Watch the Sound: Drum Machines
Mark Ronson
5 mins
3 key insights
Visual, audio & text
Acclaimed producer Mark Ronson sits down with musicians to talk about how drum machines have shaped the sound and culture of our world.


Watch the Sound: Drum Machines

Watch the Sound: Drum Machines
by Mark Ronson
Overview
Almost everyone loves music. As we grow, we develop an embodied appreciation for the rhythms and melodies that stick in our heads and compel our bodies to move. For a long time, musical rhythm was always a human rhythm, imperfect, organic, and flowing. Since the invention of mechanical timekeeping, rhythm can now be perfected. Today, we have become accustomed to the perfected mechanical rhythms of click tracks and drum machines. These machines and rhythms represent a fusion of mechanical perfection and human expression.
Acclaimed producer Mark Ronson has accrued billions of streams worldwide with hits like 'Uptown Funk' and 'Nothing Breaks Like a Heart.' In this episode of his docuseries Watch The Sound, Ronson explores how this change in rhythm has changed music forever.
Favorite quote

You have to be careful because too much technology after a while you've gotten away from that human feeling — but if it's done right … man this is different.
- Todd Boyd, Professor of Media Studies

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