Thirty-five years ago, in 1988, artists such as Erik b and Rakim, Rob Base and DJ Ease Rock, EPMD, to the legendary sound of Dr Dre and NWA were changing the airwaves bringing the sound of HipHop to the mainstream. The sound of HipHop was a mixture of sampled drum chops, and melodies sampled directly from vinyl. That very same year, Akai Professional/Roger Linn debuted the very first MPC. “The MPC 60”. This one pivotal moment transformed the sound of HipHop and electronic music forever introducing a new fusion of genres such as NewJackSwing, Boombap to the deep souful sound of Chicago House. 35 Years later, HipHop has become the biggest and most influential genre with the MPC at the forefront of its DNA. MPC is regarded today as the most influential sampling drum machine ever created embedding itself into the history of music.

1988 was a pivotal year in Hip-Hop. Legendary artists like Erik B and Rakim, Rob Base and DJ Ease Rock, Erick Sermon and EPMD, Dr Dre and NWA, along with others were cementing the sound of Hip-Hop. The innovative sound of drum breaks and melodic grooves sampled directly from vinyl flooded the airwaves with new music from the inner cities of the US where artists had so much to express and share with the rest of the world.

That year also saw the introduction of the MPC by Akai Professional and Roger Linn. The MPC60 delivered an intuitive platform that streamlined the music production process with an efficient sampling and sequencing workflow that would ultimately revolutionize groove-based music creation in genres like New Jack Swing, Chicago House, and of course, Hip-Hop.

Now after 35 years, MPC continues to maintain it’s influence across all musical genres with an indelible mark on Hip-Hop thanks in part to it’s contributions to the golden age of Hip-Hop music production and performance. MPC is regarded today as the most influential sampling drum machine ever created cementing itself into the history of music.