Listening to the radio in 1982 you’d hear the Roland TR-808’s synthetic percussion sounds on Marvin Gaye’s single “Sexual Healing” – the first big 808-based pop hit. Listen to the radio today and you’ll hear booming 808 bass on tracks by the likes of Beyoncé, The Weeknd, Travis Scott and Future. The fat sub bass sounds we now associate the 808 with are a world away from its original use as a programmable replacement for a live drummer.
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