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Christopher Kah Roland

Christopher Kah and Roland: Exploring The Relationship

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French producer Christopher Kah kick-started his new ECHO LIVE project where he combines the Roland MC- 707 and Roland TR-8S for his new live set, highlighting just how deep the relationship between Kah and Roland runs.

A native of Elsass in France, Christopher Kah is a self-taught, multi-talented multi-instrumentalist. A truly unique talent, he is also a man for whom the approach is every bit as fundamental as the result. An obsessive student of sound, Kah’s roots in electronic music can be traced back to an early appreciation of industrial techno — a strand of music that still greatly influences his productions to this very day.

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Own Daft Punk’s Roland TR-909 Drum Machine

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That’s right, you could be the owner of Daft Punk’s Roland TR-909 drum machine. All you have to do is win an online auction for it.

The Roland TR-909 in question once belonged to Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk and has been listed on Facebook as a “collector’s item” on Facebook, set to go to the “highest bidder.”

The 909, which has been put up for action by Vintage & Analogue Occasion, comes still loaded with the presets recorded and used during the French duo’s seminal Homework album which was released in 1997.

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Enjoy a 360º Tour of Roland’s Private Museum in Japan

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Are you a gear fanatic that salivates at the site of classic Roland hardware?

If the answer is yes, or you’re just curious to see what 28 years of Roland gear history looks like in one room, you’ve come to the right place! Instead of traveling all the way to Japan, you can now enjoy unobstructed 360º vies inside Roland’s private museum in Hamamatsu.

The tour is split into sections, with the guide walking the viewer through an impressive range of Roland products released between 1972 and 2000. The tour includes synthesizers, drum machines, classic pianos and anything else Roland released during that time period.

Tech-heads rejoice, press play and ensure you’re watching this on full screen:

 

 

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Acid87 Drops New Clothing Line and Website

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Independent club wear brand Acid87 has recently relaunched with a bang and a special new t-shirt that is a positive riposte to the craziness of the current world. With a new website and an exciting and ever expanding range, the refreshing and much talked about clothes label is firmly entrenched in the musical underground and has become a real favorite amongst the underground music fans in Europe and beyond.

This newest t-shirt comes under the Music Unites title, and is all about bringing some positivity to the world in times of unease and unrest.  It is one of the standouts and will be supported by artists such as Heidi, Cassy, Timo Mass, Sonny Whorton, Kydus, David Glass and more.

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The Evolution of Drum Machines In One Infographic

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Justin Stedmans is a graphic designer and illustrator based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, whom you may remember for the beautiful wall art he created of classic synths, analogue drum machines and DJ mixers.

His most recent work is an intelligent infographic which details the evolution of the drum machine from the ’80s until the present day. Beginning with the Roland TR-808 and ending with 2016’s Roland TR-09, the infographic takes you on an illustrated and informative journey of the beautiful machines that have been the source of some of dance music’s most celebrated tracks.

Check it out below and head to www.analogthis.co.uk to get your hands on a print for yourself!

History of Drum Machines

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Introducing: Music Hardware Art For Your Walls

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Looking to spruce up your studio space or add color to your apartment? If you’re a producer, DJ or avid electronic music fan you surely appreciate the beauty of music hardware, the intricacies and original look of each individual model with its selectively chosen and unique series of lights, buttons, sliders and knobs.

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#909Day: Watch KiNK Improvise on a TR-909 for Soundwall

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Kink BR

In celebration of 909 Day, producers, DJs and music fans alike are all honoring 33 years since the release of the Roland TR-909 by playing on the drum machine, listening to music produced with it or, in the case of Roland themselves, launching over 30 new products on the market via live stream.

There is no question that KiNK is one of the top artists in today’s electronic music scene, known throughout the world for his crafty and improvised live sets. In honor of 909 Day, the Bulgarian artist launched an improvised performance in exclusive for Soundwall, the leading electronic music Italian publication.

Earlier this month, KiNK released a brand-new EP which he made available for free download thanks to Red Bull Music Studios.

Enjoy KiNK in action on the TR-909 via the video below.

Connect with KiNK: Facebook | Soundcloud | Resident Advisor

Roland Commemorates 909 Day with Release of More Than 30 New Products

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Roland Future

The big day is finally here: 909 Day. And Roland, the company behind the iconic and genre-defying TR-808 and 909 drum machines, is set to commemorate the 33rd Anniversary of the 909 with a ground-breaking and innovative event: a globe-wide initiative lasting a full 24 hours on September 9th (today), and taking place in eight cities with more than 30 new products debuting via live streaming demos and artist performances.

The event is so unique and iconic that Roland has dubbed it a “24-hour music festival,” aiming to redefine the future of its brand by fusing liveliness and diversity.

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The History of House Music and the Roland TR-909 Explained on Video

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Point Blank and F9 Audio founder and Freemasons member James Wiltshire has just released a two-part video series exploring the history of house music and the pivotal role played by the Roland TR-909 at the inception of the genre.

In the videos, Wiltshire highlights the key players that were responsible for creating those early house records, as well as what exactly went into the formation of house and how the studios at the time grew alongside this new sound. In the videos, the role of the Roland TR-909 is underscored heavily both with a little history as well as practical use when Wiltshire uses samples from the hardware to create a classic house track in Ableton.

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Play This Impressively Accurate In-Browser TR-808 Drum Machine

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Although this is certainly not the first in-browser drum machine to have been created, the latest iO-808 is arguably the most impressively accurate we’ve seen.

Software engineer Vincent Reimer created this sequencer to look as identical as the original Roland TR-808 hardware as possible, with tone knobs, instrument select and pads all included to precise detail. As you may have guessed, Reimer released his latest creation on August 8th, as a celebration of 808 Day.

Give it a try as there’s no doubt that the iO-808 offers a realistic and fairly authentic experience albeit from the comfort of your laptop or desktop computer. As an amateur/bedroom music producer, Reimer does recognize that some fine-tuning of the software is still needed, “A side effect of this is while I got the sounds fairly close to the original hardware,” describes Reimer to GitHub, “There’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

You can jam out to an in-browner TB-303 for some Acid House fun here.