No other brand had the enduring effect on dance music that Roland did with their early ’80s run of synths and grooveboxes. For much of the ’00s, however, Roland were reluctant to revisit the machines that provided the foundations of house and techno. That all changed in 2014 with the arrival of the Aira range, launched with a trio of instruments that, between them, aimed to emulate the sound of some of the company’s most iconic instruments.
Those initial Aira instruments were a mixed bag. The 303-inspired TB-3 although capable of producing some solid acid sounds, housed them in a garish, touchscreen-equipped unit that missed the appeal of the original. Of those first