The TB-303 Failed to Sound Like a Bass, and Was a Psychedelic Mind-Trip Because of It. episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 14, 2025 · 34 MIN

The TB-303 Failed to Sound Like a Bass, and Was a Psychedelic Mind-Trip Because of It.

from Failure Is Freedom · host Martin

Sometimes the things that don't work right, work perfectly. Artificiality used to be the measure of inauthenticity, but "synthetic" sounds became the currency of Generation X's triumphant failure to repeat the music of the past. Electronic equipment at the beginning of the 70s did not do well at replicating "real" musical instruments, and it cost a shit-ton of money, just ask Rick Wakeman. But by the early 80's there was cheap and readily available electronic equipment a plenty at the local pawn shop, "readily available" because it sounded artificial, and "real" musicians didn't want it. How did artifice become the "authentic" sounds of the future? https://www.martinessig.com I mix the mixtapes that I post here but...,Baddass vibes mixed by James Reeves of Midnight Radio: jamesreeves.co for the intro and outro music of most episodes.

Sometimes the things that don't work right, work perfectly. Artificiality used to be the measure of inauthenticity, but "synthetic" sounds became the currency of Generation X's triumphant failure to repeat the music of the past. Electronic equipment at the beginning of the 70s did not do well at replicating "real" musical instruments, and it cost a shit-ton of money, just ask Rick Wakeman. But by the early 80's there was cheap and readily available electronic equipment a plenty at the local p...

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The TB-303 Failed to Sound Like a Bass, and Was a Psychedelic Mind-Trip Because of It.

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This episode was published on August 14, 2025.

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Sometimes the things that don't work right, work perfectly. Artificiality used to be the measure of inauthenticity, but "synthetic" sounds became the currency of Generation X's triumphant failure to repeat the music of the past. Electronic equipment...

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