Switched on Pop
Switched on Pop
Vulture
808: The drum machine that changed music forever (Twenty Thousand Hertz)
27 minutes Posted May 25, 2025 at 9:05 am.
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The 808 is arguably the most iconic drum machine ever made. Even if you’ve never heard of it, you’ve definitely heard it. It’s in dozens of hit songs -- from Usher to Marvin Gaye, Talking Heads to The Beastie Boys -- and its sounds have quietly cemented themselves in the cultural lexicon. In this episode, we try to understand how that happened and follow the unlikely path of the 808. Featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and Paul McCabe from Roland.


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