Join Jimmy Jam, Egyptian Lover, Principleasure, Shy Boogs, Marley Marl, Nadus, DJ Jazzy Jeff Share Their Love For The 808

The Roland TR-808 has featured on countless records and tracks — from chart-topping pop songs to underground classics — and is one of the most revered electronic musical instruments of all time. The booming bass drum, sizzling hi-hats, snappy snare, and that unmistakable cowbell, has formed the rhythmic foundation of many genres with a sound that is engrained in today’s music and culture.

In this video, Roland (the manufacturers) chat about the latest instrument in the Roland Boutique series – the Roland TR-08 Rhythm Composer. They discuss what the numbers “8-0-8” mean to a number of artists; some of whom have a legacy deeply engrained with the TR-808 to a younger generation of producers who look to take the sound of the TR-808 to a bright future.

Join Jimmy Jam, Egyptian Lover, Principleasure, Shy Boogs, Marley Marl, Nadus, DJ Jazzy Jeff and Juan Atkins share their love for the 808 and the new TR-08 Rhythm Composer.

The TR-08 brings the look, sound, and feel of the original 808 — with stunning accuracy — to the Roland Boutique format. From the instantly-recognizable red-orange-yellow-white markings, the shape of the sequencer buttons, switches and knobs are details that have been painstakingly reproduced to match the iconic recreation of sounds. Along with the aesthetic touches, the TR-08 contains new features like 16 sub-steps for fast rolls, independent trigger out track, compression/gain/tune for instruments and a selectable modified “long decay” bass drum for more boom and resonance.