Synth historian Oli Freke will spend big on a good bicycle

<figure> <img alt="" data-caption="" data-portal-copyright="" data-has-syndication-rights="1" src="https://platform.theverge.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2026/07/Oli-Freke-photo.jpeg?quality=90&#038;strip=all&#038;crop=0,0,100,100" /> <figcaption> </figcaption> </figure> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">Oli Freke is a musician and journalist whose works have appeared in <em>Sound on Sound</em>, <em>The Quietus</em>, and <em>Mixmag</em>. This has included using math to explore the <a href="https://plus.maths.org/how-many-melodies-are-there">melodic potential</a> of the Western 12-tone scale and deep dives on <a href="https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/ableton-live-12-granulator-iii">effects plug-ins</a>. He's even written a book tracing the <a href="https://www.olifreke.co.uk/books">evolution of the synthesizer</a> from 1963 through 1995, charting the change from analog to digital and back. </p> <p class="wp-block-paragraph">His new project is <a href="https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/944102/beat-gems-is-a-big-beautiful-book-of-drum-machines"><em>Beat Gems</em></a>, a coffee-table visual history of drum machines from publisher <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bjooks/beat-gems-drum-machines-in-modern-music/">Bjooks</a>. Like other Bjooks titles, <em>Beat Gems</em> is loaded with gorgeous photos, fascinating historical tidbits, and practical advice for making the most of your gear, whether it's …</p> <p><a href="https://www.theverge.com/entertainment/971013/oli-freke-bjooks-beat-gems-drum-machine-book-interview">Read the full story at The Verge.</a></p>