16 Legendary Beats - A short history of the 808 🟥🟧🟨⬜ | Drum Patterns Explained

The Roland TR-808 is the most famous and influential drum machine ever created. Today we're looking at its history - and we'll do so by showing you 16 of our favourite 808 patterns, spanning across four decades and beginning with its birth in 1980. We'll be using the OXI One as a sequencer so you can see all the different instruments and you can try the patterns on your drum machine or in your DAW.

Featured drum patterns (transcriptions available on Patreon):
Yellow Magic Orchestra - 1000 Knives
Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force - Planet Rock
Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
T La Rock & Jazzy Jay - It's Yours
Beastie Boys - Paul Revere
Skinny Puppy - Dig It
LL Cool J - Going Back to Cali
Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
Aphex Twin - XTAL
Drexciya - Andreaen Sand Dunes
Missy Elliott - Lose Control / Cybotron - Clear
Daft Punk - Technologic
Kimbra - Cameo Lover
Childish Gambino - Sweatpants
M.I.A. - Borders

Gear used:
8raw8
OXI One
DJ TechTools Midi Fighter 3D
Arturia CMI V
Beatbunny Cabasa
Neural DSP Archetype Gojira
Arturia Keystep
Arturia MicroFreak
Arturia Pigments
Arturia OP-Xa V

#808 #drummachine #drumpattern #beatmaker #beatmaking #electronicmusic #musicanalysis #synthesizer #musicproduction #roland #history #drums #80s #80smusic

Image credits:
Bryan Pocius - Roland TR-808 from the Musical Instrument Museum, Phoenix, AZ

0:00 Introduction
0:56 Yellow Magic Orchestra - 1000 Knives
1:40 Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force - Planet Rock
3:03 Marvin Gaye - Sexual Healing
4:54 T La Rock & Jazzy Jay - It's Yours
5:56 Beastie Boys - Paul Revere
6:41 Skinny Puppy - Dig It
7:51 LL Cool J - Going Back to Cali
9:02 Whitney Houston - I Wanna Dance With Somebody
9:53 A Guy Called Gerald - Voodoo Ray
10:43 Aphex Twin - XTAL
11:44 Drexciya - Andreaen Sand Dunes
12:35 Missy Elliott - Lose Control / Cybotron - Clear
13:29 Daft Punk - Technologic
14:20 Kimbra - Cameo Lover
15:11 Childish Gambino - Sweatpants
16:22 M.I.A. - Borders
17:14 End Jam

Produced by Jean-Claude Dirckx and Sophie Hoppstädter

[JLeonSarmiento]

Yes, you are the David Attenborough of drum patterns. Thanks!

[jasmeerlabeer]

The fact that you included Skinny Puppy (normally forgotten) made me super happy. Thank you.

[Disco_Breakin]

To quote the Beastie Boys

"Cause nuttin' quite sounds like an Eight oh Eight"

[davidyates]

As a child of the 80s and a teenager of the 90s I'd like to thank Kikumoto-san for designing a range of instruments which were a commercial failure, and as a result allowed a whole host of producers to develop a sound which was so influential to my younger self. Thanks to you Cap'n and the lady with the beautiful hands for another great showcase recreation of those classic beats!

[eskayareegee]

The Egyptian Lover deserves a mention! He championed the 808 throughout his whole career and taught Luke Skyywalker to program the machine, who went on to form 2 Live Crew and pioneer miami bass
Btw didn’t know that A Guy Called Gerald was part of 808 State! Thanks for the great video and history lesson 👏

[tchnodlic]

Yes Richard Yasushiii3848, Thank you Captain for adding 'Yellow Magic Orchestra' to the list of artists. We lost Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto in 2023. All we have now is dear Haroumi Hosono. I met all three of them in 2008. They were the BEST!

[fernandoorozco]

As somebody who has been both a Hip Hop and a Techno Industrial DJ, I really appreciate you did not skip "Dig It" by Skinny Puppy. Back in the days I used to fake out the Goth kids in the mix by throwing Hip Hop acapellas over this and other Electro Industrial rhythms. Thank You for showing the whole picture!

[synthnerd]

Lovely YMO at the end. :) And of course we lost both Yukihiro Takahashi and Ryuichi Sakamoto this year too. :(

[chriswareham]

Another superb TR-808 based track is The Sisters Of Mercy's "Temple Of Love". Like Skinny Puppy's "Dig It", it's used in an unusual context, but rather than industrial in the case of "Temple Of Love" it's guitar based rock. I think they put the snare through a guitar amp, cranked it up, and then recorded it with a close mic to get a heavier sound. That was a classic trick used by a lot of guitar bands with drum machines - check out The Cure's "One Hundred Years" where they did the same with a Boss DR-55 Dr Rhythm.

[NickolaiPetrovitch]

You’re amazing, I just found you and I’m so excited. I have a 303, 606, 808&909 waiting for me to learn for two years and I’m finally out of the hospital and I’m so excited . I love acid house and the classic 303 acid house sound so much. 808 hip hop beats are my fuckin shit . I can’t wait ! I have so much gear to learn now that I’m using it to host shows. I suddenly have an excessive amount of kontrollers drum machines, synths, CDJ2000s/DGM900. I never had a chance as it was always being used as I rented mine out (as long as I could be there making sure some trap DJ doesn’t spill beer on them.)

Thanks for igniting that excitement again :) YouTube did the algorithm right for once

Please never stop making videos
This was so sick and inspiring
You’re brilliant !

Whenever someone brings out a synth /drum machine beside the CDJs I know some real shitnis about to play lol.

[BeastNationXIV]

The way the Marvin Gaye segment hit me...at 4:37am...had me saying "oooh wee"!

[richardyasushiii]

Thanks for including YMO! They’re vastly underrated, including their impact on subsequent music genres. Keep up the great work on your channel!

[Jaelights]

I just *cannot* get over how good that 8raw8 sounds, easily the best 808 there's ever been (yeah, I know what I'm saying. Original 808s had a budget to contend with, this one did not, it's basically taken the brilliant original design and building it to the highest level of quality possible, free of mass market budget constraints. Best 808 out there is the 8raw8 and I will die on that hill). I really want them to make a 9raw9 0_0.

[Thraeryn]

This was an absolute delight to watch.

[FilYRU]

YMO were leased an 808 prototype during their December 1980 live at Budokan. Their album BGM is the first album to ever use the instrument

[Morganicfilms]

Loose Ends - Hangin' on a String is the song that instantly springs to mind for me with the 808. Classic Brit soul & an 808, you can't go wrong! And it's a dead easy pattern to program too, even better 😆

[oblitafier]

What a pleasant surprise when you finished with YMO. Great arrangement too

[o-ef]

My Favorite is Alura by Sweet Trip ! Gotta love those raw 808 techno tones..

[CaptainEff]

Love seeing XTAL in there. Gonna have to steal that pitch tuning the kick for my own stuff. Much love to you Captain Pikant.

[nachitox]

Hi Captain, another great album recorded with an 808 is "Clics Modernos" by Charly García, one of the best musicians from Argentina (and maybe spanish rock in general) of all times. Songs like "Nos siguen pegando abajo" or "No soy un extraño" were really memorable for an entire generation of young people, who were living in a dictatorial government by the time. Greatings from Argentina, y aguante Charly loco