The Roland TR-808, often referred to simply as the 808, is a drum machine introduced by the Roland

Corporation in 1980 and discontinued in 1983.

With its warm toned strip of colorful sequencing buttons and tweakable banks of knobs,the 808 is
probably the most iconic drum machine of all time.

It has been used on more hit records than any other drum machine. Its influence is everywhere from the
clanging cowbell beat on Marvin Gaye's Sexual Healing to the tinny bounce of Whitney Houston's I
Wanna Dance With Somebody.

Today we cover the 10 Best Albums Featuring the 808 Drum Machine.

Licensed to Ill by Beastie Boys

„Licensed to Ill“ is the debut studio album by American rap rock group Beastie Boys.

„Livenced to III“ was released on November 15, 1986, by Def Jam and Columbia Records, and became
the first rap LP to top the Billboard album chart.

Although the TR-808 drum machine was used in several tracks across the album, its most notable usage
can be heared in ‘Paul Revere’, where Beastie Boys use reversed drum loops to reveal the full, speaker-
blowing potential of the TR-808.

„Licensed to Ill“ wouldn’t sound the same without the TR-808, and more than 30 years since its creation,
it still sounds as futuristic as it did back then.

Charanjit Singh — Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat

„Ten Ragas to a Disco Beat“ is a 1982 album by Charanjit Singh, an Indian musician from Mumbai.

Singh had created the sound of acid house, at least five years before anyone else in the West started
playing with the weird sounds you could get out of the machines such as the TR-808.

Singh's use of both the TR-808 drum machine and TB-303 bass synthesizer has led some music
journalists to suggest that this album is perhaps the earliest example of acid house music.

Although the album was largely ignored on its release, it was rediscovered in the 2000s and greeted with
astonishment.

Kanye West – „808s & Heartbreak“

„808s & Heartbreak“ is the fourth studio album by American producer and vocalist Kanye West. It was
released on November 24, 2008, by Def Jam Recordings and Roc-A-Fella Records.

The 808 of the title is a reference to the Roland TR-808 drum machine, used heavily in the album.
Kanye West dedicated this entire album to the drum machine sounds, with every song using the TR-808,
to its fullest potential.

The precise, synthetic and attractive bass quirks of the Roland TR-808 are the heartbeat that fuels „808s
and Heartbreak“.

„808s & Heartbreak“ debuted as number one on the Billboard 200, selling over 450,000 copies in its first
week. By the end of 2013, it had sold over 1.5 million copies in the United States.

Swass by Sir Mix-a-Lot

Swass is the debut album by Sir Mix-a-Lot. It was released in 1988 by Def American Recordings.

Swass sounded unique in a hip-hop climate populated by the Public Enemies, N.W.As, Rakims, and Big
Daddy Kanes of the world. Musically, Swass is a throwback to the early ’80s.

The album featured the singles "Posse on Broadway", "Square Dance Rap", "Iron Man" and "Rippn'".
“Posse On Broadway,” was the album’s third single and biggest hit.

The song sounded much different than what constituted a hip-hop hit in 1988: it was a stripped-down,
deliberate drum-machine driven track filled with vocal stabs and Godzilla-like groans.

Hangin' Tough by New Kids on the Block

„Hangin' Tough“ is the second studio album by American boy band New Kids on the Block, released on
August 12, 1988, by Columbia Records.

„Hangin' Tough“ is often regarded as the breakthrough album of the group's career. The album has sold
over seventeen million copies worldwide since its release.

New Kids on the Block band used the TR-808 heavily for this amazing album. The album actually features
the use of almost every aspect of the TR-808 drum machine.

Five singles were released from the album. The lead single "Please Don't Go Girl" became a major hit on
radio stations nationwide and became the band's first top-ten single in Billboard Hot 100, peaking at
number ten.

So Where Are You? By Loose Ends

„So Where Are You?“ is the second album released by the English R&B band Loose Ends. The album
reached number 13 in the UK in 1985.

The album features several hits such as "Magic Touch" and "Hangin' on a String (Contemplating)". These
songs use many features of the TR-808 drum machine.
Some tracks of the album make an appearance in popular video game Grand Theft Auto IV's fictional
Soul/R&B radio station The Vibe 98.8.

Midnight Love by Marvin Gaye

„Midnight Love“ is the seventeenth and final studio album by Marvin Gaye. This was the final album to
be released before his death. It ultimately became the most successful album of Gaye's entire career.

Thanks to its use of the TR-808's bass drum, claps, snare and hi-hats, the album served as a massive
advertisement for a machine that was still unloved by the musical mainstream.

Because the album was among the first pop albums to use a Roland TR-808, the style would be copied
by other artists of similar genres in the years to come

Raising Hell by Run-D.M.C.

„Raising Hell“ is the third album by hip hop group Run-D.M.C. released on May 15, 1986 by Profile
Records.

The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200, and number one on the Top R&B/Hip Hop
Albums chart. The album's clever jazz-funk samples and the TR-808 kicks and snares have definitely
helped the album reach its global popularity.

„Raising Hell“ featured four hit singles: "My Adidas", "Walk This Way", "You Be Illin'" and "It's Tricky".

„Whitney“ by Whitney Houston

„Whitney“ is the second studio album by Whitney Houston, released on June 2, 1987. The album
features five top 10 hits on the US Billboard Hot 100.

The album's first four singles—"I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)", "Didn't We Almost
Have It All," "So Emotional" and "Where Do Broken Hearts Go"—all peaked at number one on the US
Hot 100.

‘I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)’ is one of the tracks where the TR-808 shows all its
potential. Although Houston’s vocals on this track are amazing and the synth bass is simply irresistible,
the true secret weapon that makes this track so great is its over-enthusiastic use of the TR-808 cowbell –
a crucial ingredient to any synth-pop smash of the era.

On the Nile by The Egyptian Lover

„On the Nile“ is the debut studio album by American hip hop The Egyptian Lover. The album was
released in 1984, by Egyptian Empire Records.

The album is a masterful production. It sounds retro, futuristic and seductive.

Thanks to his heavy use of the TR-808 drum machine, the Egyptian Lover has earned the title of “King of
the 808”. Since he began producing tracks in 1982, this machine has been an integral part of his works,
with a vast array of beats for any occasion or mood.

To the Egyptian Lover, the TR-808 drum machine is much more than an instrument; for himt it is an
extension of his persona.