Acid house was born when Chicago producers twisted an unprogrammed Roland TB-303's knobs to make squelching basslines

Acid house emerged in late 1985 when Music Box fans (DJ Pierre and collaborators) got hold of a Roland TB-303 bass machine and, unable to program it (it came with no manual), started simply turning its knobs. The result was the characteristic squelching, sliding, morphing bass sound. Ron Hardy played the resulting track — later released as Phuture’s ‘Acid Tracks’ — four times in one night at the Music Box; the crowd was confused at first and by the fourth play lost their minds. Marshall Jefferson then pushed Larry Sherman of Trax Records to release it. Thousands of acid-house records followed, but the sound traces directly to this accidental misuse of the 303 and Ron Hardy’s willingness to persist with the track.

Examples

DJ Pierre turning knobs on an unprogrammed TB-303 for 30-40 minutes; Ron Hardy playing ‘Acid Tracks’ four times in one night before the crowd responded.

Assessment

What machine produced the acid-house sound, and what was accidental about how it was first used? What role did Ron Hardy play in the sound catching on?