Oli Freke’s Beat Gems puts drum machines on the coffee table
The musician and journalist told The Verge his Bjooks project traces drum machines and why rhythm has shaped music culture.
By Maya Lindqvist · Senior Technology Correspondent
3 min read
Oli Freke Beat Gems is the latest project from the musician, journalist and synth historian, with publisher Bjooks preparing a coffee-table book on the history of drum machines. The project matters for electronic music readers because it gathers gear history, photography and practical context around instruments that helped reshape modern rhythm, according to The Verge.
Freke, whose writing has appeared in Sound on Sound, The Quietus and Mixmag, has previously written about the mathematical possibilities of melody and about music software and effects. The Verge noted that he also wrote a book on synthesizers covering the period from 1963 to 1995, including the shift from analog machines to digital instruments and back again.
What is Beat Gems?
Beat Gems is a visual history of drum machines from Bjooks, the publisher behind other music-technology books. The Verge described the book as a photography-heavy volume that combines historical notes with advice for using drum machines, from vintage models such as the Roland TR-808 to newer devices including Erica Synths’ Pērkons.
In a Verge Weekend Questionnaire interview, Freke said his work on Beat Gems has put drum machines at the center of his attention. He said the research has reinforced for him how central rhythm is to music and how drum machines have affected musical culture over roughly six decades.
Freke’s own setup reflects that focus on electronic music. Asked by The Verge what he installs first on a new computer, he pointed to Ableton Live, saying a new machine for him would likely be a music computer. He compared today’s software with his early experience making electronic music on an Atari ST 520 that handled MIDI but no audio.
Freke also told The Verge that he uses YouTube more than other social platforms, especially for videos about science, mathematics, chess and electronic music. He said he finds the platform useful for expert explanations, while also saying algorithm-driven clickbait is one reason he is not a heavy user of other social media services.
What else did Freke tell The Verge?
Freke’s answers sketched the habits and references behind his music work. He named the Atari ST game Elite as a favorite, praised its world-building under technical limits, and said he uses Rinse FM’s Kool stream with drum’n’bass sets when he needs to concentrate.
He also pointed to the film Resynator as his most recent physical-media purchase, saying he bought its soundtrack on vinyl. The film, as described by Freke to The Verge, follows an obscure early-1980s synthesizer and a daughter learning about the father who invented it.
Outside music technology, Freke said a high-quality road bicycle is worth spending money on. He told The Verge that bikes are inexpensive compared with cars, that good models can approach professional quality for relatively reasonable prices, and that riding in the countryside brings him joy.
This story draws on original reporting from The Verge.