The Only Drum Machine to be a Member of the Band // Minipops Junior

video upload by Starsky Carr

"The Minipops Junior was Echo & the Bunnymen’s first drummer. Quirky, lo-fi, and never on time — this 1970s rhythm box proves that imperfection is pure magic.

The Korg Minipops Junior is one of the quirkiest drum machines of the 1970s — best known as the original drummer for Echo & the Bunnymen on their debut single Pictures on My Wall. In this demo I run through its preset patterns, explain its place in the history of the MiniPops series, and show how its loose, drifting timing creates a swing that no DAW quantizer can reproduce.

I’ll sample into Logic to show how far the hits fall from the grid, how it drifts over several bars, and why those imperfections make it so special. It’s limited in tones, but every hit has tiny circuit variations that give it a unique feel.

I’ve also created a sample pack with all 10 patterns plus MIDI files, available on my Patreon."