Unusual TR-909 Songs

I often joke that I don't really like Dance music. But the truth is far more nuanced than that - it's true that a lot of 90's dance reminds me of worse times - trying to exist as a weird, neurodiverse person in unfriendly club environments with "dress codes"...repetitive four-to-the-floor beat gardens that I quickly tired of.

Now in my 40's, I've softened to quite a lot of this music over time - a lot of Amiga-tracker style house or techno is actually quite fun to dissect. I've also really warmed to the drum darling of 90's dance - the TR-909. Here are some songs that utilise the 909 in original ways - subverting the machine's usual purpose.

Neil Finn - Underestimated

Sincerest apologies on this first track, as this one doesn't exist in complete form online - but there's a short Facebook video clip is linked below. Neil Finn, the legendary Kiwi songwriter behind acts like Crowded House & Split Enz, dabbled with the 909 on Underestimated, a B-side to 2001's Rest of the Day Off.

The 909 here plays a kind of Fish Market/Reggaeton pattern with a solid kick, and prominent 909 hats/cymbals. Combined with airy, vocal harmonies, this track definitely has an original vibe.

Neil Finn - Underestimated

D-Influence - No Illusions

I heard this song (on cassette!) in 1992. Aged 10, I had no concept of the TR-909 at this time, but a number of the track's elements stood out, and have stuck with me all these years. The track's harmonic interplay  - the bass moves around but the chords above are fairly static, makes for some interesting chords. Further more, the re-contextualization of many "dance" sounds (House Organ/Piano, Orchestra Hits, Plucky Synth Bass!) into a soulful down-tempo jam feels pretty fresh still.

And then there's the drums. Several layers are present, a swingy tambourine pattern and a punchy, muted kit - but at 0:28 - just after the orchestra hit, in comes the huge KUSHHH of a 909 snare - fantastic. Sarah-Ann Webb crushes it on the mic, too!

Phil Collins - Take Me Home

Take Me Home, for modern ears - is really not your standard 909 song, but in the context of 1984/85 it possibly was; fulfilling Roland's original intended purpose for the machine. For the TR-909, Roland attempted to create the illusion of real, acoustic drums via analogue drum synthesis (and a small amount of PCM sample RAM for the cymbals). Whilst certainly more convincing as a "real drum kit" than it's predecessor, the TR-808 - this illusory goal has since fallen by the wayside. Instead, the 909 has carved it's own sonic space - an original sonic imprint that has gone on to inspire countless other analogue and digital instruments.

In Take Me Home - a syncopated, half-time, vocal-lead track, the 909's usual highlights (a boomy kick, snare & the open hi hat) do not get the spotlight. Instead, it's all about the toms! The awesome, pitch-enveloped toms are joined by a muted 909 kick, rim-shots, closed hi hats and a single clap. Check out Synthmania's reproduction below, and thanks for clicking! See you next time.

Roland Social

• Roland Boutique JUPITER-08 More Voices and Control 20-Oct-26
• N/VISION - Roland's First Wavetable Hardware Synth 20-Oct-26
• Roland's MV-30 Emulated & Running in MAME 16-Oct-26
• Roland Updates TD-07 Series V-Drums 15-Oct-26
• Roland Updates ZENOLOGY GX for iPad 30-Sep-26