Roland TB-303

The Roland TB-303 was designed to sound like a bass guitar. It didn't. It was supposed to help guitarists practise without a bassist. They weren't interested. Roland discontinued it in 1984 after selling just 10,000 units. And then something extraordinary happened.

Unwanted 303s piled up in pawn shops and second-hand stores, cheap enough for bedroom producers to take a chance on. In Chicago, a group called Phuture bought one and started twisting the knobs while it played - the filter cutoff, the resonance, the accent. What came out was a squelching, burbling, utterly alien sound that bore no resemblance to any bass guitar ever made. They called the track "Acid Tracks". A genre was born.

By the late 1980s, that distinctive 303 chirp was everywhere - in Chicago warehouses, in UK raves, on dancefloors from Manchester to Ibiza. Josh Wink's "Higher State of Consciousness". Hardfloor's "Acperience". Daft Punk's "Da Funk". Fatboy Slim named a single "Everybody Needs a 303". The Guardian called its release one of the 50 key events in the history of dance music. Today, original units sell for over £3,000.

Gizmo is a collection of design-led art prints built around the machines that shaped how we made music, wrote code, played and connected with the world. Synthesisers and drum machines. Cameras and home computers. Calculators and handheld devices that once felt like the future.

Each print is a carefully constructed illustration that isolates what made an object memorable - its proportions, controls, typography, surfaces, and small acts of engineering intelligence. Not retro sentimentality, but honest observation: what made these machines distinctive, how they looked when they were new, and why their forms still resonate.

Adapted from and inspired by Simon Tyler's forthcoming book Gizmo: Retro-Tech We Loved and Lost, published by Laurence King in May 2026.

All prints are produced to order on 250gsm archival matte paper using pigment-based inks, chosen for colour accuracy and long-term stability.

Each print is rolled in acid-free tissue and shipped in a rigid cardboard tube, sealed for moisture protection, ready for framing on arrival.

Large · 70 × 50 cm · 28 × 20 in

XLarge · 100 × 70 cm · 40 × 28 in

UK: Free · 3-5 working days

Europe: €8.50 · 3-7 working days · No customs charges

USA & Canada: $8.95 / $12.00 CAD · 5-10 working days

Australia: $14.00 AUD · 5-10 working days

Rest of World: £14.95 · 7-14 working days

All prints are produced to order and dispatched within 1-3 working days. Orders placed before 5pm GMT ship the same day. You'll receive tracking information by email once dispatched.

Orders outside Europe may be subject to local customs charges on delivery - these are the responsibility of the recipient.

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Returns accepted within 30 days. Email returns@axisophy.com with your order number and we'll provide return instructions.

Return postage is the customer's responsibility except where the print arrives damaged or there's been an error - in which case we'll arrange a replacement or refund immediately, no return needed.

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