I’m an avid fan and collector of vintage synths and samplers, so when I heard about a new addition to AlkotaBeats’ line of flash drives that pay tribute to legendary drum machines, I simply had to take a peek.
The most recent addition pays homage to the legendary Roland TR-808, which is one of the most widely used machines in R&B and hip-hop ever since it’s release in 1980. It is known primarily for its signature deep bass, booming kicks, cracking snares and that oh-so infamous cowbell that fueled the electronic sound of the 80’s.
While the TR-808 struggled to compete with the renowned Linn-LM1, Roland’s drum machine undeniably left its mark in the sound of things to come, and was a driving force behind the music of artists such as Kraftwerk, Dr. Dre, Marvin Gaye, LL Cool J, and The Beastie Boys.
The Roland TR-808 thumb drive is constructed out of PVC, has a capacity of 8GB, and utilizes Toshiba technology. It supports USB 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 and is available for pre-order at a rather hefty $40 (Php 1,700).
The other vintage machines that AlkotaBeats pays tribute to includes my personal favorite samplers of all time: the Akai MPC2000XL and the Emu SP1200.
