tracks that earlier used to focus more on the melodic section
were now starting to prioritise the rhythm. This not only affected rap
instrumentals but the style of rapping itself. Rappers began adopting
more syncopated and tighter rhyme schemes in order to sit well with
the new kind of instrumentals. After almost 40 years of its release, the
TR-808 is as still as relevant as ever. Modern hip-hop subgenres such
as trap and grime heavily use the signature low kick sound and sharp
hi-hats and claps. Countless copycat drum machines, plugins and
sample packs that replicate the vintage 808 sound are available today.
Apart from hip-hop, genres such as RnB, house, drumnbass and
EDM rely heavily on the use of the TR-808. Numerous producers
such as Pharrell, Rick Rubin, Questlove, Kanye West, Phil Collins
and Lil Jon have relied on the 808 to produce timeless hits.