The return of the 909? Roland release new teaser

The news that Roland would be re-launching the iconic TR-808 was met by mixed reactions from fans of the original analog beat box. Under the name Aira, Roland have revealed plans for the new rhythm machine, the Aira-08. The introduction of the 808, along with sister models the 303 and 909 spawned what we now know as electronic music, with the unmistakable sounds responsible for music as diverse as house, techno, hip hop and grime.

Aside from the raw, authentic and much emulated sounds, the charm of the 808 and the 909 was the fully analog synthesis (although the video explains there were some exceptions for the 909). While of course this release will be the stuff of dreams for many, others are refusing to get drawn into the hype for fear of having their precious hearts broken if the return of the cult kit fails to deliver.

Then of course there are the hipsters who gleefully hold on to their ‘precious’ wallowing in the delight that in doing so they keep that hallowed sound out of the hands of less resourceful creatives. Music forums have swelled with these types expressing their dismay at the prospect of the 808’s exclusivity diminishing slightly. We hope it’s fully analog just to piss off those guys. Although Roland have kept their cards very close to their chests, going off a supposed leaked image of the AIRA-08 many have speculated that the machine will in fact be digital.

Originally created as a “rhythm machine to be used for backing tracks” the gulf in aesthetics with real drums and popular, contemporary real-life emulating drum machines meant the 808 was an initial wash-out. This saw 808’s pawned and the value slashed which meant amateur producers could pick up the kit for next to nothing compared to their original RRP, which started off over $1,000.

This new accessibility of the 808 meant it was falling into more and more creative hands and eventually armed a generation of electronic music pioneers across a broad spectrum in the transhuman, lo-fi, high-tech world of the ’80s. From the decaying industrial landscapes of cities like Detroit, Chicago, Berlin and later Manchester, came a revolutionary sound that, along with the acidic 303 and techy 909, continues to define dance music.

So Roland, through their sub-name Aira, have trickled out info on the new 808 which has sent the music world into a frenzy and just when the chaos was beginning to simmer, they unleash another totally elusive, absolutely non-informative video onto their site which when squeezed though our haplessly hopeful brain filters infers that a new version of 909, presumably called the Aira-09, is in the pipeline.

No one at TNG was around for the first wave of Roland’s cult series and by the time we could count to 909, the once affordable magic boxes were obscure and had catapulted to astronomical value on eBay and the like; so this news has got us hyped (even if we’re doubtful our requests for review copies will ever bear fruit).

Given that the market for the originals is now way out of their hands and into the pockets of private vendors, it makes sense that Roland would try to divert some of the hype-cash back into their bank account. However to release digital bastard versions of the synths is surely a pointless venture given the amount of software based emulators you can hardwire to an interface for what would surely be a fraction of the price?

The time it’s taken and the utter smugness on the face of the Japanese chaps in the videos, and the pride with which they convey the processes that went into making the original sounds is surely an indicator, albeit flimsy and probably desperate, that they have indeed attempted to recreate that analog sound we all crave. The mystery is killing us. Check out the teasers on Aira’s site and notice the top-secret, digitally padlocked “Coming Soon” boxes…