Before drum machines came onto the market, popular music relied heavily on bands for creating sounds with precision and accuracy. Now though, drum machines enable producers to craft sounds more efficiently.
Drexciya of Detroit techno duo Drexciya have created an immersive and dynamic track titled Aqua Worm Hole that captures all of its key elements of techno music: futuristic plucks, soft pads and deep bass frequencies.
The TR-808
A Roland TR-808 drum machine packs an immense punch. Used as the foundation of many influential tracks from the 90s era – like those by Richie Hawtin for Plastikman productions – its sound became integral in Southern hip hop with Outkast’s seminal LP Speakerboxx; here Roland’s groove box took center stage to showcase all its funk, soul and dynamic qualities in one track that celebrated it best!
The 808 was never meant to become such an integral component of music. Originally designed as a tool to speed up studio demos and replace existing drum sounds with something synthetic and futuristic, its intriguing percussion found its way into multiple pop records and quickly become one of the most iconic drum machines ever built.
Producer Arthur Baker used an 808 on Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force’s groundbreaking track ‘Planet Rock’ in 1982, often considered to be an early example of electro music influenced by artists such as YMO, Gary Numan and Kraftwerk. Furthermore, this was also the first time closely sequenced drums of an TR-808 were featured within an urban context; merging African with western popular culture.
Over time, 808s became widely utilized by iconic artists such as Marvin Gaye and New Order’s ‘Blue Monday’ – though their appeal quickly diminished after more authentic-sounding instruments began replacing them. They eventually ended up on second hand music shop bargain tables but with the right producer they could become essential components in electronic composition.
Tubeway Army
Gary Numan and Paul Gardiner formed Tubeway Army after briefly playing punk music together, in an effort to fuse amateurish punk style with synthesizers. However, after encountering a Minimoog synthesizer while recording, their direction took an unexpectedly unexpected turn; altering their punk-influenced songs in order to incorporate this intriguing new discovery and eventually becoming one of the hallmarks of synth-pop genre. This resulted in commercial success as well as one of its iconic sounds: Tubeway Army quickly established itself among audience.
Though initially looking to distance themselves from punk rock, their first album of synth-based new wave material, Are Friends Electric?, became a top seller on UK charts in 1979. That same year they were booked into Gooseberry Studios in Chinatown to record for John Peel; two stereo master tapes were recorded during their session there but only one song (Down in the Park) would later make an appearance on Beggars Banquet album.
As a solo artist, Numan’s subsequent releases (Replicas, The Pleasure Principle and Telekon) proved his status as more than just an one-hit wonder. These albums’ agit-new wave dystopian sounds owed much to David Bowie’s Berlin trilogy as well as Brian Eno’s European ambient template while adding synthesized riffage and robotic power pop elements for added effect.
After Warriors, Numan became disenchanted with the record industry and established his own label to gain more control of his releases. Berserker showcases this shift with more industrial influences being integrated into Numan’s electronic music – doomy vocals are heard over clockwork-style riffs; there’s even the odd trip into guitar or synth solo territory which proves this act wasn’t just another new-wave act!
The Prodigy
When The Prodigy came on the scene in 1992, they were one of the first mainstream dance acts. Their debut album ‘Music for the Jilted Generation’ has been described as an influential work of art that set an exemplary path for subsequent artists such as Chemical Brothers’ ‘Exit Planet Dust’ and Robert Miles’ Children – both which went on to inspire the trance movement itself. They also served as a bridge between rock and electronic music–every rocker or metalhead played some version of Smack My Bitch Up or Voodoo People while rockers or metalheads played some version of Smack My Bitch Up or Voodoo People by The Prodigy during that era!
Liam Howlett and Keith Flint may come off as playacting angry onstage, but it’s easy to dismiss this display as unnecessary drama. Instead, it serves a practical purpose of channeling adrenaline from hotel stay through photoshoot and airport transfer into something constructive.
The Prodigy first achieved prominence with their piano house hit “Charly.” However, their second full-length Experience introduced rave anthems that are among their signature tracks: “Firestarter” and “Breathe”. These tracks combine Kool Keith’s off-kilter hip-hop (literally; his voice sampled) with John Lydon’s disdainful punk sound; there is even an “Alley Cat Mix” of one with cat meow breakdown.
“Break and Enter” opens with a disturbing sound of breaking glass, processed and enhanced with an industrial beat for maximum impact. This track became an anthem for rave culture during its rise during the early 90s; an ideal example of Big Beat as refined by Chemical Brothers later.
Lhasa
Lhasa was ahead of its time, inspiring many later acts to expand their sonic palette with their blend of icy melodies and Detroit techno. This was especially evident with New York’s Deee-Lite and Los Angeles’ Crystal Method who explored old party tunes with new instruments; similarly in Mexico where Nortec collectives such as Artefacto revived traditional Mexican music by using electronic instruments combined with modern production techniques for an accessible sound that crossed genres and was more readily consumed by pop audiences.
England was at the forefront of this trend as well. Liam Howlett’s Prodigy (1) pioneered “techno for rock audiences”, with its hyperkinetic beats and sensuous showmanship; 808 State (2) and Drexciya (3) combined the hypnotically syncopated rhythms of disco with more abstract elements that suggested other musical cultures.
The combination was an intoxicating one, yielding dance music with an exotic edge and global influences. This trend became especially evident during Manchester’s 1988 “summer of love” scene where bands such as the Stone Roses combined hypnotic disco beats and catchy melodies with sixties-style enthusiasm to produce songs like “Kiss Me Deadly.”
Belgium witnessed early 1990s experimentation through Raes and LFO (2) who fused Terry Riley’s ambient sounds with Kraftwerk’s mechanical rhythms for an innovative sound, particularly influential in Germany where Einsturzende Neubauten (3) took an industrial approach that relied less on vocal samples but focused more on instrumental rhythms than vocal samples.
Daft Punk
Daft Punk set out with the intention of producing an experimental music album after Discovery that was more experimental in style. They took an unconventional approach to their recording process by opting for analog equipment rather than digital samples that had become trendy at that time, creating an album with more natural, organic sounds that stood out among electronic albums of its time. This produced an album that felt timeless yet contemporary at once.
Another element that made the album truly impressive was the duo’s extensive use of vocal effects to alter and shape their vocal sounds, adding new layers and emotions to each of their songs and making them more interesting for listeners to listen to. Furthermore, their use made the duo even more mysterious and intriguing – adding even further mystery and allure to this engaging album.
The album also featured numerous collaborators, including superstar pop singer Pharrell who provided some soulful and emotive tracks, Animal Collective’s Panda Bear who refined his musical style for several key tracks, Chic mastermind Nile Rodgers who provides guitar support on some disco-oriented songs on the record and old school house producers DJ Falcon and Todd Edwards who contributed classic house techniques as well as Paul Williams (blockbuster songwriter) and Chilly Gonzales (pavement pianist), who brought powerful vocal performances that elevated some of the more emotive tracks featured on the record.