Author, music producer, and friend of zap! bang! Magazine Oli Freke has followed up his book detailing the history of synthesizers with a drum machine anthology.
Beat Gems is a visual history of the machines that have made electronic music pulse for decades. We caught up with him to find out more.
"[Beat Gems] is a celebration of drum machines and their role in music culture and society."
When we last interviewed you, we talked about your Synthesizer Evolution book. What was the response to that project?
That was way back in 2020, but it's always had a great response, and still selling! I think the combination of line drawing and directory makes it a bit more interesting than a mere website which you could admittedly look this stuff up on. It's a real artefact - more important than ever!
Is Beat Gems the next logical step for you?
It was a classic case of one-thing-leading-to-another - I'd given a talk on the history of drum machines at SynthFestUK 2024, and I happened to sit next to Kim Björn, the publisher of Beat Gems, at the post-even meal.
He'd been at the talk and said he'd been thinking about doing a book about drum machines, and I said I might like to write a book about drum machines! Which we then of course did - and pleasingly we were in time for it to be on sale at SynthFestUK 2026 - exactly two years later!
How would you describe your interest in drum machines compared to that of synthesizers?
Drum machines are about rhythm, groove, and dancing, which is different (though of course, complementary) to synthesizers, which are more melodic/sound design instruments.
Obviously there's massive overlap, but as a producer of dance music, it's the drum machine that counts there, and the history of electronic dance music, especially underground styles, are completely bound up in the development of drum machines in the 1980s. Yes, I'm thinking of Roland and their models such as TR-808, 909 here! I'm fascinated about how the sound - and even the programming methods - of classic drum machines led to the evolution and sounds of electro, hip-hop, techno, and more.
What was the first drum machines you ever played?
I was lucky enough to acquire a Moog Prodigy from my school, aged 16, as they were getting rid of these dusty dinosaurs in favour of the fancy Yamaha digital keyboards (with drum pads!), but I also got a Sound Master SR-88, which is a very basic analogue drum machine, with rudimentary programmability.
Unfortunately, it never quite worked properly and I don't know what happened to it. It's quite an interesting machine in its own way - and features in the book - so I'm a bit annoyed it disappeared!
What was the first you owned?
See previous answer, but my first 'proper' one was a Boss DR-660 that I had in the 90s. A solid digital drum machine, but not hugely notable for any particular reason.
Which are your favourite brands and why?
Well, that's hard. It's even harder to avoid Roland when discussing drum machines, given their impact in the 80s, 90s - and still to this day. Those sounds of the 808 and 909 are standard sounds in a producer's arsenal. On the American side, there's Oberheim who I have a soft-spot for. Linn may have been first, but the Oberheim DMX (1981) is the sound of New Order's Blue Monday. Say no more!
What is your favourite model?
The Movement Percussion Computer of 1981 is really interesting. MPC were one of these UK companies that had great ideas, and with the right resources and business acumen could have rivalled the American and Japanese companies...but they didn't and couldn't. Instead they come out with quirky one-offs, like this one. It's mainly interesting as it was used on The Eurythmics 'Sweet Dreams', and the only reason the big 'boom' sound is on beat one is because Dave Stewart couldn't make the machine put it on beat two where he actually wanted it. I love those serendipity / accident moments between man and machine!
Which drum machines do you own now?
Yeah, I did get a little bit carried away - hard not to when you writing a book about them! I'm pleased I've got a (somewhat temperamental) Roland TR-606 (1981). The Oberheim DXa (1984) was a bit of an indulgence (but same sounds as Blue Monday, so, you know!). Then there's a few small quirky ones like the Korg DDM-110 (1984), a budget machine, but was Japan's first all-digital drum machine, a staggering four years after the Linn LM-1 (1980)!
What do you use them for?
They were mainly for research, but I'm keen to actually use them for doing music, as that is what they are actually designed for!!
These are musical instruments that in the hands of truly creative people... can genuinely transform our understanding of what music - and rhythm - can be.
Who are your drum machine heroes?
I think the original designers who pushed the art of the drum machine forward is a good place to start. The unknown designers of the very first machine, the Wurlitzer Side Man (1959) managed to build an amazingly complete drum machine right out of the gate. We'd recognise it as a true drum machine even today: it even has individual drum buttons so you could play drum'n'bass on it now if you wanted! Then there's Ikutaro Kakehashi, the founder of Roland - the 808, 909, 707, 727, 303 (the acid synth) - say no more! Roger Linn revolutionised the drum machine with his LM-1 in 1980 - aged only 25! Then went onto design the Akai MPC series, which informed the new sound of late 80s hip-hop, amongst many other styles.
Then of course there's the artists - too many to mention - but I'm fond of the ones who 'misused' drum machines in the 1970s, when they already sounded old-fashioned and only had presets like the foxtrot. Some great examples are Cluster ('Zuckerzelt'), Suicide ('Frankie Teardrop'), Sly Stone ('Family Affair'), Jean-Michel Jarre ('Oxygene'), Grandmaster Flash, ('Flash it to the Beat' bootleg), and of course (of course) - Kraftwerk!
Jeff Mills provides a foreword in Beat Gems, how did that come about?
I am thrilled and honoured to have Jeff write the foreword. I'd contacted him initially to discuss his work - especially his activity as a TR-909 wizard, and for his thoughts on that machine in general. As the book took shape he seemed more and more to be the perfect fit as one of the leading proponents of the art of the drum machine. Me and the team at Bjooks were beyond delighted when he accepted our invitation to share his thoughts in the foreword. Were you pleased with what he had to say?
I loved the fact that he articulated a lot of what the book is aiming to do: Beat Gems is not a boring list of technical specifications about 'obselete machines', it's a celebration of the role of the drum machine in human culture and modern music evolution. Jeff, in his article, talks about how important music and rhythm were to him growing up, and how it informed his professional work as an artist. He relates beautifully how the drum machine (and other instruments) allowed him to express himself musically. For me that's the whole point - these are musical instruments that in the hands of truly creative people - such as Jeff Mills - they can genuinely transform our understanding of what music - and rhythm - can be. Amen (break) to that!
What are your hopes for this project?
I hope it's well received by fans of drum machines and electronic music. I really wanted it to be a history not just of the drum machine in terms of technical development, and certainly not a dry list of stats.
Instead it's a celebration of drum machines and their role in music culture and society. How they started off as machine that merely imitated existing dance music rhythms - the now cheesy rhumbas, foxtrots, and waltzes - but went on to form the heart of modern music - and not least in their role as fundamental to the development of electro, hip-hop, house, techno and many more styles beside.
You've previously mentioned putting together something about samplers. Is that still on the cards?
You must mean this Sound on Sound podcast! Will it be a book next?!? Who knows!
Any plans to get on stage in the near future with your own beat gems?
Yeah - after a solid two years of book writing, I'm keen to get back to writing some new music and we'll see what happens!
Thank you to Oli Freke for taking the time to answer our questions. Order Beat Gems from bjooks.com.