"The 808, by contrast, had an onboard computer, allowing musicians to program their own sounds and percussion patterns. These could be arranged into longer, songlike sequences that played automatically."
"Musicians discovered that they could employ 808s to build tracks by themselves, pursuing their own idiosyncratic visions without collaboration or compromise."
"Today, the sound of the 808 is everywhere, and instantly recognizable. What might be less obvious is that the compositional structures of the 808 and its descendants are pervasive, too."
"To make fantastic songs, they don't need to know music theory or even own instruments; using synths and samples, they can twist knobs to transpose."
The Roland TR-808, released in 1980, was a groundbreaking drum machine that allowed musicians to program their own sounds and rhythms. Initially discontinued, its secondhand market flourished as artists began experimenting with it, leading to the creation of hit songs and new genres like electro and hip-hop. The 808's influence extends beyond sound, as modern music often utilizes similar compositional structures, enabling musicians to create without traditional constraints, using technology to shape their artistic visions.
Read at The New Yorker
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