Three Minute Epiphany - Don Lewis: The TR-808 Drum Machine

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Don is a musician, he played with Quincy Jones and Sérgio Mendes. He is also an engineer, and he built and experimented with synthesizers very early on. He created the Live Electronic Orchestra in the early Seventies which led to the development of MIDI. We hear how he requested a Rhythm Unit from Roland and ended up helping to build it!

2020 saw the Roland 808 drum machine's 40th birthday and its global impact on music has been huge. Electro, Hip-hop, House, Techno, Soul, Funk, Drum and Bass to Trap - the 808 is at the heart of their stories. It literally changed the sound of popular music.

Published on Wednesday, 9th December 2020.

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