808:
The 808 is fully analogue and programmable, though its unrealistic sounds were not enough for commercial success. It’s since attained legendary status through the then emerging electronic and hip-hop music scenes. If you know Marvin Gaye’s ‘Sexual Healing’ or Whitney Houston’s ‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’, you know how the 808’s legacy began! Its influence is so massive that many people in music production use ‘808’ as slang for ‘Electronic Kick Drum’!
LinnDrum:
The sequel to the LM-1 from 1980, you’ll know Roger Linn’s monster machine from the sounds of Deniece Williams’ ‘Let’s Hear it for the Boy’, A-Ha!’s ‘Take on Me’ and ‘Relax’ by Frankie Goes to Hollywood. Armed with tambourine, kick, snare, hi-hat, cabasa, two toms, conga, cowbell, clave, and a hand clap, it was an early digital powerhouse featuring 8-bit samples. Its Lo-Fi charm means the LinnDrum still has a huge fan base to this day!,
909:
The release of the 909 brought with it new samples for the crash, ride and hi-hats. It also used analogue synthesis for the other voices as well as utilising MIDI for synchronisation. Despite being yet another commercial failure, the 909 achieved legendary status through the genres of techno, house and acid; Daft Punk even named ‘Revolution 909’ after the machine. If you’ve heard ‘Show me Love’ by Robin. S or ‘Vogue’ by Madonna, this sound is already in your head!
So why on earth are they so expensive?
Unfortunately, these mysterious, beloved machines, like all good pieces of art, were a bit ahead of their time and didn’t sell well at all. When it became impossible to manufacture them due to discontinued components, they became obsolete, leaving relatively few units in the wild. Fading into obscurity, they wound up in charity shops, skips and the hands of cash-strapped musicians. These musicians just so happened to make hugely influential music and spawn genres while they were at it! 808 State, Aphex Twin and Daft Punk are just a few names that made these previously unloved machines so desirable.
They’re desirable, they’re rare – that means they’re expensive… £3000-£4500 expensive!
Current drum machines
So, you want an analogue drum machine, but don’t want to re-mortgage the house. What can you do? Don’t worry, there are some fantastic modern alternatives out there! At less than a 10th of the price of the original models, you can get incredibly close to the sound you know and love. But you’re not buying plugins or samples here – there’s still real, analogue hardware in there!
Behringer RD-9
The new Behringer RD-9 is a modern amalgamation of all its predecessors. It houses a mammoth 64-step sequencer, 10 unique drum voices, an onboard wave designer and dual-filter to not only give you access to some fantastic analogue drum sounds, but also the tools to manipulate them into something new. Inspired by the legendary TR-909, the RD-9 aims to offer the same satisfying tactile experience that the original 909 models were so beloved for.