808 Page #5

Maybe the ghost of Marvin is

here right now saying,

"No, no, no, no, no, that's not the way

to do it, that's not what I want."

'Sexual Healing' was just the start

of the 808's journey into pop.

Legendary production team Jam and Lewis

also decided to make it the defining sound

on their work with the SOS Band.

Well I think we incorporated

the 808 into

a sound specifically for

particular artists.

So when we did the SOS songs we

did 'Just be Good To Me',

I don't even know whether we

even cared at the time

what kind of drum machine it was because

we recorded those tracks in Atlanta

and they just said, "Oh

well we got an 808."

We're like, "OK fine,

plug it in and lets go."

And those songs hit huge.

The next record we did after

that was Cheryl Lynn, 'Encore'

and we went back to like a DMX

or a Linn drum or something

because it was like we

didn't want that sound,

we kind of thought that's

more the SOS sound,

so we don't want to really take

that sound and use it everywhere.

And the exception to that was a

group we did called Change

because we went over to Italy

to record that album

and once again that's what was

in the studio was an 808.

After that we kind of reserved

the sound just for SOS Band.

So whatever the 808 lends, it causes

you to create a whole different

underlying thing that

you build on.

It was a huge part I think in how we created

especially for the SOS Band because

I totally identify with

the SOS Band and the 808

and if I hear another drum machine it

kind of doesn't sound like SOS to me.

People always talkin' 'bout

Your reputation

I don't care about

your other girls

Just be good to me

We were just really lucky that,

you know, fate had, you know,

put an 808 in our session

a couple of times,

which turned out to be really

pivotal records for us.

And then we heard other records

like Phil Collins with the 808

and we was like wait a minute

were late we've got to catch up,

Phil Collins is rocking the 808 like

we've got to get into this now.

I use drum machines

as a tool, you know,

I mean, and for me it opened

up my world for writing.

To me the way I write is,

I need an atmosphere.

Atmospheres will tell

you where to go next,

and suggest what you could

do after this chord,

and sometimes those, those 808s,

you know, patterns that you write

would give you a great platform

and something that not a lot has

to happen which is why on my stuff

certainly there is a lot of space

when there's a drum machine.

Oh think twice

'Cause it's another day for

you and me in paradise

Oh think twice, 'cause it's

just another day for you

You and me in paradise

The sounds I found very,

kind of stimulating,

particularly the conga sounds

and the bongo sounds

and the kind of 'pop' sounds.

You could do a lot with them.

You could make them kind of,

kind of mellow, you know with

the desk and things and

you'd put a little bit of

reverb on and they would go back

and they would be a panorama to

whatever you were writing.

You know, you could use them and

know that you were going to replace

this, and this, and this with real drums

but this, and this, and this could stay.

And then sort of sit there for ten minutes and the

thing just carried on, you know quite happily.

You know, you try to get a

drummer to play something simple

for ten, fifteen minutes

he won't do it.

We get bored, we'll play...

Doom da da cha...

No don't do that, you know. Just

play... Doom da da cha...

And drummers they kind of

get bored

and they want to show they can do

more than that so they do that.

Where as a drum machine will

just, as long as you turn

it on and you turn it off it

will just play that forever.

And so that was the

beauty of it.

The joke is you can't pour beer

over a drum machine because it will

stop working but you can

pour beer over a drummer.

Back in the clubs of New York, hip-hop

culture was continuing to grow.

I was a fan of hip-hop,

and would go to,

at that point it was a club

called Negril on 2nd Avenue

but that was the only place really that had a

regular hip-hop, I think it was Tuesday nights.

Hearing the hip-hop records that I was

hearing at the time didn't really

reflect what was going

on at the club.

Really just as a fan I wanted to try

to make something that sounded like

what the experience was

of hip-hop in a club.

Being as the Treacherous Three

were my favorite group,

met Mo Dee, I asked him if, you know,

we could make a record together.

And he said, "Well, you know,

we're signed."

I didn't know that there were labels

or signing or what producers did,

I really didn't know

anything at all.

I just wanted to make a good

record with them and I felt like

I had an idea of what it would

sound like to make a good one.

And he said, "You might want

to talk to Special K

"because his brother

is a good MC."

So I talked to Special

K. We became friends.

Special K wrote the rhymes and he got T, his

brother T La Rock to perform the rhymes.

I was working at the time. I worked

for Leroy Pharmacy in Manhattan,

and my brother said he had an

opportunity to record a record.

But the producer wanted only

my brother Special K and Kool Mo

Dee.

He did not want LA Sunshine.

He only wanted the two.

Three weeks later, four weeks later my

brother came to me, knocked on my door,

and said, "Listen, I want you to record

a record." with the persons name,

who's name by the way

was Rick Rubin.

And I wasn't interested. I said, "No, you

know I just want to do this on the side

"I don't want to

record a record."

Though my brother pushed me and

pushed me and pushed me.

I went downtown to meet Rick Rubin

and I remember we met at NYU.

Rick played this beat for

me and blew me away,

and that was 'It's Yours'.

And he used this drum machine

called the Roland 808.

Commentating

The only reason that was the

drum machine on 'It's Yours'

was because it was the only drum machine we had

and that was where the beat was programmed.

It wasn't like we tried all the great machines

and ended up with the 808 as our choice,

it just worked out that way. I do

remember that in our search for bass,

I think we were in a

sixteen track studio,

and I think six of the tracks of the

sixteen track were all the kick drum.

Hell yea, well it's yours

Taking a record that's

already made

With the help of a mix board

using the cross-fade

Rhythm can be kept to a self-choice

pace, depending on moment

I remember sitting there just look...

staring at the 808 saying,

"My God all of this is coming

out of that machine?"

And I remember being afraid to

touch it, but I wanted to.

It's yours

After I recorded 'It's Yours' I forgot about it.

I went back to work the next day.

And I turned the radio on and I remember

the radio personality she says,

"The number one requested song of

the day and hip-hop lovers..."

And I'm thinking here we go

another Run DMC record.

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