Yesterday's setup for my Hiphop workshop with a young + talented rapper and producer. TR-808 Mid Tom triggering the Simmons SDS8 Kick for extra low punches is a very cool weapon and great fun. Hooked up the Korg Volca Beats just for comparison since my client might get into hardware and naturally has to start somewhere. The Volca series machines sound good and are very affordable.
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#Berlin #recording #hiphop #workshop #tr808 #volca #900PS #roland #korg #simmons
Praising the mighty TRans-808 here … 
. Its distinct all analogue sound, it's flexibility in usage and connectivity , the way you program it (64 steps, variations/fills) 
.
While this one's got a CHD MIDI retrofit, I prefer sending its triggers to various externals 
. Along with its pride-y colour scheme, this bass-queen is a cut above the other drum machines. In Assembling A Black Counter Culture author DeForrest Brown uncovers its engineering history in the cooperation between a Black engineer and the japanese development team–an important historical detail mostly untold or just ignored.
I don't mind whether the TR in TR-808 stands for Transistor Rhythm or Transportable Rhythm, mine's a 
trans*\rhythm composer . If only me neighbours would approve of its low end as much as I do 
Moritz Simon Geist: Drum Robot MR808
#MoersFestival2026 #MoersFestival #Moers #Synthesizer #RolandTr808 #Tr808 #SimonGeist #MoritzSimonGeist
Today's #303day so it is very fitting that TIL about Charanjit Singh's Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat; a 1982(!) album of classical Indian ragas entirely performed on #TB303, #TR808 and a #Jupiter8 synths.
It was pretty much forgotten everywhere -- including in India -- until re-discovered around 2010, and then credited as the first Acid House record, since it predates Phuture's Acid Trax by five years!
I've listened to it twice in a row today, grinning all the way through it! 
First track is something I did post music studio time, using my 4 track TEAC. Beside the TB-303 + TR-808 track I had recorded, I also recorded two tracks that were just beats. To one of them (featuring continuously pitched toms) I added some whale songs. That's the first track on the above tape.
I put down the whole track list (16 tracks) of the mix I posted last week (recorded back in Montreal in 1989). That was (mostly) an acid house mix:
#house #acidhouse #techno #chicago #detroit #tr707 #tr808 #synths #dj #mix
https://www.mixcloud.com/fdion/dj-francois-dion-acid-mix-1989-le-dormeur/
DJ Mix by Francois Dion, recorded in Montreal in 1989. The mix features a custom intro with French dialog, and then starts with ASCII'd by Francois DIon (1988), then covers mostly acid house tracks from 84-89, with some early techno and electro. The mix concludes with another musician from Montreal, Gino Soccio, with Remember.
Been trying to find the earliest mention/hype of the 808 for bass in a rap song and this is the earliest I think: 1986 T La Rock/Mantronik “Bass Machine”
4 track album
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Francois Dion
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