Museum, artist incubator, distro, and record store—Submerge and Underground Resistance represents the interconnected Detroit music community.
These inspiring female producers have left their marks on the music industry and continue to carve space for newcomers.
A group of eclectic Icelandic artists offer unique perspectives on electronic music performance, their home country, and more.
FEATURES
See All »Social media can reinvigorate vintage hits and help them reach broad new audiences. Here are some classic songs that got a second spin.
The prolific player shares her thoughts on touring with RAYE, finding success in the music industry, and her Roland gear.
The brainchild of housemates recording late-night jams onto cassette, Night Tapes explains the process behind their atmospheric dream pop.
From Africa to the United Kingdom, eclectic dance star Junior Simba shares his passion for infusing ethnic sounds into his songcraft.
LISTENING GUIDE
Here's a place to start exploring the massive catalog of Madlib, one of the finest producers to ever touch a beat pad.
Many artists and releases played a pivotal role in shaping the L.A. Beat Scene. Here's a variety of key sounds from a unique musical moment.
Before hip-hop was the world's most dominant musical genre, several groundbreaking women blazed a fiery trail for others to follow.
A string of artists and labels shaped trance across the '90s and early aughts. Here's a selection of tracks from the genre’s golden age.
For the uninitiated, we provide a roadmap to the formidable discography of rap’s foremost supervillain: MF DOOM.
Learn
See All »The JD-800 dominated the '90s with massive textures and a front panel that pushed limits. Learn to create immense layers with the instrument.
The drumming on the eternally funky “Let’s Groove” demonstrates how powerful disco rhythms can make listeners get up and move.
Josh Manuel discusses hybrid drumming and how he uses Roland electronic gear to enhance his performances with Kane Brown.
Explore the history and sound of the Roots' beloved track, “Mellow My Man," and learn to play some of drummer Questlove's iconic patterns.
The "Superstition" groove reminds us that, alongside his songwriting and musicianship, Wonder is one of the greatest drummers around.
SOUND BEHIND THE SONG
“Rio” cemented the British fivesome as synth-pop legends and MTV superstars. The JUPITER-4 arpeggio is a defining sound of the '80s hit.
“Heliosphan” relies on the drums to act as a driving force. Even when the track borders on chaos, the TR-909 maintains perfect time.
Drawn to the unique characteristics of the JUPITER-4, Sharon Van Etten found songwriting inspiration in the iconic synthesizer.
When that muted guitar lick comes in against those TR-707 rimshots, it feels too good not to dance. This is the tale of the INXS classic.
GAIA 2
SPOTLIGHT
Live electronic music performance creates a unique interaction between performer and listener. Discover how it is both exciting and transformative.
DRUMS
Josh Dun’s groove on the Grammy-winning “Stressed Out” by Twenty One Pilots is infectious. Explore the beat and get its unique tone on V-Drums.
Prepping for a big gig or woodshedding to improve your chops—these V-Drums exercises will help build precision, timing, and more.
Led Zeppelin reinvented the 1927 blues classic as a head-bobbing riff fest. Recreate the John Bonham beat that continues to inspire drummers.
During 2020, many of us turned to creative pursuits while at home. For Simon Gottliffe, his positive escape came from drumming.
Playing backing tracks and samples live is one of the most common new experiences a drummer encounters. Tools like the SPD::ONE WAV PAD offer solutions.
Our Contributors
See All »Jordan Blum resides in Philadelphia and holds an MFA in Fiction. He’s Editor-in-Chief of The Bookends Review, author of Jethro Tull: Every Album, Every Song and Dream Theater: Every Album, Every Song, Associate Editor at PopMatters and a contributor to CoS, Kerrang!, Metal Injection, and PROG.
Lisa is a Roland Artist Relations representative. She's also a lifelong musician with an extensive touring history and discography.
Mike is a musician, composer, and writer from Seattle. He is guitarist/vocalist in Reader and creates solo experimental music as Noonmoon.
Peter Kirn lives in Berlin and is editor of CDM.link. He is an electronic musician and technologist with a background in composition and musicology, producing both experimental and club music and speaking around the world about new expressive technologies.
A FEW MINUTES WITH
Few names are more synonymous with New York house than Roger Sanchez. The legendary DJ talks about process, philosophy, and Roland Cloud.
AMÉMÉ reveals the ways his eclectic musical DNA helps him blur the lines between melodic techno, Afro, and deep house.
Italian duo MARNIK discusses '90s inspiration, all-star collaboration, and how their V-MODA headphones can withstand a meteorological event.
Japanese-born Hinako Omori visited Peter Gabriel’s Real World Studios to blend locally sourced field recordings with binaural technologies.
The composer uses everything from a youth choir to the MC-202 to bridge the gap between electronic and organic, ancient and futuristic.