Five machines that were designed for very different purposes, but together helped shape the sounds, scenes and creative possibilities of modern electronic music. Electronic music has always had a complicated relationship with technology. Unlike traditional acoustic instruments, electronic instruments are designed rather than evolved, which means that their creators inevitably make assumptions about how musicians will use them. A synthesizer is designed around a particular met

When the Yamaha DX7 appeared in 1983, synthesizers were already an established part of popular music. Analogue instruments had transformed the sound of the previous decade, and musicians were becoming increasingly comfortable with electronic instruments as creative tools rather than experimental curiosities. The technology, however, was about to change direction. The DX7 didn't simply offer another version of analogue synthesis. It introduced an entirely different approach to

When people talk about the synthesizers that changed electronic music, the conversation often starts with the spectacular instruments. The Moog synthesizers, the Sequential Prophet-5, the Roland Jupiter-8: expensive and technologically impressive machines that helped establish the synthesizer as a serious musical instrument.

In the early 1980s, Roland was exploring the possibilities of electronic drums. The TR 808 had already introduced the world to synthetic percussion, but many musicians still wanted something closer to acoustic drums. The answer was the TR 909, released in 1983. It combined analog drum synthesis with digital samples for certain sounds, creating something unique. But the timing was difficult. Digital samplers were becoming more popular, and many musicians saw the 909 as an outd

The basic idea of a synthesizer is surprisingly simple. A traditional instrument creates sound through a physical movement. A guitar string vibrates, a drum skin moves, a piano hammer hits a string. A synthesizer creates sound differently. Instead of starting with a physical object, it starts with electricity. An oscillator generates a repeating waveform, a basic electronic vibration. By changing and combining these waves, musicians can create completely new sounds. A simple

How affordable recreations are opening up the sounds of electronic music history There is something slightly magical about owning a piece of music history. An original Roland TB-303.A Roland SH-101.A TR-808. These aren't just old instruments. They are pieces of the history of electronic music — machines whose sounds helped shape entire genres. But there is a problem. For most people, owning the originals isn't realistic. Some have become highly sought-after vintage instrument

There are few sounds in electronic music that can be identified within a second. That slippery, squelching, almost alien bassline is one of them. It rises. It falls. It seems to breathe. It screams when the resonance is pushed. It can sound playful, hypnotic, aggressive or completely out of control.

How the Roland TR-808 went from commercial disappointment to one of the most influential instruments in modern music. In 1980, Roland introduced a machine that was supposed to help musicians make music without needing a drummer.