#wania

The Roland TR-606, often compared to its brother and sister the ubiquitous 808 and 909, is the lesser celebrated rhythm box behind some of our favourite Electro and Acid trips. 

Compared to other legendary Roland machines, the 606 is just not as revered. It somehow doesn’t seem to grab the imagination of the raving public in the same way. So much so that it was stated that LNS at one point wanted to sell her machine. So why is this piece of gear so overlooked? 

Simply put, not everything can be the favourite, just like the countless hits that came of out Detroit’s Motown, came many other hits that were never to be. Fast forward only t0 be discovered and cherished decades later in the UK via cargo ships that were transporting coal, and soon to be dubbed Northern Soul. Cult Classic, not best-seller.

Which lends a fun analogy, regarding the TR-606 which alongside the TB-303 were originally invented to provide singers with a bass and drum backdrop, were quickly shelved to make way for sample based drums and real bass lines. Their mechanical charms, which did not appeal to many, soon was repurposed and blazed the way for the automated sounds of early UK Acid House. 

While Sputters is not exactly a tribute album to the 606, it does feature heavily, and its celebration alongside other classic tropes is a central aspect of the album. With its innovation this is by and large a tribute to ever expanding Electro sound world. Looking back to go forward, which means the classic production, machines, and execution, have been brought with care up to the 2021s to delivery something new and push further while nodding to the timeless and robust ways of the previous decades. 

With Roland and Behringer recreating all sorts of affordable hardware that at one point, shaped the genre. Sequenced electronic music has never been more accessible to make. This is a great thing, and healthy for the culture, however with a glut of music in the style of Acid, Electro and Techno, one must look further to create music with a sense of purpose. And while the music might become easier to make, this purpose paradoxically can become more difficult to achieve, The gaps of originality forever being mined and sowed up by anyone quick enough to identify them. 

 LNS and DJ Sotofett happily manage to squeeze life between the 16 steps of a somewhat over-saturated market. A small hoop we love to see producers jump through in this game, innovation within limitations, pushed to the corners to create fresh new music. This I believe is somewhat achieved by their enthusiasm for fusion, which you can hear often in their DJ sets also. 

Electro can be tiredly purist at times, however when you remember that all music is informed, borrowed and mixed with other styles and cultures, you might obtain the key that unlocks the gate outta Dullsville. 

For example, the single El Dubbing, features recognizable tropes of the Electro sound world, but with the mixing techniques of Dub Reggae, creating a lovely push and pull between the dry and tight trademarks of Electro and the lush flowing echoes of Dub mixing. Furthermore, as mentioned previously, the sound palette is not the instantly reached for 808. Everything is familiar, but not as it seems. This immediately introduces freshness where other producers may have not looked, hiding in plain sight. 

The effect that switching from the 808 with its impeccable reputation for electronic rhythms, is hard to avoid. because it has effortlessly set the standard. But embracing the somewhat underrated tones of the 606 can be of great advantage over the usual, because it is a lot less embraced as the rhythmic backbone of the Electro, Techno and Acid genres. A simple but effective twist. 

While the 606 is often compared to, and sometimes looked over due to the legendary status of its 808 and 909 counterparts, its appeal as an instrument is displayed greatly on this album. It really suits the duo as the machine of choice, delightfully non-purist, but focused. Unbending to the pressure of having “the right gear” carving out their sound whether it be from an underappreciated drum box, or underappreciated cheap and easily accessible records in their DJ sets, often that other DJs might skip over in favour of the more expensive choice cuts.