Celebrate 50 years of Roland in full colour, without looking at a screen

Bjooks’ definitive guide to Roland’s astonishing 50-year history will arrive this summer.

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Bjooks Roland

The latest release from Denmark’s finest purveyor of full-colour synth tomes, Bjooks, is back with a new release to coincide with Roland’s 50th anniversary. Inspire The Music: 50 Years Of Roland History will chart the culture, people and technology of the iconic Japanese company over 400 lush, full-colour pages, from its founding in 1972 by Ikutaro Kakehashi to the present day.

Featuring over 70 interviews with artists and designers, including Johnny Marr, Jean-Michel Jarre and Orbital, the book will tell the stories of how Roland’s landmark instruments impacted the world of music creation, from the TB-303’s central role in house music to the Octapad’s lasting impact on modern music in India.

“Roland is thrilled to collaborate with acclaimed music tech publisher Bjooks to create a special book that honours the culture, people and technology of Roland as we celebrate our 50th anniversary this year,” said Gordon Raison, CEO and representative director of Roland Corporation. “It is exciting to see such a diverse group of artists share their experiences with our products.”

Founded by author, electronic musician and designer Kim Bjørn (who has also written books on design and creates ambient albums under the project name Dreamhub), Bjooks grew out of the success of 2017’s Push Turn Move. Since then the publisher has released an array of gorgeous, fully illustrated books, including modular synthesis guide Patch & Tweak, stompbox effects compendium Pedal Crush and Synth Gems 1, exploring “the rare, the odd and the awesome” in the world of synthesizers.

“We’re extremely excited to launch Inspire The Music this summer, with the blessing and enthusiastic cooperation of Roland itself,” said Bjørn. “We’ve been privileged to gain access to the company’s vast archive of interviews and technical information, interview the quiet geniuses that design the musical future, and connect with the worldwide Roland community. Dozens of enthusiastic creators have helped put together this monument of music tech history, documenting decades of tech innovation and artistry, told by the people who used the instruments and the engineers who made them come alive.”

Inspire The Music: 50 Years Of Roland History will be available this summer with an RRP of $72. You can sign up to Bjooks’ mailing list now to be the first to know when it’s available. To find out more, head to bjooks.com.

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