EKO ComputeRhythm drum-machine from 1972 (demo 1)

This is a pretty rare drum machine manufactured by EKO in 1972 in Recanati, Italy. Model ComputeRhythm, maybe one of 15-20 ever made (curiously SN #0113).
This particular one is owned by a musician living in Spain, and It was repaired and slightly modified by me on the past months (www.synthoma.net).
Before giving back to its owner I have the chance to made these demonstration videos to show its features and incredible programing methods.
Due to the price it was mainly used by famous electronic musicians like Jean-Michel Jarre and Manuel Göttsching (founder member of Ashra Tempel). J-M Jarre has used it extensively on his first albums: "Oxygene" and "Equinoxe".
It can be seen on his Equinoxe 5 videoclip from 1978 (at 0:36):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AO5w30uKISk
Please, enjoy this first demo, and sorry about the poor quality video. It was made by a webcam. However, the audio was taken directly from the mixer.

Category:

Music

Tags:

• eko
• computerhythm
• drum
• machine
• 1972
• jean
• michel
• jarre
• oxygene
• equinoxe
• manuel
• göttsching
• synthoma
• analog
• analogue
• synths
• synthesizers

[puggo]

3:30 parece el Hallo Gallo de Neu! :)

pd:curioso ver una EKO en España!

salud!

[kovalmoog]

@puggo Bueno, no conozco mucho la cronología y los títulos de los temas de Neu, pero es verdad que suena muy similar a las bases rítmicas que usaban esas bandas (Harmonia, Neu, Cluster, etc). La máquina está en manos de un coleccionista de Madrid. Puedo pasarte su contacto si te interesara ir a verla.

[iw2mln]

I think an exemplar of that is in this video

youtube[DOT]com/watch?v=ejZVbz­9KssA&feature=related

[kovalmoog]

@iw2mln Yes, it is esentially the same machine but with slightly different case. All of the EKO CR's were hand-made prototypes, so slight differences can be expected between them.

Manuel Göttsching are using another EKO CR on this video: /watch?v=R3J0YPeOBN8

Best regards

[billychanxtreem]

the punchcards made me cream so hard

[3Dxxxx]

very cool wish i had one~ >:)~

[natefrogg1]

this is one of the most awesome early drum machines, the programming methodologies are way ahead of their time, wether it's the grid that even lights up, or the stored patterns on what looks to be punch cards! i was most impressed that you could run it live, and load new rhythms in at the same time, way ahead of their time for sure! thanks for sharing this amazing drum machine!

[joselchino]

how cool

[douro20]

Rhythm programs could even be stored on punched cards.

[douro20]

The world's first programmable drum machine. It took advantage of the emerging technology of microprocessors to allow the musician to produce his own rhythms and manipulate them in real time. For the first time, drum machine users did not have to work within the limitations of preset rhythms.