Released in 1980, the Roland TR-808 was designed as an alternative to an acoustic drum kit for musicians to record with, but took on a new life in hip-hop, pop, R&B, techno, house and electro, as ...

Every generation has an instrument which defines its sound, and for those whose formative musical years lie in the 1980s, a very strong contender to the crown is the Roland TR-808 percussion ...

The sequencer on the 808, a row of 16 color-coded buttons, offered artists a way to store beats they programmed. Courtesy of Roland Even if you don't know the Roland TR-808 drum machine by name, ...

There’s no shortage of ways for drummers to trigger electronic sounds live: from single triggers to full multipads, adding sounds to your kit with an electronic drum pad is now easier and more ...

Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of pioneering electronic instrument company Roland, has died aged 87. Kakehashi’s influence on both the development of electronic music and the pop charts is enduring.

It’s the TR-808 drum machine’s 40th anniversary this year, and Roland is marking 808 Day (8/08, of course) with a flood of goodies to celebrate the legendary instrument. To begin with, there’s a mini ...

If we know anything about Roland, it's that the company loves to debut new gear on the corresponding date. Today is August 8th, or as the company calls it "808 Day," so naturally it's time for a new ...

Oh it wasn't just the 808 and MIDI... the TB-303 is an iconic piece as well. Also the Juno and Jupiter and SH-101 were used everywhere. For me growing up, it was all about Roland and Yamaha. Some ...