uchi is proud to introduce, for your viewing pleasure, please give a big handclap to the Roland TR-808 drum machine, the AKAI MPC 60 sequencer, the E-mu SP-1200 sampler and last but not least, the Technics SL1200.Performing together on the classic four square format and rounded off with the the line from the 1980 Kurtis Blow track "The Breaks", typeset in the Tomahawk Cruise missile lettering.
The History
The idea isn’t new. In fact while creating this web site I googled a DMC Branded T-shirt with the same name. It’s pretty good too. I’d be disappointed if it wasn’t, coming from the DMC. It’s got some classic Hip Hop tracks listed on it so I’m also glad I didn’t go that route. In fact, the more I think about it the better it looks and now I want one!
So, back to the uchi joint. For a long time I’ve wanted to document some of the pioneering instruments of not only Hip Hop but all electronic music. “The deejay thingy is over done” I was told by an Urban tee shirt retailer when I eventually got round to it. “We want Quirky and Funny.” I agreed, with the second part. They didn't want mixers, decks, ghetto blasters and all sorts of synths anymore.
The pop culture’s gaze may have shifted a bit from DJs and Hip Hop and moved on to the next generic fad to put on t shirts but we’re still here, as always. Hopefully doing justice with the deejay t-shirt that's got integrity and longevity. It would have to be involved and relevant at the same time. In true uchi style it had to be "explicitly stated, not merely implied".
The Elements
The E-mu SP-1200 drum machine and sampler was, and still is, one of the most highly regarded samplers for use in Hip Hop and dance music. Released in 1987 by E-mu Systems Inc, it was the first machine to sample up to 10 seconds at a rate of 26.040 kHz and 12-bit resolution. As an upgrade to the SP-12 drum machine the SP-1200 focused on its sampling features. With 32 instantly available user sounds it was able construct the bulk of a song by itself reducing costs and studio.
Famed for its gritty, raw and "old vinyl" like audio qualities it became the trademark sound of Hip Hop and house music throughout the 80’s and 90’s and is still widely used today.
By the late 80’s, Hip Hop producers were expanded the limited 10 second sampling time by sampling 33⅓ records at 45 rpm then replaying it from the SP-1200 at much slower speeds. This technique was used until the advent of newer samplers such as Akai's MPC60, which provided higher sampling rates and more sampling time.
Just some of the people to have use the E-mu SP-1200 include; Roni Size, Daft Punk, The Prodigy, Pete Rock, Cypress Hill, Jay-Z, The Beastie Boys, Public Enemy and Phil Collins.
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980 as an upgrade to Roland's CR-78 drum machine, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos using analog synthesis to create sounds with a very thin and pure quality. It didn't sound like real drums and was only in production until 1984 but its unique sound and analog charm is embedded in many forms of music. From Hip Hop, R&B, dance and techno you can still hear it’s heavy bass kicks, crisp snares and the classic cowbell and handclap.
Marvin Gaye's "Sexual Healing" was one of the machine's earliest mainstream hits. The Beastie Boys breakout album Licensed to Ill consists mostly of TR-808 beats and samples from popular rock songs; its success lead to a new surge in popularity.
The 808 has had it’s share of emulators, clones and imitators. Artists to have used it include Orbital, Aphex Twin, 808 State, George Michael, Bomb The Bass, The Prodigy, Faithless, Cocteau Twins, Paul Hardcastle, Marvin Gaye, Dr. Dre, Howard Jones, Jimmy Jam & Terry Lewis, 2-Pac, Bjork, Tom Jones, Jean Michel Jarre, LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Janet Jackson, Puff Daddy, Pet Shop Boys, Vangelis... It has influenced band names and is still cited in verse making it one of the more important drum machines in the history of electronic music.
The legendary Akai MPC60 II is an all-in-one sampling and MIDI sequencing drum machine considered to be the most widely used piece of electronic music equipment today. Designed by the celebrated Roger Linn for Akai it still bears his signature. He produced one of the world's first drum machines to use digital audio samples as the sound source and combined it with powerful sequencers to create the MPC60.
Simply put, the Technics SL 1200 MKII was best thing to happen to Hip Hop music since Hip Hop. It began with the silver SL1200 originally marketed as hi-fi equipment for the home market.
Since its release in 1978, the MKII and its successors has been the most common turntable for DJing and Scratch DJing. More than 3 million units have been sold and it's regarded as one of the most durable and reliable turntables ever produced. Many early models are still in use today. There is a SL1200 exhibited in the Science Museum of London as one of the key pieces of technology that have shaped music history.
The SL1200 series was developed as a special project in an attempt to solve problems relating to turntable design. It’s magnetic direct drive system, robust base and a high torque minimized acoustic feedback, unwanted resonances, wow & flutter and allowed it to reach desired speeds in 0.7 secs. Not forgetting the variable pitch control allowing seamless beat matching.
With the SL1200 MKII Technics improved the motor and shock resistance and changed the rotary pitch control to a slider style. This is now the base model and is the oldest still in production.
It's rumored that Panasonic intend to cease production of the Technics 1200s and 1210s in February 2010.
It's hard to imagine Hip Hop without the turntable and it’s no surprise to me that This turntable is culturally recognised in a museum. Some of my earliest and most memorable music moments have been via two of these and a microphone.
"The Breaks" is a critically acclaimed 1980 hit single for Kurtis Blow, one of the first commercially successful rappers and the first to sign to a major label. Taken from his debut album it is considered an early Hip Hop classic and one of the first Hip Hop hits to go gold. It is currently Number 10 on VH1's 100 Greatest Songs of Hip Hop. Ironically, it's one of the few Hip Hop songs containing no samples. The funk beat in this song is an original one, which has since been sampled by many subsequent producers.
The "breaks" referred to in this song are also not about beats and samples but about the breaks dealt in life. The bad luck referred to in Alanis Morissette's’ "Ironic" but with humour and 60 seconds of a great piano breakdown.
Finally, the "These Are The Breaks" strapline is derived from the lettering on the side of the Tomahawk cruise missile. The font Tomahawk rounds off this piece of 80's nostalgia.
"Cuz the 808 kick drum makes the girlies get dumb."
Sir Mix-A-Lot, "Posse on Broadway" from Swass, 1988
To the brothers wit the 808 / Like I said before PE got a brand new funk / Turn it up, boom the trunk."
Public Enemy, "Power to the People," Fear of a Black Planet, 1990
Everybody gettin down make no mistake / Nothing sounds quite like the 808.
Beastie Boys, "Super Disco Breakin" from Hello Nasty, 1998
Looking like jail bait, Selling lots of real estate, Looking like a hot date, Banging like an 808.
Beck, "Hollywood Freaks" from Midnite Vultures, 1999
Yo, it's number one rap, I'd rather hear an 808 handclap, than that.
People Under The Stairs, "Stay Home" from Question In The Form Of An Answer, 2000
But I know y'all wanted that 808 / Can you feel that B-A-S-S bass.
OutKast, "The Way You Move," from Speakerboxxx/The Love Below, 2003
"Bass...Hi-hat...808...
Beyoncé Knowles, "Déjà Vu" from B'Day, 2006
I'm back with an 808 'cause I'm bossy.
Kelis, "Bossy" from Kelis Was Here, 2006
You got my heart beating like an 808
Britney Spears, "Break The Ice" from Blackout, 2007
I hope that maybe in time this becomes as much of a classic uchi design as Always Use Clean Needles. If it’s not, no problem, I guess those are the breaks.
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Dan Muteki for narrowing down the definitive list to put on this design (sorry couldn't include your vinyl label. It had to be Kurtis). Thanks to the legendary DJ Mulder for producing this mix at such short notice. Thanks to ScreenOne for their T-shirt printing skills and a big thanks to all who have bought this!
