Saturday, April 20, 2013
Roland TB-303
This post is about a legendary piece of equipment, something that defined a whole wave of electronic music.
Originally, this little box was designed to help guitarists with their practice. However, little did they know, that this wont be the reason why this synthesizers price has pretty much gone up five times since it's release. Yep, a synthesizer from 1980's that would cost around 400$ is now worth around 2000$.
What has made it so popular? This sound...
Yes, this screeching sound produced by over driving the synthesizer. This item is so loved by electronic music enthusiasts that it is even listed in "The Guardian" one of the 50 most important events in electronic music!
The interesting fact is, that even thought it did help a lot of bands with the bass line, it got popular for actually using it the wrong way, over driving the box, while playing repetitive patterns.
With the help of this tool, acid house emerged in the 1980's. After that, it has spread to many other styles of electronic music and even in to the pop culture(Madonna's "Ray of light", Prodigy's "Smack my bitch up" ) . It has become a "hip" thing to have, but as there were only about 10 000 unit's available, Roland released another synthesizer labelled MC-303. But even this release did not satisfy the crowd of musicians craving for acid. Therefore, many clones emerged, seeking to get a slice of the popularity that the TB-303 created.
A unforgettable piece of equipment that is still loved today. Have some acid children!
The interesting fact is, that even thought it did help a lot of bands with the bass line, it got popular for actually using it the wrong way, over driving the box, while playing repetitive patterns.
With the help of this tool, acid house emerged in the 1980's. After that, it has spread to many other styles of electronic music and even in to the pop culture(Madonna's "Ray of light", Prodigy's "Smack my bitch up" ) . It has become a "hip" thing to have, but as there were only about 10 000 unit's available, Roland released another synthesizer labelled MC-303. But even this release did not satisfy the crowd of musicians craving for acid. Therefore, many clones emerged, seeking to get a slice of the popularity that the TB-303 created.
A unforgettable piece of equipment that is still loved today. Have some acid children!
