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Articles by Dan LeRoy
Do They Know It’s a Drumtraks?
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The Machine(s) in the Ghost
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Rhythms Remembered: Moby's Drum Machine-Filled Life
When it comes to drum machines, you might consider Moby The Man Who Sold the World. At one time, Moby boasted the world’s largest collection of rhythm boxes, including such rare pieces as the tape loop-based Chamberlain Rhythmate and the Wurlitzer Side Man, as well as smaller curios like the PAiA Drummer Boy. But nearly a decade ago, he had an epiphany.
The Drum Machine Police
Thanks for reading Dan LeRoy's Bonus Beats! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work. If you know anything about The Police, you’re well aware of the trio’s reputation for inter-band conflict. And if anyone knows anything about that reputation, it’s producer Hugh Padgham. Over the course of two albums, he witnessed—and mediated—some legendarily furious disagreements, which resolved in the band’s biggest hits. Asked about The Police’s squabbles in the studio, Padgham just laughs.
Time Lord: An interview with Jellybean Johnson
It was 40 years ago this summer that Purple Rain played to sold-out movie theaters across America. If you weren’t there, it’s hard to overstate what a big deal that film was. Maybe not a Star Wars-level big deal, to be sure: its appeal was more narrow. But if you were a pop music fan, you may recall that summer as a battle between two titans: The Boss and the Prince.
Dance Hall Days
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An Interview with Tom Bailey of The Thompson Twins
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Why We Think What We Think
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Dr. Richard James Burgess: Percussive Prognosticator
Photo by Dr. Richard James Gordon (2022). Photo By: Craig Barrit / Stringer, Getty Images If all he’d done was invent the terms “EDM” and “New Romantic,” Dr. Richard James Burgess would have earned his place in music history. But those familiar monikers are really just footnotes to Burgess’s career, which is something like a roadmap of musical history—and, specifically, the musical history of the ‘80s, when nearly every week it seemed that technology changed music and how it was made.
Hiatus over
Happy new year, everyone, and welcome back—or maybe I should be welcoming myself back—to this newsletter! I had to put things on ice midyear in 2023 so that I could finish my next book. It’s called Why We Think What We Think, and it’ll be out next month through Sophia Institute. The book is a survey of Western philosophy from a Catholic perspective; I couldn’t find a single introductory volume that did what I thought one should do, so I decided to write my own version.
The Most Influential Drum Machine that Nobody Knows
Photo by , transformed by Reverb. CC 3.0 The drum machines that defined the ‘80s were all, in their era, thought to be ahead of their time. Yet there’s a machine almost nobody remembers today, one that might have been the furthest ahead of them all. The Movement Computer Systems Percussion Computer might have had a short run: less than five years. And there weren’t many made: perhaps no more than 60 overall.
Echo & The Bunnymen's First "Echo" Was This Drum Machine
It might be one of the most famous cheat sheets in history. Will Sergeant recently uncovered it after nearly 40 years, while researching his autobiography, and he’s looking it over bemusedly. This handwritten piece of paper, however, wasn’t for some long-gone math or English class. It was, instead, the set of directions that guided one of the world’s most famous drum machines. That would be Echo, of Echo & the Bunnymen fame.
The Idol-Makers: The Drum Machines Behind Billy Idol's Biggest Hits
The LinnDrum LM2 was introduced in 1982. The knocking on the door of the room at the Hollywood Sunset Marquis was urgent—and very, very early. Guitarist Steve Stevens finally answered, bleary eyed, on this morning in 1982. He was greeted by a grinning Billy Idol, holding up a boombox. Idol had spent the previous night locked away in the studio by producer Keith Forsey. The former Generation X singer’s full-length debut was nearly complete.
The LinnDrum's Most Surprising Trailblazer?
The LinnDrum LM2 was introduced in 1982. The knocking on the door of the room at the Hollywood Sunset Marquis was urgent—and very, very early. Guitarist Steve Stevens finally answered, bleary eyed, on this morning in 1982. He was greeted by a grinning Billy Idol, holding up a boombox. Idol had spent the previous night locked away in the studio by producer Keith Forsey. The former Generation X singer’s full-length debut was nearly complete.
Rhythm & Fiction
Share “Technology” and “mysticism” sometimes seem like terms that sit at opposite ends of the spectrum—especially when it comes to music. But one reason I wanted to write a history of drum machines in the first place was because of the mystique those devices have always held for me. A great example of this can be found in the work of the Glasgow band The Blue Nile. Fans of albums like 1984’s A Walk Across the Rooftops and the 1989 follow-up, Hats, will know immediately what I mean.
The Happy Drum Machine Accident (?) That Produced New Order’s Best-Known Hit
The year 1983 was a pivotal one for drum machines. Programmable rhythm boxes had decisively infiltrated the pop mainstream. You could hardly turn on the radio without hearing the LinnDrum—the follow-up to Linn Electronics’ game-changing LM-1. And while the Roland TR-808 would lose the short-term battle to Linn products in the marketplace, it was nevertheless heard on a variety of hits that year. Oberheim's DMX drum machine was introduced in 1983.
The Happy Drum Machine Accident (?) That Produced New Order’s Best-Known Hit
The year 1983 was a pivotal one for drum machines. Programmable rhythm boxes had decisively infiltrated the pop mainstream. You could hardly turn on the radio without hearing the LinnDrum—the follow-up to Linn Electronics’ game-changing LM-1. And while the Roland TR-808 would lose the short-term battle to Linn products in the marketplace, it was nevertheless heard on a variety of hits that year. Oberheim's DMX drum machine was introduced in 1983.
The Secret Origin of Prince’s Most Famous Drum Machine Beat
Prince (1985). Photo by Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer / Getty Images It's somewhat surprising, if not outright ironic, that the most famous drum pattern on a Prince song is neither a Prince song, nor—according to legend—a pattern he programmed.
He Put the Word in "Word Up!"
Share As a drummer, Sammy Merendino is a certified A-lister—a first-call session man who’s played with Michael Jackson, Aretha Franklin, The Beach Boys, and Billy Joel, among dozens of Rock & Roll Hall of Famers. But as a drum programmer, he was a member of an even more rarified group. During the Eighties, only Jimmy Bralower, the “King” of drum machines, could match the requests for Meredino’s programming prowess.
Last Beer; Best Beats
After his father’s death, Sammy Merendino’s brother shared some paperwork with him. It’s the kind of thing that happens often after the passing of a parent. But in this case, the documents revealed something surprising and crucial—something that helped send Merendino on his way to a career as one of the top studio drummers of all time. The papers showed that in the early Eighties, Merendino’s father had put the family home up for collateral.
THE CHIEF INSPECTOR SPEAKS
When you talk about great session men of the 1980s, you’re speaking not just about players with musical chops. You’re inevitably talking about musicians with technical chops, as well: guys who were as much great scientists as great players. The honor roll of these largely unsung Eighties geniuses is long, but it has to include Wally Badarou. The Paris-born keyboardist played a major role in some of the most formative songs of the decade.
Opinion: We must unite around our youths to ensure their success
Susanne Swanger and Dan Leroy Guest Opinion As reported in a recent ACT article, during a Buncombe County Commissioners work session, county staff members presented disturbing numbers about stark racial disparities in student performance in Asheville and Buncombe County. These disparities are far from new — in our community and this nation — but they are no less “appalling," as Commissioner Al Whitesides put it, and they demand an urgent and unwavering response.
HIDING IN PLAIN SIGHT: An Interview with A-ha's Paul Waaktaar-Savoy
If you ask people to name the top drum programmers in history, you’ll hear a series of familiar names. “The King,” Jimmy Bralower. Prince. Session pros like Sammy Merendino, John Robie, and Jason Miles. Pioneers like John Foxx and Martyn Ware, and masters of a single instrument, like Greg “Egyptian Lover” Broussard, the “king of the 808.” (Look for full interviews with several of the aforementioned folks, coming soon!) A more surprising addition to the list might be Paul Waaktaar-Savoy.
Ragged, Alive, Beautifully Imperfect-and Fun
most prized. Some of those users, in fact, still treasure the quirks of the old analog rhythm boxes. John Foxx, the former lead singer of Ultravox, and one of the giants of electronic music, certainly falls into that category. “Those early drum machines are intrinsically risky units. They move in and out of time slightly in a strangely organic way, and that’s another factor that gives a certain endearing warmth,” says Foxx.
Future, Here We Come
If you talk to the pioneers of drum machine use, you can expect to hear some horror stories. Not just the time the machine dumped its memory right in the middle of an important session, but the time someone had to adjust a tempo knob manually throughout a song to get the drums to sync to a bassline. Or the time someone had to manually punch buttons to “play” a drum part for six, seven, or eight minutes—maybe even longer. In short, it took a lot of optimism to be one of those pioneers.
"Your Rhythm Has the Power/To Move Me"
From the band’s very beginning in the late Seventies, and right through to the present day, new wave legends Duran Duran have always struck a balance between live and mechanical rhythm. That’s one reason keyboardist Nick Rhodes volunteered to write the foreword to Dancing to the Drum Machine, my new history of electronic percussion: he’s always been a drum machine user—and, more than that, a drum machine fan.
Still They Come/To Hear the Drum/the Drum, the Drum
Watching Duran Duran play the New Year’s Eve festivities from Times Square last night, I was reminded once again how incredibly fortunate I was to have new Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Nick Rhodes agree to write the foreword for my new book, Dancing to the Drum Machine. I was also incredibly surprised that he agreed—because until we spoke in 2020, I hadn't realized his powerful affinity for drum machines. But it’s real, and lifelong.
Roger Linn interview, Part II
If you’re going to write a book about drum machines, then one of the most important people you could possibly interview is Roger Linn. His drum machines changed the landscape of popular music during the Eighties, Nineties, and beyond. They also reinvented the field of music technology, anticipating and making possible many of the composing and recording techniques we now take for granted. This is Part II of a conversation from September 2020.
Roger Linn interview transcript, Part 1
If you’re going to write a book about drum machines, then one of the most important people you could possibly interview is Roger Linn. His drum machines changed the landscape of popular music during the Eighties, Nineties, and beyond. They also reinvented the field of music technology, anticipating and making possible many of the composing and recording techniques we now take for granted.
Welcome to Dan LeRoy's Bonus Beats!
Welcome, everyone! This is Dan LeRoy's Bonus Beats. It’s a continuation and expansion of my new book, Dancing to the Drum Machine: How Electronic Percussion Conquered the World. As far as I know, it’s the first real history of the drum machine. The book was just released by Bloomsbury International, and features new interviews with more than 130 musicians, producers, and inventors, including many of the pioneers of electronic percussion.
Nothing New Under the Sun: Lessons from Colonial Catholics
Imagine living in an America where there were almost no Catholic churches open to the public. Imagine an America where the act of attending Mass could be considered a crime. Imagine an America where the Catholic Church was openly mocked and denounced, where the loyalty of Catholics to their country was questioned, and where the Church’s centuries-old teachings were denounced as hateful and blasphemous. Oh, you say you can imagine such an America?
Here's how Hyro The Hero and Disturbed's David Draiman came together
[Photo courtesy of Better Noise] When he wrote the lyrics to “We Believe” four years ago, Hyro The Hero believed he’d come up with an anthem. The song, which is about the difficulty of knowing who and what to put your trust in, seemed to speak perfectly to the present moment. As he finally recorded the track in January 2020, it felt even more prescient—especially the bridge, where Hyro sang “I can’t breathe” as a way of talking about conflicting voices in the media and online.
'80s Afro-Punks Fishbone are reforming for new political LP with Fat Mike
Fishbone keyboardist, trombonist and songwriter Chris Dowd is describing a creative miracle: hollandaise sauce. “You’re taking an egg and some olive oil. Two components that wouldn’t mix together,” he explains, “but you whisk it together a certain way, and that causes it to bond.” Dowd, who studied at the culinary school Le Cordon Bleu earlier in the millennium, is a serious chef. Yet, he admits the recipe he describes could be a metaphor for other art forms, as well.
King Youngblood are navigating protests and the pandemic in "Opaque"
If there’s an award for most topical music video of the year, we should probably close the voting now. “Opaque,” by Seattle’s King Youngblood, folds today’s two major storylines—the pandemic and protests—into one striking five-minute clip. The video conflates the isolation of the pandemic and the marginalization that’s spurred protests for racial equality. But the story of the video, and the song, goes even deeper than that, frontman Cameron Lavi-Jones says.
These 16 early Afro-Punk artists made huge contributions to alt-rock
The 2003 documentary Afro-Punk lifted the lid on how many black musicians and fans were part of punk culture. Yet even today, there persists the idea that black participation in rock music is some sort of novelty or anomaly. That disregards, of course, mountains of evidence to the contrary, going back all the way to March 1951. Ike Turner (under the name Jackie Brenston & His Delta Cats) released “Rocket 88” pretty much inventing rock ’n’ roll.
Beastie Boys Paul's Boutique 30th Anniversary Festivities: PB30 Companion Playlist & Reading List (#PB30 Contributors' Tributes) — The Witzard
PB30 Companion Reading List: I. The Beastie Boys' Paul's Boutique (33 1/3) By: Dan LeRoy can be purchased here! II. For Whom The Cowbell Tolls: 25 Years of Paul's Boutique (66 & 2/3) By: Dan LeRoy & Peter Relic can be purchased here! III. "ASK FOR JANICE" Mini-comic By: Jim Mahfood AKA FOODONE can be purchased here! IV. SM&A Prod. Presents: Paul's Boutique - A Visual Companion (Paolo Gilli) can be viewed here! V. The A.V. Club's New York: The Paul's Boutique Corner (Jeremy Shatan) can be viewed here!
End supply management like Aussies
Canadian policy-makers would be well advised to learn lessons from their commonwealth cousins in Australia about phasing out supply management. Canada’s policy of supply management means Canadians pay much higher prices for staple foods such as milk, cheese, eggs and poultry. These higher prices are enforced in two ways: The amount of domestic production is limited by government regulation.
End supply management - Opinion
As trade tensions between Canada and the United States over NAFTA renegotiations continue, and President Donald Trump places Canada's protection of various sectors of its agricultural industry front and centre, Canadian policy-makers would be well advised to learn lessons from their Commonwealth cousins in Australia about phasing-out supply management. Canada's policy of supply management means that Canadians pay much higher prices for staple foods such as milk, cheese, eggs and poultry.
We can wind down supply management so even farmers win. What’s stopping us?
As trade tensions between Canada and the United States over NAFTA renegotiations continue, and U.S. President Donald Trump places Canada’s protection of various sectors of its agricultural industry front and centre, Canadian policy-makers would be well advised to learn lessons from their Commonwealth cousins in Australia about phasing out supply management. Canada’s policy of supply management means that Canadians pay much higher prices for staple foods such as milk, cheese, eggs and poultry.
We can wind down supply management so even farmers win. What’s stopping us?
As trade tensions between Canada and the United States over NAFTA renegotiations continue, and U.S. President Donald Trump places Canada’s protection of various sectors of its agricultural industry front and centre, Canadian policy-makers would be well advised to learn lessons from their Commonwealth cousins in Australia about phasing out supply management. Canada’s policy of supply management means that Canadians pay much higher prices for staple foods such as milk, cheese, eggs and poultry.
What happens when you rent out your house to the Beastie Boys?
The G-Spot has entered Beastie Boys lore as the house that allowed them to indulge their deepest, darkest blaxploitation fantasies. It is imagined as a mansion-slash-museum of perfectly preserved seventies chic, which the band and its associates would thoughtlessly trash in orgy after "Licensed to Ill"-inspired orgy.
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