Atari Teenage Riot needs no introduction to fans of electronic music. The progenitors of digital hardcore the band formed in 1992. All the raw angst and the political statements of punk but made electronically. Alec Empire has been there from the beginning and took some time to chat about some of the gear the band use to make their sounds (and no, not the Atari ST).

Empire first chats about the Roland TR-909, analog and sample based drum machine that first appeared in 1983. Why does Empire use the 909 over current drum libraries?

“Two things matter here... sound and groove ...oh yeah I hate that word...the 909 has a punch that no other machine has. The overtones it produces when you distort it get straight to the brain and cause excitement. I love other drum machines, too, but for Atari Teenage Riot this is he only machine,” says Empire. “It’s like a drummer. But you need to know how to use it though. We could argue that techno and house music wouldn’t exist if it wasn’t for this machine. It works best with faster beats. That’s why early hip hop records went for the TR-808 model.”

The TR-909 is the backbone of Atari Teenage Riot’s music and it is more than just a matter of sound.

“I build everything around the 909. It’s a very stable machine. Does one thing perfect,” he says. “A lot of gear tries to do a zillion things half ass. The 909 is like a great guitar, it lays out the basis on which you can build your ideas.”

The sound and the timing of the machine are what Empire says are the best features. He also says it looks cool and can be easily controlled.

There are not a lot of negative’s in Empire’s assessment of the TR-909. But if he had to come up with one it is mainly that it will not appeal to every style of music.

“It is heavy sounding. This might be bad for some artists if that’s not what they want to go for. Some sound engineers freak out because it has so much low bass going on, and the cymbals are sounding sharp...every crash cymbal feels like a knife cutting flesh.” he says.

Back when it was released the sequencer (from looking at old ads and in reviews) was a main selling point. But these days Empire sort of shrugs over it.

“I don’t think it’s that special. The main point about it is the timing. Some people don’t hear the difference or know what I am talking about. An example: You can write down a rhythm in notes, send it to two drummers. Let’s Dave Grohl and Dave Lombardo,” says Empire. “Even though they will both probably stick to the notation, they will put their own personality into the way they play the rhythms. When you analyze it, there are tiny delays, variations in dynamics etc going on which make them the great drummers they are. The same goes for drum machines. They are built by different people, different parts are used on the inside and so on. All this ends up making a difference.”

So even if the sequencer no longer seems special Empire says the sounds and the timing make this 27 year old drum machine stand out.

Atari Teenage Riot will be doing a great deal of touring. They also plan to make two more albums. But do not count on it.

“We might change our minds if it becomes a routine and gets boring,” says Empire. “Politically and musically there is so much more to say.