Zane Lowe provides the voiceover for a documentary about the machine that changed the modern music landscape in the 80's until today. Normally having to suffer Lowe's voice for 90 minutes would be too much to bear but as he isn't the focal point it is possible to block him out this time. The hero here is the Roland TR-808, the drum machine that became the foundation for countless genres of electronic music. And helping out Phil Collins along the way too.

Rather than running through the past four decades in their entirety, director Alex Dunn rightly keeps the focus between the core years of 80-95, where its use and influence was developed. We are taken through some of the songs and artists that provided the stepping stones of the changing soundscape in the Western world. Although the focus is very US heavy and strangely omits mentioning any of the other TR machines in the series. The SP-1200 gets a brief mention, although they would fit more sensibly alongside the MPC in a doc focused on samplers.

Quite a roll call of producers and artists are accessed too: Questlove (of course) 808 State, A Guy Called Gerald, Chris Frantz, Rick Rubin, New Order, Afrika Bambataa, , Soulsonic Force, Van Helden, David Guetta, Pharrell, Norman Cook, Hank Shocklee, Diplo, Lil John, Damon Albarn, Goldie, Todd Terry, Jam & Lewis, Phil Collins, T La Rock, Beastie Boys, Tony Carrasco, Felix Da Housecat and A-Trak. A very standard format but the solid content makes it a worthwhile doc to check out.