When we think of great revolutionist of music we incline to fixate on the elevating stars or great hits in the decades ago. But how often do we query about the people abaft the scene: people that make things transpire, the genius that set the ball rolling and facilitate the elevate of a star. It is worth noting that behind Madonna and Marvin Gaye was Roland’s iconic inventions by Ikutaro Kakehashi: the man abaft the ‘dazzling array of new instruments and sounds’ that expanded the palettes of the great stars and artists.
Ikutaro Kakehashi who died on 1st April 2017 at age 87 dreamed of electronic instruments in the 1950s at the moment when synthesizers were never even developed. After the World War II, Kakehashi commenced a business of repairing broken clocks and watches. It was later during this time that his ambitions to develop electronic contrivances that Kakehashi commenced ‘Ace Electronic Industries’ in 1960 additionally penned as ‘Ace Tone’. In the industry, he designed electric organs that were inspired by Hammond organ, effects contrivances and amplifiers as well as rhythm machines and the earlier drum machines. At this time Yamaha had commenced engendering the colossal hit machines. It was with great inspiration to hit the music road that Kakehashi commenced Roland in 1972. Under the new company, Kakehashi and his engineers commenced developing drum machines, effects units, and synths. Inventions like the base synthesizer TB-303, SH-101 Space Echo, the Jupiter-6 as well drum machines (TR-808 and TR-909) cropped up.
In integration to his great inventions, Ikutaro Kakehashi withal wrote books like, ‘ Originality of Ingenuity in the Digital world’ and ‘I believe in music.’ He has withal received the Technical Grammy Award and apperceived globally for his contribution on the music world.
