Tag: Movies

808 The Movie: A TR-808 Documentary

Gear
808 The Movie: A TR-808 Documentary

Yay, not long until 808 The Movie premiers now! On December 9th you’ll be able to watch the documentary about the iconic drum machine Roland TR-808 exclusively on Apple Music.

The TR-808 was produced between 1980 and 1983 and there were only about 12,000 units made. While it only cost $1,195 upon its release (which was way lower than say, a Linn LM-1 which would set you back about $5,000) it’ll cost you a whole lot more than that to get a hold of a second-hand one today.

The documentary goes into depth on the distinct and characteristic drum sounds we’ve all come to know and what the 808 meant for different genres of music and what it meant for artists like Pharrell Williams, Goldie, Jimmy Jam, Damon Albarn, Phil Collins, Beastie Boys and many, many more.

(Oh if you’re not the nostalgic type and don’t want to spend a fortune on an original TR-808, Roland released a new incarnation of it which will set you back way less, the Aira TR-8)

Watch the 808 The Movie trailer here: