808's, 303's and 909's Documentary

There was an audio documentary on Radio 1 the other day that was brought to my attention by a friend on Facebook. Being that you are undoubtedly a fan of old hip hop then you will be aware of the Roland TR-808, or if not the name then surely the sound.
You may even be aware of other techno gizmos from the Roland range, in this case the TR-909 and TB-303 (drum machine and bassline emulator, respectively). Well, have a listen to the hour-long documentary below which attempts to show you their usage in popular culture.

I've never had the opportunity to own an 808 but it's on my Bucket List for sure. Using an emulator or samples with Logic is all well and good - Hell, I've even got an App on my iPod (DM-1) that lets you recreate rhythms with Roland drum samples - but I bet it's nothing like using the real thing.

I must warn you though that this doc IS taken from a Radio 1 (sorry I mean, 1FM) show - the target audience being 15 to 29 years old so don't expect anything like an indepth and properly researched programme. That said, there is a very brief segment with Premier adding to the discussion.
Stick with the first half, grit your teeth through the rest and listen to the last 10 minutes for a great chat with Don Lewis, a Roland developer who had a hand in creating the TR-808 with some interesting tales.

There is some time devoted to the 303 with it's acid sound which is cool but you know that it's just about that 808.

This text taken from the BBC website:

Listened to much hip-hop or dance music? If so, then you would have undoubtedly heard the sounds of either the Roland 808, 303 or 909 - but what are they and what do these numbers mean?
BBC Radio 1's Kutski discovers how three small electronic boxes from the 1980's sculpted the sound of both Hip-Hop and Dance music. He makes it his mission to track down the team that worked on the Roland 808, 303 and 909 machines to see if they had any idea their inventions would have such a massive influence on contemporary music.
He plots their integral role in the development of hip-hop, house and techno; and the myriad of sub-genres that have spawned from these. Kutski chats to DJ Premier, Richie Hawtin, Seth Troxler, The 2Bears, Flostradamus and Pete Tong amongst others as he founds out why producers around the globe continue to be obsessed with these sounds, more than three decades after they were first created.

Listen HERE.