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Roland TB-303 Bass Line

CTL-E-0621 · Technology · 1981

PROVISIONAL evidence grade of this record

The Roland TB-303 (released 1981, designed as a bass-guitar accompaniment) was repurposed by Chicago producers — documented on 'On & On' — and became the defining sound of acid house via Phuture's 'Acid Tracks.'. Ron Hardy's Muzic Box sets broke acid house to Chicago dancers, making the club — not the studio — the technology's proving ground.

Notes

Merged into canonical KG 2026-10-03 from MUSIC-001; source entity IDs: CTL-DR-MUSIC-001:music-001-node-076; source research type(s): technology. Description completed 2026-10-03 from the source research record (claims) during the KG completion pass.

Sources

Record CTL-E-0621 · CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph · evidence grade: PROVISIONAL · 2 sources · CTL research: MUSIC-001.
Directory: all entity records · the knowledge graph

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Cite as: CultureTechLens, “Roland TB-303 Bass Line (CTL-E-0621),” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph, October 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-0621/

Chicago: CultureTechLens. “Roland TB-303 Bass Line (CTL-E-0621).” CultureTechLens Knowledge Graph. Chicago, IL: CultureTechLens, 2026. https://culturetechlens.com/graph/entities/ctl-e-0621/
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From the Archive

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The people, places, and institutions this work documents. Photographs from the CultureTechLens research record — rights-cleared, credited, and cited like everything else here.

Hallway of a kitchenette apartment building, Chicago, 1941
Hallway of a kitchenette apartment building, Chicago, 1941Photo: Russell Lee, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress
Negro swinging his girl on roller skates. Savoy Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941
Negro swinging his girl on roller skates. Savoy Ballroom, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Lee, Russell, 1903-1986, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress
Shoeshine, 47th Street, Chicago's main Negro business street, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941
Shoeshine, 47th Street, Chicago's main Negro business street, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, 1941Photo: Rosskam, Edwin, 1903-1985, FSA-OWI, Public Domain, via Library of Congress

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