This retrotastic Roland TR-808 drum machine ad, shared today by “retired ad producer Karl Charles“, is as realistic as the 808’s drum sounds.
“I’ve been digging through my archive looking for this since I saw the 808 doc last year at the BFI,” says Charles. “Very happy to be able to share it for 808 day.”
It’s almost as if Origin Workshop (founded in 2005 by 808 documentary director Alexander Dunn and producer Matthew Jarman) went back in time to 1980 to create a video for the then-new Roland TR-808.
Check it out and let us know what you think!
Did disney’s Tron team make that ad?
“Pitter-patter.” That’s the sound of the bpm of my 808 heart quickening.
Did I hear a lightsaber in there?
This confirms Roland always wanted their stuff to look like the Aira line.
I can’t wait for the tears when the full LED panel lines start popping up.
Stranger Things 2: Future wave!
Funny how the ad didn’t have much actual 808 going on.
The only thing that really wasn’t spot on was the guy’s haircut and stubble. People didn’t look like that in 1980.
You did if you had an 808, man.
Fake – this I’m sure was recently created. Look at the guy’s hairstyle. Nobody had a 2016 hairstyle in 1980.
The font they used in this ad is called ITC Serif Gothic it’s originally from 1972 – but also available from Adobe – so it could be real or fake.