ROLAND MC-707 £879

At the start of the 21st century, using computers to perform music was sexy, and hardware got dusty as software helped us create powerful and portable rigs. It was liberating, and it was democratising, as long as you could afford some kind of laptop. Hardware never totally lost its allure though, and companies like Elektron kept the all-in-one groovebox flag flying with idiosyncratic devices such as the Machinedrum and Octatrack.

In recent times, manufacturers such as Akai, Korg, Novation and Roland, have revisited the groovebox concept and interpreted that in the light of their own experiences and marketing needs. (Let’s agree that a ‘groovebox’ is a standalone music instrument that combines beats, melodies, and sequencing, sometimes with extras such as sampling and effects). As far as Roland is