Roland announces they will celebrate 404 Day with live-streamed performances
The electronic music manufacturer will also release a 404 Day Beat Maker Sample Pack and a limited edition 404 Day V-MODA Shield Collection
Image: Roland
Roland has announced its plans to celebrate 404 Day, a day dedicated to its classic SP-404 Sampling Workstation which falls on 4 April each year, with a variety of live-streamed performances, and tributes to musician Ras G.
Throughout the day today (4 April), Roland will be showcasing a series of live-streamed performances from 12 U.S and international artists, such as J Rocc, AceMo, Foodman, Valerio Dephi and more.
The day will also pay tribute to Ras G, who, according to Roland, “helped define the sound of L.A.’s beatmaking scene”, and used Roland SP-404 samplers to influence musicians such as Thundercat and Flying Lotus among others. There will be an in-person and streaming event at Poobah Record Shop from 3-7pm PST to celebrate his life and legacy. Entry is free.
The electronic music manufacturer is using the day to not only tribute the “beatmaking legend”, but to also bring awareness to music education for children.
The Roland Lifestyle Ras G Tribute Streetware Collection will see a mix of lifestyle gear and artwork inspired by Ras G’s releases at Poobah Records.
However, all proceeds of the collection, as well as an additional $2,500 donation from Roland, will benefit Ras G’s hometown of Leimert Park, Los Angeles, through music education programmes for children in partnership with the Fernando Pullman Community Arts Centre.
However, this is not all, as Roland is also dropping a free 404 Day samplepack, which explores “all four corners of the global SP scene”. The international collection includes Japan’s Phennel Koliander, Detroit’s Meftah, Australian expat Nonjuror, and Brazil’s Tiago, delivering a spectrum of lo-fi, hip-hop, and deep house sounds.
Finally, Roland will be releasing the limited edition 404 Day V-MODA Shield Collection. This will offer two new shield designs, and features a laser engraved image of the SP-404MKII, and the Donuts design. Both designs are available for free on V-MODA.comwith the purchase of any compatible V-MODA headphones from March 28–April 11, 2023.
For more information about the new products being released and events being hosted for 404 day, you can visit Roland.com, and for information about the tribute event to Ras G, head to Dublab.com.
