Beat Gems: Oli Freke and Kim Bjørn sign a beautiful book on the evolution of the drum machine

Coffee table book co-signed by Oli Freke and Kim Bjørn, *Beat Gems* traces the trajectory of the drum machine - from the first designs to the iconic instruments of today. A book for the studio coffee table, more than for technical reading.

Context

Illustrated books on musical equipment are regularly published - it's a distinct sub-genre, halfway between a collector's manual, a coffee table book, and an author's perspective on a family of instruments. Beat Gems, co-signed by Oli Freke and Kim Bjørn, falls into this category. The announcement was made via DJ Mag in early July 2026.

The angle is explicit: to follow the evolution of the drum machine, from the first designs to the instruments that have become studio references. The summary also mentions vintage synthesizers - the boundary between drum machine and rhythm synthesizer is not watertight, and a comprehensive book can legitimately cross from one side of the cable to the other.

What We Know

• Format: coffee table book - large format, many photos, layout that takes its time. Not a production manual.
• Authors: Oli Freke and Kim Bjørn.
• Central subject: the evolution of the design, ergonomics, and function of drum machines over time.
• Secondary angle mentioned in the press release: vintage synthesizers used in parallel with drums.

The press release does not specify the exact release date, the number of pages, or the precise list of machines covered. We can reasonably expect to find the usual milestones of the genre - TR-808, TR-909, LinnDrum, DMX, Akai series MPC - but this is an extrapolation, not information confirmed by the source.

Why It's Interesting for DnB

The drum machine, for drum & bass, is not just a piece of equipment - it's the foundation. The Amen break that we grab, we often place next to a layer of TR-909 to hold the kick, an 808 clap to enhance the off-beat, a layer of electronic sample to give the modern impact. The technical vocabulary of DnB (punchy kick, snare that cracks, hi-hat that swings) comes directly from drum machine culture.

A book that traces this history, even as a coffee table book, serves two purposes:

1. Educational: for a young producer, understanding where the timbres they stack in Ableton (Drum Buss, Drum Rack, Sample Kits) come from - going back to the original physical machines is understanding why certain sounds are not easily replaceable.
2. Cultural: these machines are objects. Seeing them photographed, with their buttons, their facades, their daughterboards - it's also a reminder that before being a plugin, a sound was a circuit designed by someone.

What We Still Need to Know

• Release date and price - the DJ Mag press release was not yet precise on these points.
• Scope covered - how far does the book go? Are recent grooveboxes (Elektron Analog Rytm, Digitakt) included? Eurorack drum modules?
• Text register - technically detailed (schematics, synthesis principles) or rather narrative?

We'll come back to this when we've seen the book in hand.