What do you think?
Rate this book
Beatbox: A Drum Machine Obsession Deluxe RSD Version
Essential reading material for anyone fascinated in rhythm boxes. For A Drum Machine Obsession Joe Mansfield explores 75 drum machines from his personal collection (and it's quite an impressive collection!). Over the course of 200 pages, Mansfield breaks down the beat boxes from the 50's to late 80's with background and factoids about each machine along, vintage advertisements, and tons of photos by Gary Land. Several interviews are also included from numerous drum machine masters and innovators including Roger Linn, Davy DMX, Schooly D, and more. The hardcover book comes packaged in a deluxe leatherette slipcase with exclusive 7" featuring Joe Mansfield's re-creation of the Beastie's "Paul Revere" instrumental and a cassette with beats to 18 hit rock, dance and hip-hop tracks re-created on 11 different drum machines.
- GenresMusicNonfiction
212 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2013
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
August 5, 2015
This is an amazing, one of a kind book. One of those treasures you imagined once but never thought its existence was possible. If it wasn't for Goodreads, i would have never found this book!
The great thing about this huge letter-size hard-cover book is its size, which makes the quality of the photos really shine. These drum machines all look amazing, beautiful objects you want to play with. Some of them are ridiculous .... A 8-track operated drum machine, really? Another one looks like a portable heater. It probably was, also, a heater.
Each one gets at least 2 pages, except the "stars" (808, 909, Linn, DMX, etc) who get 4-6 pages. The author even mentions some songs where these were featured. It's really a work of love. And so since I was listening to them as I was reading here's a playlist... It's chronological from 1975 to 1996, which is where the book stops. (Actually it's mostly focused on the 80s and earlier.)
The great thing about this huge letter-size hard-cover book is its size, which makes the quality of the photos really shine. These drum machines all look amazing, beautiful objects you want to play with. Some of them are ridiculous .... A 8-track operated drum machine, really? Another one looks like a portable heater. It probably was, also, a heater.
Each one gets at least 2 pages, except the "stars" (808, 909, Linn, DMX, etc) who get 4-6 pages. The author even mentions some songs where these were featured. It's really a work of love. And so since I was listening to them as I was reading here's a playlist... It's chronological from 1975 to 1996, which is where the book stops. (Actually it's mostly focused on the 80s and earlier.)
April 23, 2014
Really only for the drum machine-obsessed. If you fit into that category, though, this is the book for you.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews