Visual Archivist Oli Freke Documents the Cultural Legacy of the Drum Machine

By Terrence O’Brien · The Verge · 2026-07-25

The Verge recently interviewed musician and journalist Oli Freke regarding his latest literary project, Beat Gems, which serves as a visual history of drum machine evolution for publisher Bjooks. Freke discussed how his background in mathematics and early electronic music equipme

The Verge recently interviewed musician and journalist Oli Freke regarding his latest literary project, Beat Gems, which serves as a visual history of drum machine evolution for publisher Bjooks. Freke discussed how his background in mathematics and early electronic music equipme