The corporate celebrated the TR-808’s forty fifth anniversary with world events, limited-edition sneakers and a brand new animated sequence that includes Hip-Hop legends.
Roland kicked off its forty fifth anniversary celebration of the legendary TR-808 Rhythm Composer on Friday (August 8) with a worldwide rollout of occasions, unique product launches and a tribute sequence spotlighting the machine’s large affect on Hip-Hop, techno and entice music.
The corporate unveiled a limited-edition sneaker collaboration with New Steadiness, hosted worldwide events and debuted “The Rhythm Creators,” an eight-part animated sequence that includes Egyptian Lover, Prince Paul, Fatboy Slim and Jazzie B of Soul II Soul. The sequence, narrated by the artists themselves, dives into their private tales with the TR-808 and its successor, the TR-909, with animation by Detroit-based artist Vaughn Taormina.
The primary episode dropped Friday with Egyptian Lover, and new installments will proceed by September.
Roland and New Steadiness additionally relaunched the Tiago Lemos NM808 x Roland sneaker, a nod to the 808’s deep roots in music, skateboarding and streetwear. The $114.99 kicks went on sale Friday at 9 a.m. EDT on the New Steadiness web site.
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To honor the sneaker drop, Roland and New Steadiness threw an invite-only mixer in Atlanta at SESSIONS, the studio helmed by producer Difficult Stewart. The occasion featured performances by Sonny Digital, Combine Grasp David and an look from Don Cannon, host of the “BackTrack” podcast. Attendees additionally acquired hands-on demos of Roland gear and a primary take a look at the sneakers.
In Tokyo, Roland partnered with streetwear label XLARGE for a Harajuku takeover, that includes stay units from REMO-CON, Yebisu303 and Ken Plus Ichiro. The XLARGE x 808 capsule assortment—graphic tees, hoodies and equipment—was out there in-store, alongside a uncommon show of the unique TR-808 drum machine.
In the meantime, Roland Retailer London hosted its personal celebration with a stay DJ set by Complexion and in-store entry to the XLARGE x 808 gear, which was additionally made out there on-line.
Roland additionally dropped a brand new sound pack for Roland Cloud customers that includes Arabian Prince, a pioneer of the Los Angeles Hip-Hop scene identified for “Panic Zone” and “Scenario Scorching.” The TR-808 Arabian Prince pack offers producers entry to his signature patterns and sequences by a Roland Cloud Professional or Final membership or a Lifetime Key.
As a part of the anniversary, Roland is providing its TR-808 Software program Rhythm Composer for $49 by September 9, giving producers a digital method to faucet into the machine’s traditional sound.
Extra info on 808 Day occasions and merchandise is offered on the Roland web site.
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