Famous 303 Basslines: ACID in the Mainstream
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The Roland TB-303 is one of the most unlikely heroes in modern music culture. We look at moments when it stood out with famous 303 basslines.
A failed bass guitar emulation tool, the 303 was originally designed to accompany musicians rather than take center stage and steal the show. Although it was only produced between 1981 and 1984, the 303 had a major impact on music and musical instrument design.
We can immediately see evidence when we look at the number of clones and emulations, as well as hardware and software instruments available today. Moreover, the countless records that continue to be released with the 303’s unmistakably squelchy sound.
Famous 303 Basslines
What makes a 303 bassline and patterns iconic? Subjectively, it could be any number of reasons. From the unexpected juxtaposition of its sound in popular music to the context of the record release and the way it continues to influence the music of today. Let’s check out some examples:
Phuture – Acid Trax (1987)
Misunderstood by the mainstream, it was left up to the counter-culture to unearth the true potential of the 303. Regarded by some to be one of the most essential dance records ever produced, Acid Trax by Phuture remains in record bags to this day.
It may be hard to believe, but this acid fairytale began with a $40 purchase from a second-hand store. At the time, there was no template for the role a 303 might play on a record. So Nathaniel Pierre Jones aka DJ Pierre just felt it out by ear.
With Earl Smith Jr. aka Spanky, Herbert Jackson aka Herbert J, and Marshall Jefferson as the producer, the Chicago house group Phuture laid down the foundations of the acid house genre and pioneered a primitive style of synthesis we still use today.
Rather than having a set tone or sound for the entire duration of the track, they manipulated the cutoff filter frequency of their famous 303 basslines, envelope modulation amount, and other controls to create a sonic journey from a simple pattern.
- More about Acid House
Massive Attack – Protection (1995)
As the Bristol trip-hop group, Massive Attack moved away from the sound of their groundbreaking debut album Blue Lines (1991), they looked at other artists within the UK music scene for possible collaboration.
Tracy Thorn, the singer from the group, Everything But The Girl, received a very stripped-down and decidedly electronic-sounding demo tape, which began this move into a new direction, both for herself as a songwriter and for Massive Attack.
An intimate electric piano ballad with Thorn’s haunting vocals is probably the last place you’d expect to find the TB-303. However, in a supporting role, its subaquatic frequencies complemented the song’s melancholic feel perfectly.
Almost used as a textural element instead of a melodic one, the pulsating meter of the 303 sequencer becomes a part of the emotive fabric of the track, making it even more timeless and a famous 303 bassline.
- More about Massive Attack
New Order – Confusion [Pump Panel Reconstruction Mix] (1995)
We can never underestimate the way that a movie scene can immortalize a song and vice versa. Such is the marriage between The Pump Panel’s Reconstruction Mix of Confusion by New Order, and the iconic blood-bath rave scene from Blade (1998).
The song itself captures the relentless energy of the vampiric feeding frenzy taking place in the film with uncanny accuracy. Although a remix of sorts, it’s a complete departure from the original.
Pump Panel are massive New Order fans. They had turned down the opportunity to remix the iconic Blue Monday, agreeing they could make no improvement on the original. So when they approached the Confusion remix, they were purposefully cautious with their use of New Order’s samples or stems.
The Pump Panel was a collective started by Tim Taylor, who was joined by Dan Zamani and Damon Wild. However, collaborators also included Alexi Delano and Cari Lekebusch in their fledgling years.
- More about New Order
Daft Punk – Da Funk (1995): Contains Famous 303 Basslines
Daft Punk’s debut full-length album Homework (1997) was pivotal for the band as well as for music culture. It represented a landmark moment where underground music was consumed like pop, as was the case with The Prodigy‘s Music For The Jilted Generation.
Da Funk was initially released as a 12-inch single, inspired by Hip-Hop music of the mid-90s. Thomas Bangalter had purchased a TB-303 a few years prior to making the track. It had some famous 303 basslines he had programmed before they started work on Da Funk.
Luckily, the 303 has useful global tuning and transpose functions, so no matter which key you write a pattern in, you can work it into a different track without too much trouble.
The incredible Da Funk 303 bassline also uses distortion, which unlocks another dimension of tonal possibilities. With the right amount of resonance, it creates the raw, urban sound that Thomas and Guy-Manuel envisioned when they created the track.
- More about Daft Punk
A Famous 303 Bassline: Fatboy Slim – Praise You (1999)
The 303 was something of a religion to Norman Cook aka Fatboy Slim. When combined with his knack for contextualizing enticing sounds sampled from his record collection, the 303, now in its post-acid house phase, became like a cohesive glue in his sound.
There are sounds from the 303 and famous basslines on many records in the Fatboy Slim catalogue, but Praise You seems to stand the test of time. The unique collection of soulful samples used, the classic Fatboy buildup effects, and the slightly unusual 303 pattern each contribute to the evergreen nature of the track.
In fact, the production techniques are so skilfully executed that even Camille Yarbrough, the singer responsible for the Take Yo’ Praise vocals has remarked that she enjoyed the Fatboy Slim version and how it does justice to the original.
The key to the Praise You 303 pattern is the way it’s built around the sound and groove of the funk electric guitar from It’s A Small World off Walt Disney‘s Micky Mouse Disco album.
- More about Fatboy Slim
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2 responses to “Famous 303 Basslines: ACID in the Mainstream”
Wow, not a single mention of the 303 GOAT.
“Higher State of Consciousness” by Josh Wink.
Yeah… and no Hardfloor?