Drum Machine Book Brings Beats, History

Copenhagen, Denmark (June 4, 2026)—Drum machines have been a crucial part of popular music for decades, helping shape the evolution and creation of entire genres through their features and sometimes limitations. Now some of the most influential machines will be lionized in a new hardcover, coffee table book from Bjooks: Beat Gems: Drum Machines in Modern Music, currently up for funding on Kickstarter (it’s already passed the funding stage) and set to be published this October.

Author and electronic instrument historian Oli Freke will use the book to explore the sounds, technology, design and cultural impact of the drum machines that transformed popular music, looking at both iconic and obscure models. Readers can expect to find out all about the pioneering Wurlitzer Side Man 5000, as well as revered classics such as the Roland TR-808, TR-909, and TR-707. Expect to find more, too, about the Linn LM-1, Oberheim DMX, Akai MPC60, Alesis HR-16, and dozens of lesser-known instruments that helped shape electronic music, hip-hop, house, techno, synth-pop, industrial and other genres.

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“Drum machines are far more than collections of sounds and circuits,” said Freke. “Each one tells a story about the technology of its era, the musicians who embraced it, and the genres it helped create. With Beat Gems, we wanted to document not only the legendary machines everyone knows, but also the forgotten and unconventional instruments that played important roles in music history.”

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In all, the 330-plus page book will discuss more than 65 vintage drum machines from the 1950s through the digital era, all documented with high-resolution photography showcasing each instrument’s design and interface.