The TR-808 rings on throughout Beastie Boys’ seminal 1986 License To Ill. It appeared on the Rick Rubin-produced “It’s Yours” in 1984, which was hip-hop label Def Jam’s first release. They turned to the TR-808 that Bambaataa had popularized. Artists bubbling out of the Bronx, New York, were looking to combine the raw energy of emcees rapping at block parties with a new sound that pushed beyond disco. To the nascent genre known as hip-hop, the TR-808 became a calling card. This made it popular with a new wave of producers starting out. Shortly after Roland ceased production, its price-tag dropped to just $100, according to Fact Magazine. The TR-808 quickly became the purview of pawn shops. Just three years later, Roland stopped making it, after reportedly selling just 12,000 units during its run. (Hip-hop pioneer Bambaataa was removed as head of the Zulu Nation, a hip-hop advocacy group he founded, in May 2016, following allegations spanning decades that he sexually assaulted at least four teenage boys Bambaataa has denied all accusations.)īut a low price and handful of hits could not save the TR-808. Inspired by Kraftwerk and Yellow Magic Orchestra, the track showcased the TR-808’s stripped-down, futuristic sound to a curious audience. That same year, in the Bronx, New York, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force released “Planet Rock,” which started edging popular music away from disco towards electro and hip-hop. Both the TR-808 and LM-1 were relatively simple to program, which was a noticeable shift from previous drum machines that shipped only with unchangeable presets-a plight unfathomable today. The LM-1, which retailed for an eye-watering $5,500 ($17,100 adjusted for inflation), was sample-based, with rich, authentic drum kit sounds. That immediately placed it at a disadvantage to its main competitor at the time, the Linn LM-1.
But thanks to analog circuits that recreated sounds rather than playing samples of actual drums, the TR-808 didn’t sound anything like a drum kit. But long before Britney Spears claimed “you got my heart beating like an 808” in 2008’s “Break The Ice,” or Kanye West dedicated an entire album to the rhythm composer, the world’s most popular drum machine seemed to be a failure.įirst released in 1980, the humble TR-808 was intended as a backing instrument for use by artists recording demos who couldn’t afford pricey studio time. Known today for its rich sine wave kick drum, the TR-808 has become a stand-in for bass and beats in popular culture.