Roland

Purple Disco Machine’s rise to disco deity over the past few years has seen him delighting clubbers and festival-goers around the world, as well as filling the DJs’ rekordboxes with his feel-good, weighty, disco-friendly productions. His ‘Dished (Male Stipper)’ and ‘Body Funk’ tracks have both been firm favourites among the regulars at Glitterbox, much like the man himself. We caught up with him to find out about one synth he loves the most, how he uses it in his records and why he ended up buying it twice...

If there’s one instrument that faithfully captures the true spirit and essence of electronic music, it’s the Roland TR-909 Rhythm Composer: a machine that has infiltrated every imaginable genre, from the heaviest uncompromising techno to the lightest unapologetic pop. Used on records by Richie Hawtin to Daft Punk, KRS-One to Madonna (and everything in between, even Phil Collins), this humble 48cm wide, 4.5kg unit has helped to revolutionise and characterise a huge wealth of contemporary music since 1983. Yet only 10,000 were ever made.

It can be tempting to drop our pay cheques on the newest, shiniest bits of kit and software for our studio. But there are plenty of hidden gems that, for whatever reason, managed to slip under the radar but still perform and sound like the big boys. This is what My Studio Bargain feature is all about – re-discovering old kit that can give you a powerful sound at a low price. This time it's the turn of Berlin-based Cinthie, owner of at least five labels, radio host, producer, DJ and former Ableton employee – she knows exactly what she's talking about.

When looking for throwback sounds, it's often tempting to resort to sample downloads designed to sound from the era – even though they were likely made 20 years later. It's often much better – and sometimes just as affordable – to look at the lesser-known bits of kit from that era to get the authentic sound. That's exactly what Marquis Hawkes was after when he picked up the Roland JV-1080 from a Turkish wedding musician.

We spoke to him about why he loves the JV and why it's his pick for a studio bargain...

Though more and more artists are bringing live elements into their tech riders, Saytek is no bandwagoner. His first shows were in 2003, when a Roland MC-909 was at the heart of his setup. 15 years later and the core values are the same – deep, hypnotic house and techno, all performed live and heavily improvised.