the 1980s
every machine that defined modern electronic music shipped this decade. linn LM-1 in 1980 (first PCM drums). 808 in 1980 + its breakthrough in 1982 with planet rock + sexual healing. DMX in 1981 (sucker mcs 1983). DX7 in 1983 (every pop record 1984-1989). 909 in 1984 (acid house 1987, detroit techno 1985). MS-20 was already 5 years old but reached its peak influence. the 80s WAS the drum machine era.
11 patterns
- 1982808 · sexual healing ballad95 bpm · Marvin Gaye
Marvin Gaye 1982 template — soft 808 kicks on 1 and 3, claps on 2/4, cymbal swell on the 1 of every bar, sparse offbeat hat. The 808 R&B ballad blueprint — every quiet storm record from 1983 onward learned from this beat. Plate on for the room.
- 1982808 · planet rock electro116 bpm · Afrika Bambaataa + Soulsonic Force
Afrika Bambaataa's 1982 template — syncopated 808 kick (1, 1.75, 2.5, 3.5), clap on 2/4, cowbell on every 16th-note offbeat, closed hat on 8ths. The track that invented electro by stacking Kraftwerk over a TR-808. Drive on for punch.
- 1983DMX · sucker MCs96 bpm · Run-DMC
Run-DMC 1983 template — Oberheim DMX drums alone at 96bpm. Kick on 1 and 3 (laid back), snare on 2 and 4 (cracking with 8-bit aliasing), closed hat on every 8th, NOTHING ELSE. The first hip-hop record made without a live drummer. Drive on for the punch — Run-DMC records were tracked dry but mixed bright.
- 1983TR-606 · Sheffield industrial130 bpm · Cabaret Voltaire
Cabaret Voltaire 1983 template — TR-606 drums alone at 130bpm. Driving kicks on EVERY beat (mechanical four-on-the-floor, no swing), tight snares on 2/4, metallic hat on 8ths, cymbal washes on the 1 of every 2 bars. Drive + delay on for the proto-industrial Sheffield warehouse sound.
- 1984Linn LM-1 · when doves cry109 bpm · Prince
Prince 1984 template — Linn LM-1 drums alone at 109bpm. Kick on 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, single hi-hat on every 8th, NOTHING ELSE. The original record famously had NO BASS — just drums + synth. The lesson is what you leave OUT. Plate on for the warehouse room sound; never delay (Prince records were dry, not dub).
- 1985DX7 · quincy '85 territory80 bpm · Quincy Jones / Whitney Houston era
80bpm electric piano arpeggio walking i-VI-III-VII in C minor + a bell stab on the top of every bar. Whitney / Quincy Jones / patch-11 territory — the sound of every TV theme from 1984 to 1991. tape on for warmth, plate on for the room.
- 1985detroit · model 500 territory130 bpm · Model 500 / Juan Atkins
909 4×4 at 130 with a moog string-stab figure walking i-VI-III-VII in C minor. juan atkins / model 500 / underground resistance dna. plate on for the warehouse.
- 1985C64 SID · rob hubbard territory140 bpm · Rob Hubbard / Martin Galway
140bpm 16th-note pentatonic lead through the C64 SID chip. fast, repetitive, in-your-face — Rob Hubbard / Martin Galway video-game-soundtrack DNA. no FX by default — the SID's own character is the texture.
- 1986frankie knuckles · warehouse floor122 bpm · Frankie Knuckles + Jamie Principle
the foundation — chicago 4×4 909 only, no bass, no chords. learn to sit the kick at 122 first. plate on for the room.
- 1987phuture · acid territory125 bpm · Phuture
chicago 4×4 909 floor under a moog acid-bass riff in A minor. tape on for warmth, delay off — keep the 303 dry like the original.
- 1988707 · voodoo ray acid house122 bpm · A Guy Called Gerald
A Guy Called Gerald 1988 UK acid house template — TR-707 4-on-the-floor at 122bpm + Moog acid bass in A minor. Brighter pop-machine kick + cowbell ping on every offbeat + claps on 2/4. Tape on for warmth, plate on for the rave room.
11 long-form lessons
- canonical lesson · 808 quiet stormMarvin Gaye · Sexual Healing · 198295 bpm · beginner
slow, breathing. 95bpm. kick on 1+3 sub. clap on 2+4 in place of a snare. cymbal swell on every 1. offbeat hat fills the space.
- canonical lesson · electro / early hip-hopAfrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force · Planet Rock · 1982116 bpm · intermediate
syncopated. kick on 1+3 with offbeat ghost kicks adding motion. cowbell on every 16th offbeat (the iconic 808 cowbell). clap on 2/4. drum pattern is the song.
- canonical lesson · golden era hip-hop / boom-bap originRun-DMC · Sucker MCs · 198396 bpm · intermediate
LOCKED. no swing. no velocity dynamics. every kick the same volume, every snare the same volume, every hat the same volume. the genre is in the absolute consistency of the machine.
- canonical lesson · industrial / post-punk electronicCabaret Voltaire · The Crackdown era · 1983130 bpm · advanced
MECHANICAL. four-on-the-floor kick (NOT 1+3 — every beat). snare on 2+4. metallic 8th-note hat. cymbal wash on each 1 of every 2 bars. NO swing, NO velocity variation, NO humanization. the machine wins.
- canonical lesson · minneapolis funk / linn eraPrince · When Doves Cry · 1984109 bpm · intermediate
Linn LM-1 drums LOCKED. kick on 1/3, snare on 2/4, hi-hat 8ths. that's it. no bass. the dry tight Linn drums + the vocal + the piano + the synth chord stab. negative space.
- canonical lesson · detroit technoModel 500 / Juan Atkins · Detroit Techno · 1985130 bpm · intermediate
driving 4-on-the-floor at 130. NOT chicago (sweaty, body). detroit is FUTURISTIC + MELANCHOLY. minor key, modal walking chord stabs, sparse percussion, clean production. the city as cyborg.
- canonical lesson · 80s pop production / DX7 ascensionQuincy Jones · The Dude / Off The Wall era · 1981-198580 bpm · intermediate
80bpm slow groove. classic arpeggio walking minor + relative-major chords. bell stab on the 1 of every bar punctuates. NOT dance music — adult contemporary listening music.
- canonical lesson · chiptune / 8-bitRob Hubbard · C64 SID Chiptune · 1985140 bpm · advanced
fast. 140bpm. tight + bright. lots of arpeggio gymnastics because the SID had only 3 voices — composers used arpeggio to FAKE chords (rapidly alternating root + 3rd + 5th to imply harmony). that's the chip sound: implied polyphony via fast arpeggio.
- canonical lesson · chicago houseFrankie Knuckles · Your Love · 1986122 bpm · beginner
4-on-the-floor at 122. open hat on the offbeat is the engine. clap on 2 and 4 is the body. don't add anything else til this sits.
- canonical lesson · chicago acid housePhuture · Acid Tracks · 1987125 bpm · intermediate
patient 4×4 with a 16% swing in the hat pocket. 303 wanders. don't crowd it.
- canonical lesson · UK acid houseA Guy Called Gerald · Voodoo Ray · 1988122 bpm · intermediate
bright. 122bpm 4×4 with a TR-707 (not 909) so the kick is poppier + the snare is pop-thin + the cymbals are crisp. clap on 2/4. cowbell on every offbeat (the genre signature). open hat on the 'and of 2' as the ear-candy variation.