While Roland’s TR-808 stands as popular as ever within the realm of pop and hip-hop to this day, the TR-909’s influence over the sound of house and techno remains omnipresent. Some instantly-recognizable tracks that the TR-909’s drum sounds were present on throughout the years: Joey Beltram‘s acid house classic “Energy Flash,” Daft Punk‘s “Revolution 909” (obviously), Jeff Mills‘ techno anthem “The Bells,” and, ironically enough, 808 State‘s dreamy house number, “Pacific State.” NO SUCCESSORS THE SOUND OF HOUSE AND TECHNOīefore long, Roland’s TR-909 stood at the forefront of the fledgling house and techno genres, laying the groove and groundwork out for many anthems that still stand the test of time. The Roland team didn’t likely anticipate that those very sounds would give rise to new genres altogether. With the addition of MIDI, a new feature which allowed connectivity between machines in the studio, Roland foresaw that the TR-909 would be a game changer for producers, heralding an era where musicians could step out of the shadows of major record companies to craft and program new sounds all their own. This meant expanding on the 808 to include not only analogue synth sounds like the kick drum and toms, but recordings of actual instruments like cymbals to provide a more well-rounded sound. REVOLUTION 909īuilt as the successor to 1980’s wildly popular TR-808 (another staple in music production, celebrated yearly on August 8), Japan’s Roland team set out to revolutionize the drum machine with integration of both analogue and digital elements. On the 37th anniversary of the TR-909, many are looking back at the monumental impact the drum machine has had on electronic music’s past, present, and future. But to lovers of electronic music the world over, 909 Day represents so much more than that. It may seem strange to some to dedicate an entire day every year to a simple drum synthesizer. The date and number “9/09” holds a special significance, particularly to musicians, producers, DJs, and fans of electronic music as a whole, as they celebrate the creation of Roland’s iconic TR-909 Rhythm Composer every year on that date.
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