The original Roland TR-808 is one of the most influential electronic sound-making devices made in our collective human history, so when inventor Atsushi Hoshiai suggests it's time for a successor, it's time to listen up. When the TR-808 was invented, there was no such thing as electronic music. This beat machine wasn't the only device to help originate our modern music scene, but it was certainly one of the most major players, and here, 34 years after its invention, Roland is preparing a next-generation for the original, one called AIRA.
This device has been so very influential on the musical scene even through today that there's almost no possible way you've not heard a song whose artist used it as a main instrument. The Kanye West album "808s and Heartbreak" is referring to this instrument by name, and uses it for every single track.
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