The Grammy Award-winning producer behind scores of massive hits traces his signature sound to his Roland beginnings.
Submerge yourself in this starting point for an experimental genre of rock music that floats, swirls, and unfolds.
9 mins read
The prolific percussionist shares how an insatiable curiosity for rhythm fueled his journey from Helsinki to Hollywood.
Meet the man on the throne for the Josh Homme supergroup and learn how he uses V-Drums with traditional percussion to create sonic landscapes.
FEATURES
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Explore the enduring influence of the R-8 Human Rhythm Composer on a host of musical styles in Mexico, a land of deep tradition.
6 mins read
The outfit's latest rekindles its bond with the Metropole Orkest, as Bill Laurance’s harmonic style enters new orchestral and jazz frontiers.
An intimate quest for connection, the latest release from TEED is a shimmering, memory-soaked blend of tender synths and emotional clarity.
DEEP DIVES
Linafornia’s childhood and teenage years contained a broad range of melodies and tones.
Roland was a key part of the sampling movement—redefining what music could be. Take a guided tour of Roland samplers from past to present
Take a deep dive into the way streaming recommendations work—and how online algorithms shape our musical listening habits.
The TR-606 endures for its crisp, punchy sound, as well as trigger capabilities and extensive mods. Find out why it remains a classic.
The Roland and BOSS Lifetime Achievement Awards honor artists while providing a timeline of how these musicians and instruments shaped music.
SOUND BEHIND THE SONG
At the heart of Tangerine Dream’s hypnotic “White Eagle” lies a secret—one kept between the band and a pair of JUPITER-8s.
Leftfield came from the same primordial soup as the greatest British dance acts. Explore this iconic track and the TB-303's role in it.
Detroit’s enigmatic duo Drexciya submerged themselves in Afrofuturist myth. "Rublicks Cube" is a transcendent TR-606 classic.
Here's how the artist's omnipresent '90s hit "Praise You" harnessed the Roland TB-303 to become a radio and dancefloor sensation.
SPOTLIGHT
Find out how the Los Angeles nonprofit organization has played a key role in helping participants secure both housing and employment.
10 mins read
Our Contributors
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An MI veteran, Clint was one of the founders of Emagic North America and worked at both Apple and Line 6. A passionate music fan, he heads The New Music Collective.
Darren is Percussion Product Manager for Roland Canada. He loves motorcycles, loud drums, and the great outdoors.
Jordan Blum resides in Philadelphia and holds an MFA in Fiction. He’s Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, author of Jethro Tull: Every Album, Every Song and Dream Theater: Every Album, Every Song, Associate Editor at PopMatters and a contributor to CoS, Kerrang!, Metal Injection, and PROG.
Christian is Director of Global Digital Marketing at Roland Corporation. If he had a professional memoir it would be titled, From Organic Chemistry to Organic Engagement. He lives in LA with his wife and daughter.
TECH AND TREND
Learn how the biggest musical acts are challenging audience attention spans by releasing lengthy albums in today's marketplace.
The video game industry is moving ever closer to cloud storage, digital distribution, and other online possibilities.
2020 certainly hasn’t been a typical summer, but at least the world has had one reliable constant: good indie music. Here's a playlist to prove it.
In our new quarantine reality, many of us work from home and socialize through a screen, making technology increasingly central in our lives.
The intersection of music and technology has always been a space for happy accidents. In that pioneering spirit, we bring you this short list of musical innovations.