RIP Ikutaro Kakehashi, Founder of Roland

via Tommy Snyder:

"Ikutaro Kakehashi, founder of Roland, father of the TR-909, TR-808, Godfather of MIDI, and someone who I have collaborated with for 38 years, and also considered him as my 2nd father, passed away at the age of 87. He was a super funny, wonderful and gifted human being, and his contributions to the musical instrument world , and music, touched millions of people worldwide. RIP dear Taro.........."

This was shared only 5 hours ago. I am not seeing an announcement from Roland. I will update this post if anything new comes in.

Sad day today. Another legend and hero lost.

Update: added a few videos below including a pretty nice tribute. If you know of any other good videos featuring Ikutaro Kakehashi, send them in.

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A Little Summer Of Love | A Guy Called Gerald on 303 HR | They Call It Acid

Published on Jun 18, 2012 alittlesummeroflove·2 videos

"A visual art exhibition celebrating the early years of acid house kicks off with a very special event on Saturday 30 June which is also the launch party for a superb compilation of classic British house on Strut Records.*

The event presents the graphic art of DAVE LITTLE; the photography of DAVE SWINDELLS and a private preview of GORDON MASON's acclaimed documentary film 'They Call It Acid'.

The launch party will also feature a live performance of the first British acid house tune, 'Voodoo Ray' by A GUY CALLED GERALD feat. DIANE CHARLEMAGNE**, as well as DJs NOEL WATSON (Delirium), KID BATCHELOR (Bang The Party, Confusion), RICHARD SEN (Strut Records), and other pioneering house DJs alongside current acid house renegades PARIS' ACID BALL (Hannah Holland and Dan Beaumont of Bastard Batty Bass, Disco Bloodbath, Trailer Trash and many more messy parties).

It will be held in Westbourne Studios, an ideal location to exhibit artwork and project it onto triple-height walls and screens, with a 64-seater cinema room, an intimate bar-come-dancefloor and a huge central area which is by turns a performance space, an exhibition area and a chill-out zone to kick back and watch the visuals...

A Little Summer of Love will be free before 9pm, £8 after (incl £3 donation to music charities)


* 'Richard Sen presents This Ain't Chicago, the underground sound of UK house and acid 1987-1991', will be released by Strut Records on June 25.
The CD will have its launch party at A Little Summer of Love. The sleeve notes and photography are by Dave Swindells.

** A Guy Called Gerald's seminal track, 'Voodoo Ray', is to be re-released with fresh remixes by A Guy Called Gerald and Francois K on July 2.

http://www.alittlesummeroflove.com/"

IKUTARO KAKEHASHI (The legend maker) - Tribute from A Guy Called Gerald

Published on Apr 3, 2017 A GUY CALLED GERALD

"Tribute to the late great Ikutaro Kakehashi"

A fitting tribute from someone at the birth of the resurrection of early Roland analog. I added this to the main post here.

For anyone not familiar with A Guy Called Gerald, via Wikipedia:

"Gerald Simpson (born 16 February 1967), better known as A Guy Called Gerald, is a British DJ, record producer and musician. He was an early member of 808 State, and later achieved success as a solo artist. He is best known for his early work in the Manchester acid house scene in the late 1980s[1] and the track 'Voodoo Ray'. His style developed during the early 1990s, and his 1995 album Black Secret Technology would become a "much-touted candidate for 'best jungle album ever.'"[2]"

Roland Boutique Artist Interviews - Paul Hartnoll, A Guy Called Gerald, DJ Pierre

Published on Sep 30, 2016 RolandChannel

Playlist:
1. Roland Boutique Paul Hartnoll interview

"As one half of the legendary Orbital, Paul Hartnoll knows a thing or two about putting a killer tune together, and just as much about how to recreate that sound live in front of thousands of people.

We visited Paul’s studio to discuss the latest Roland Boutiques, and ended up finding out where Orbital got their first 303 from, and why they think their original TR-909 and TB-303 could be rather special."

2. Roland Boutique A Guy Called Gerald interview

"Making electronic music since the mid ‘80s gives A Guy called Gerald a certain perspective on the industry.
We spoke to the genre-busting producer on his first encounters with the original TR-909 and TB-303, how they helped him get started with his music, and what he thinks of the latest additions to Roland Boutique family, especially the TR-09 and TB-03.

You’ll also find out that 808 State’s ‘Pacific State’ was originally called something completely different…"

3. Roland Boutique DJ Pierre interview

"DJ Pierre is synonymous with the sound of acid house, and although the acclaimed producer has an enviable catalog of productions under his belt, it’s possibly his first release that has had the biggest impact on electronic music culture.

Phuture’s Acid Trax kick-started the acid house genre by subverting the sound of Roland’s TB-303 bassline synth, and we caught up with Pierre to talk about those early years with the TB-303, and what he thinks of the new TB-03 Roland Boutique."

A Guy Called Gerald New Aira Videos

Published on Feb 14, 2014 A GUY CALLED GERALD·4 videos

"Back then was a dream. Now back to the modern time. Expressive tools need expressive artists."

A Guy Called Gerald Cooking

Published on Feb 18, 2014

"New Roland Aira VS The Analogues"

via Damon Flowers in the main AIRA thread on The MATRIXSYNTH Lounge.

Roland Celebrates 40th Anniversary of Legendary TR-808 Drum Machine on 808 Day with New Content

via Roland

New Video, Interviews, Stories, and More Highlight How the 808 Has Evolved and Transformed Music, Plus Test Drive the TR-808 Plug-In on Roland Cloud for Free Through August 31

Los Angeles, CA, August 8, 2020 — Roland today honors the celebration of 808 Day, the global music community’s annual salute to the most influential drum machine of all time, the TR-808, by publishing a series of cross-platform content that delves into the way the 808 has evolved and transformed music over the past forty years, and as GRAMMY-winning producer Terry Lewis likes to say, “put the boom in music.”

Introduced 40 years ago, the Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first affordable and widely available programmable drum machines to hit the market. Though only in production for approximately three years, its signature kick and snare—along with many other unique sounds—became tonal anchors for the hip hop and techno movements from the mid-’80s onward. Commonly just called “the 808,” the instrument has been embraced by artists and producers of many genres. Its sound is heard on thousands of dance tracks and hit records, and it is directly referenced in the lyrics of numerous songs over the last few decades.

In honor of the TR-808’s 40th anniversary this year, Roland is offering fans a never-before-seen look at the legendary instrument through an exclusive new series of curated #808day content, including a Q&A with lead TR-808 engineer Tadao Kikumoto, interviews with legendary producers who helped make the 808 so influential, a look at classic 808-powered tracks, and more, as well as announcing a new Roland apparel collaboration.

“BUILDING THE BEAT: INSIDE LEGENDARY TR-808 TRACKS” MINI-DOCUMENTARY
To celebrate the TR-808’s 40th anniversary, Roland spoke to some of the most prolific producers and artists and gave them the impossible task of picking a song from their discography that had the most impressionable use of the TR-808 and its timeless sounds. Viewers will take a trip down memory lane, hopping between decades, genres, songs, and artists, as they honor the 808, including: Arthur Baker, Cozmo D, Jimmy Jam and Terry Lewis, Carl Craig, A Guy Called Gerald, and Jermaine Dupri.

THOUGHTS FROM THE CREATOR
Forty years after the original TR-808 was launched, Chief Engineer Tadao Kikumoto sits down for an exclusive interview to look back on his most famous creation, and share an update on his current projects, including a return to the 808 concept.

TEST DRIVE TR-808 VIRTUAL INSTRUMENT ON ROLAND CLOUD IN AUGUST
The Roland TR-808 is available as part of the Roland Cloud suite of plug-in instruments that work directly within a DAW. Beginning August 8, Roland is offering a free test drive of the TR-808 virtual instrument through August 31. The new “TR-808 Dark Techno Raw Loops” and “Techno 808" patch collections are also offered. Simply sign up for a free Roland Account and start using the most popular drum machine of all time.

40 YEARS OF 808 PLAYLIST
The “808 40-Year Playlist” on Spotify celebrates 40 years of great music, made with a little help from the TR-808.

ZENBEATS 808 SOUND PACKS
Zenbeats is adding two new in-app sound packs to celebrate 40 years of the Roland TR-808. Vintage TR loop pack includes 100+ audio loops that will enhance tracks with the legendary sounds of the 808. Mixtape Vol. 4 "808" is a free pack that includes 70 audio loops, three Sample Verse pitched presets, one full 808 kit, and five patterns, available for a limited time. Roland Zenbeats is a music creation app designed to keep creators in an effortless artistic flow.

PLEASURES + ROLAND: 808 40TH ANNIVERSARY COLLABORATION
Los Angeles-based streetwear brand PLEASURES and Roland have worked together to create a capsule collection celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 808. The limited run collection is set to release later this month and will feature five unique pieces of apparel that highlight the functions and beautiful design of Roland’s iconic beat making machine.

THE “SOUND BEHIND THE SONG” 808 SERIES
Roland’s new editorial platform, Roland Articles, takes a behind-the-scenes look at some classic tracks that were made with the help of the TR-808, including “Love Lockdown” by Kanye West, “Doin’ It Right” by Daft Punk”, “Drunk in Love” by Beyoncé, and “Voodoo Ray” by A Guy Called Gerald.

To learn more about the TR-808 and its 40th anniversary, please visit Roland’s TR-808 story page and celebrate by joining the #808day conversation online."

A Guy Called Gerald synthfest 2019

Published on Oct 6, 2019 Jason Dale

"Living legend, Gerald Simpson, AKA A Guy Called Gerald, takes us through his live set up and discuses the state of today’s 'live' DJ performances.

I recently watched Gerald perform a full 4 hour set in Manchester, so to see him break down how the magic happens, was a real privilege."

A GUY CALLED GERALD live GCG style jam

video upload by A GUY CALLED GERALD

"I Don’t have a particular type of dance music that I do I just love bass and rhythm. It’s hard to find the right concentration of sound that I need from The DJ world so I have to make it myself and this is an example of what I play live with two computers playing Propellerhead reason"

A Guy Called Gerald - Studio Session 2011

A GUY CALLED GERALD

"Machine Room, Berlin"

Summer 1990 Roland Link News Zine w/ A Guy Called Gerald

Note: Auction links are affiliate links for which the site may be compensated.

via this auction

"New Link magazine, Summer 1990. Includes A Guy Called Gerald, It Bites, Kylie Minogue, D-70s synth, GR50, S-770 sampler, RV-1000, RE-1000, equalizers, SPD-8, MC-50 Micro Composer, PK-5, PC-200, CS-10, CP-40, Rhodes MK-80, U-20, Boss Pedals

Language – English, 1990

Number of pages – 32 pages

Condition – Excellent"

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A Guy Called Gerald - Reason with Roland AIRA

Published on Feb 24, 2014 A GUY CALLED GERALD·5 videos

"Reason with TR-808, TR-8 & TR-3"

BTW, check out Thirteen, Australia's most respected vintage synth/analogue repair/restoration engineer on the AIRAs here.

A Guy Called Gerald Plays Analogue in His Studio

Published on Aug 18, 2012 A Guy Called Gerald

"This is how easy it was in the 80's. The hard part was getting the machines the talk to each other but that's still not rocket science.

Roland TR-808 + SH-101

http://www.guycalledgerald.com/"

You might recognize this one from the screenshot in this post.

A Guy Called Gerald

Published on Jan 31, 2019 A GUY CALLED GERALD
Studio session

Shades of Detroit by a guy called Gerald

Published on Oct 8, 2014 A GUY CALLED GERALD

"To reinvent Melody would be impossible
So this is Melo G"

"Sorry this music has no guide rails for the new be dancer but if you let go you might find you can fly to ;)"

Roland Airas on eBay

Win a Vintage Restored OSCar From Novation! - Timeline of Synths by Designer Chris Huggett

Novation has created a fantastic timeline of synths that were designed by and with Chris Huggett. Not only was he the mastermind behind Novation's line of synths, but also EDP (Electronic Dream Plant) and the Oxford Synthesizer Company OSCar.

"Most people know him as the genius behind Wasp and OSCar, the legendary monosynth from Ultravox's Love's Great Adventure, Stevie Wonder's Skeletons, and Jean-Michel Jarre's Revolutions Overture.

Chris' synths have been used by everybody: Orbital, Ultravox, Tom Yorke, Trent Reznor, Dire Straits, Pink Floyd, Genesis, Stevie Wonder, Jean Michel Jarre, Keith Emerson- the list is endless. His heritage synths are sought across the world, and sell for upwards of £5000.

He is a true synth legend. He is also our synth designer. Every Novation synth has been conceived, shaped and refined by his passion and expertise, which spans five decades. To celebrate that, we're giving away an OSCar!"

Click here for the timeline and how to enter. I captured the timeline of synths below for the MATRIXSYNTH archives. It's not as nice as Novation's timeline so be sure to see it there while it's up!

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SEARCH /Broadcasting Tijuana Electronic Music to outer space

YouTube via pepemogt.

"Manglano-Ovalle transformed the bullfight ring of Tijuana located at the border in to a Radio telescope searching for "aliens". He suspended an antenna above the building and a receiving dish below, Live Electronic Music was brodcasted in the building, on the web, FM radio and into space. This project makes reference to the social situation of Mexican "Aliens".

In the video Pepe Mogt(Latinsizer, Fussible, Nortec), Ramon Bostich(nortec Collective) and Leslie(Dream addictive) were making music with digital and analog sequencers and synths(Arp Odyssey, Oberheim), the audio out of this machines was sent to Manglano-Ovalle Transmiter in real time in to outer space.

info about synths used:
The ARP Odyssey was and still is a very popular synth because it is a powerful lightweight version of the awesome ARP 2600. It was also ARP's response to the Minimoog and the Odyssey became the most popular synth ARP ever sold! The Odyssey is a 2-oscillator analog synth (with duophonic capability) which sounds really nice; the Minimoog has 3 oscillators and is considered fatter. The Odyssey comes well equipped with all the tweakable features you'd expect: resonant low pass filter, ADSR envelopes, sine or square wave LFO and even a sample-and-hold function. It also added a few new features such as a highpass filter in series with the lowpass, oscillator sync capability and pulse width modulation. It is a very professional and expressive machine that can create nice analog basses, interesting leads and great effects and sweeping sounds or noises!

There were many versions of the Odyssey over the years, each a little different. Pictured above is the Odyssey I (Model 2800). These original white-faced Odysseys used a tinny 2-pole VCF filter design (Model 4023) similar to old Oberheim SEM modules. They also used a rotary knob for pitch bending. These models were produced between 1972-74. Odysseys have been used by ABBA, Bomb The Bass, Ultravox, Gary Numan, LTJ Bukem, Air, Tangerine Dream, 808 State, Apollo 440, Nine Inch Nails, Astral Projection, Chick Corea, George Duke, Josef Zawinul, John Foxx, Vangelis, Elton John, Latinsizer, Jethro Tull, Fussible, Nortec Collective, Jimmy Edgar, DEVO, R.E.M. and Herbie Hancock

TR-808
The TR-808 is a classic drum machine that used analog synthesis to create its sounds. The sounds have a very thin and pure quality and aren't grungy like it's successor the TR-909. In fact, the 808 has become the signature beatbox used in most R&B and hip-hop as well as a lot of dance and techno music. Booming bass kicks, crispy snares and that annoying cowbell sound made famous during the 80's are all part of the 808 and its famous sound.

Its 16 drum sounds include the famous boomy low kick, snappy snares, low/mid/hi toms, low/mid/hi congas, rimshot, claves, hand clap, maracas, cowbell, cymbal, open hihat, closed hihat and accent. All of the sounds can be edited and/or tuned and have individual outputs. Unfortunately it is not MIDI equipped but it does use Roland's DIN Sync.

The TR-808 was OK in its time. It just didn't sound like real drums. When the Linn Drum machines appeared, the 808 seemed doomed. But its unique sound and analog allure have found it a long-lasting home in many forms of music. Clearly the 808 has been one of the more important and famous drum machines in the history of music, spawning imitators (ReBirth, DrumStation) and band names (808 State). Famous users include Orbital, Uberzone, Download, Aphex Twin, 808 State, BT, Bomb The Bass, Sense Datum, The Prodigy, Josh Wink, Faithless, Skinny Puppy, Bushflange, Jimi Tenor, A Guy Called Gerald, Eat Static, Dr. Dre, Jimmy Edgar, Nortec Collective, Freddy Fresh, Richie Hawtin, Jean Michel Jarre, Cocteau Twins, Bostich, Marvin Gaye, Latinsizer, Luke Vibert, Ice Cube and Puff Daddy."

GRAHAM MASSEY on Synths & the 808 State Sound

YouTube Uploaded by TerryFuckwitt on Jun 16, 2008

"808 State is an English electronic music outfit formed in 1988 in Manchester, taking their name from the Roland TR-808 drum machine and the "state of mind" shared by the members. They were formed by Graham Massey, Martin Price and Gerald Simpson.
This is their music video Cubik from 1990"

via A Guy Called Gerald, article via DJMag

"At some point the Roland 101, 202, 303, 808 and 909 machines became a set of kit that would all connect together happily and became affordable due to all the new midi/digital technology, making analogue a dirty word....

The sampler opened up a huge sound world to us and would be the key instrument in terms of giving a track an identity. For instance, the chords on 'Pacific State' were created by sampling a chord from a Juno 106 keyboard layered with a d50 string sound with a bit of filtering in the Casio FZ1 sampler. The bird sound on that record was an Akai sample demonstration disc of the Canadian Loon. "'Cubik' was again a multi sample stacked up with sounds from a Waldorf microwave and a Chase Bit 99 digital keyboard played by a Casio Midi guitar, which we had just got that day."

Click through for more.

An Interview with Barry Schrader

Hi everyone! As you know Barry Schrader will be giving his farewell concert at CalArts on September 26. The following is the beginning of my interview with him. I opted to post the questions and answers as they come in.  New QAs will get a new post so you do not miss them and they will be added to this post so we have one central post for the full interview. This should make it easier for all of us to consume in our busy lives, and it will allow you to send in any questions that may come to mind during the interview process.  If you have anything you'd like to ask Barry, feel free to send it in to matrixsynth@gmail.com.  This is a rare opportunity for us to get insight on a significant bit of synthesizer history, specifically with early Buchla systems, and I'd like to thank Barry for this opportunity. Thank you Barry!

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Relive the '90s with the Roland JD800: Factory Presets

video upload by Andy Whitmore

"Roland JD-800 - ALL FACTORY PRESETS

The Roland JD-800 is a digital synthesizer that was manufactured between 1991 and 1996. It features many knobs and sliders for patch editing and performance control — features that some manufacturers, including Roland, had been omitting in the name of streamlining since the inception of the Yamaha DX7. The JD-800 thus became very popular with musicians who wished to take a hands-on approach to patch programming. The introduction in the manual states that Roland's intention with the JD-800 was to "return to the roots of synthesis".

Technology
The JD-800 employs Linear Arithmetic synthesis (introduced and made famous by the Roland D-50), which combines sample playback with digital synthesis. The JD-800 has 108 built-in waveforms, which can be expanded via PCM cards. The waveforms span a variety of categories such as analog synthesizers, acoustic instruments, and voices. Many of these waveforms are very short and are used primarily for the attack portion of a sound, while longer ones are used for the sustained part of a sound. The JD-800 was Roland's first instrument to have its core presets developed entirely in the United States, under a short-lived branch of its R&D-LA office in Culver City, California. The core sampled waveforms and factory presets of the JD-800 were created by Eric Persing.

A patch, or single sound, in the JD-800 consists of up to four tones. As every tone consists of an almost completely independent synthesizer voice, a patch could be considered a combination of up to four different synthesizers. In Single mode the JD-800 plays one patch at a time, but in Multi mode it is possible to play five different patches over MIDI, plus a "special" patch. The special patch has different waveforms assigned to the 61 different keys on the keyboard, so is used for drums and percussion sounds. The JD-800 has one effects section. In Single mode, seven effects can be used simultaneously, in series, so all tones in a patch go through the same effects. In Multi mode, three effects can be used at the same time, with all patches sharing the same effects, though any of the patches can be routed to bypass the effects.

A Guy Called Gerald
Coldcut
Gary Barlow
Jean-Michel Jarre
Rick Wakeman
Tony Banks

64 Factory Patches

Timecodes

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Bleep's Guide to Electronic Music

This one in via Scott, via Bleep: "Bleep's guide to Electronic Music is a 55 track compilation charting the historical emergence of electronic music by looking at landmark tracks from the 1930s up to present day.

Our aim with this selection of music is to show the length and breadth of the medium, providing a snapshot of the genres forms and styles, and the development of the artform. Whilst there are omissions and compromises that we have had to make, we hope that we achieve our aims and we do some justice to the variety of music that we love.

This compilation developed out of a project to create a Facebook timeline charting the development of electronic music from the late 19th Century until now."

For reference check out 120 Years of Electronic Music

The collection begins with Olivier Messiaen's Oraison from 1937 performed on Ondes Martenot & Theremin (you can find the original full track previously posted here and a beautiful cover on Buchla 200e and Haken Continuum from the late Richard Lainhart here):

"Originally composed by Olivier Messiaen, this beautiful and contemplative piece of music is a monumental moment in electronic music. Argued to be the first piece of purely electronic music written expressly for live performance on the Ondes Martenot, an instrument closely related to the Theremin."

The collection ends with James Blake's CMYK"

"At just 21 years old, London producer, James Blake releases on newly relaunched R&S Records.

At its core 'CMYK' is forged from a myriad of 90's R&B samples (Aaliyah, Kelis) their voices mangled, barely recognisable and thrown into a red-eyed fire of DSP and hours spent in the waveforms."

The full track listing:

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