Find of the Week: Stewart Copeland's Oberheim DMX

Send out that SOS: this week's Find of the Week is a 1981 Oberheim DMX drum machine previously owned by The Police drummer Stewart Copeland.


This is a 1981 Oberheim DMX drum machine, previously owned by Stewart Copeland of The Police.

When Oberheim initially unveiled the DMX in 1980, it was only the second ever digital drum machine to be sold commercially, following in the footsteps of Linn's LM-1 Drum Computer released earlier that year. Much like the Linn, it offered an ease of programmability and earned a rightful reputation as one of the sonic signatures of several rising musical movements in the decade to follow, be it new wave, hip-hop, or dancehall reggae. Featuring sampled sounds of real drums, isolated tuning controls for each drum voice, and several "human" elements such as rolls and flams, it delivered a new realism to drum programming that was previously unheard of.

For the scrupulously-sculpted drum track of their signature song "Every Breath You Take", The Police famously used the DMX for the kick sound. While there's no confirmation that this was the exact unit Copeland used for that track, the listing indicates that it made cameos on a variety of Copeland's solo projects, including his 1983 score for the Francis Ford Coppola film Rumble Fish, as well as his 1985 solo album The Rhythmatist.

The DMX was recently serviced by Bruce Forat and comes with a certificate of authenticity. If you know drum machines, you already know that every little thing the DMX does is magic. Check out the full listing for more photos and info, and make an offer today.

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