The Indie Rock Secret Weapon You Didn’t Know Was an MPC

Written By Jace Cottam

Source: Akai’s Website

The MPC ONE+ is a beast. If you’ve been on the fence about getting into beatmaking, producing, or just want a solid-ass all-in-one music workstation, this little red box might be your golden ticket. We’re gonna break it all down—from its legendary history in hip-hop to its current reign as a genre-smashing powerhouse. We’ll talk tech, features, and even toss in a few names you wouldn’t expect to be rocking this thing.

a little bit of history:

To really understand the ONE+, you gotta know where it came from. MPC stands for Music Production Center, and it’s been a cornerstone in hip-hop production since the late '80s. Akai dropped the OG MPC60 in 1988, and it changed the game. The legendary Roger Linn helped design it, and it brought sampling, sequencing, and drum programming into one machine --Fast forward through the '90s and 2000s: J Dilla, Dr. Dre, Kanye West—all of these major artists and producers using MPCs to lay down the rawest, realest shit imaginable. It became the absolute standard for hip-hop instruments.

But here’s the twist: the MPC isn’t just for boom bap anymore.

a modern evolution:

The MPC ONE+ is Akai’s evolution of that legacy. It’s portable, powerful, and comes in a slick-ass red finish that just screams “Let’s make something dirty.”

  • No laptop needed. This thing runs its own OS, and it’s fire.

  • Buttery smooth and clean as hell. You could very easily do all of your functions from the screen alone.

  • Classic feel with modern flair. They’re ultra-sensitive and super fun to bang on.

  • She runs smooth. Even when dealing with big projects.

  • A MAJOR update over It’s predecessor. Easy firmware updates, Ableton Link, Splice integration, and file transfer.

  • Plenty of space for your projects and samples and instruments.

not just for hip-hop:

While the MPC’s soul lives in hip-hop, the MPC ONE+ is built for anyone making music. Pop producers, Techno nerds, and Singer-Songwriters are all finding their own ways to twist this machine to fit their workflows. You can compose entire indie rock demos on this thing. Load up multisampled guitars, play in synths, record vocals, lay down drums, and even mix. Want to make film scores? The onboard synth engines (like Hype, Electric, and Drumsynth) are ridiculously versatile.

why it matters in 2025:

In a world of infinite options and digital burnout, there’s something powerful about having a focused, self-contained machine. You’re not staring at a screen full of tabs and distractions. You’re just making music.

That’s why artists across genres are coming to the MPC. Not just beatmakers. Not just hip-hop heads. But folk artists, noise musicians, ambient producers. It’s a creative sandbox with no walls.

I personally have been using the MPC ONE+ as my main piece of equipment for recording and mixing and for me, It has been AMAZING. The MPC just makes sense. I’ve tried out every DAW under the sun—Ableton, Logic, FL, you name it—but nothing locks me in like this little red box. The limitations aren’t a downside; they’re the point. When I sit down with the MPC, I’m not clicking through endless plugins or staring at a cluttered screen. I’m actually making music. The workflow forces me to commit, to be intentional. It’s more focused, more tactile, and way more fun. I get more done with less—and that’s exactly what I needed.


Artists Using MPCs in Weird Ways

  • John Mayer: Uses it as a travel studio.

  • Flying Lotus: Heavy MPC user, constantly pushing genre boundaries.

  • Nine Inch Nails: Trent Reznor has used MPCs for sketching industrial textures.

  • Tame Impala: Not confirmed, but definitely vibes with the sampling/synth workflow.

  • Tycho: Rumored to incorporate MPCs for live sampling in his ambient-electronic sets.


finally, should you get one?:

Absolutely.

If you’re serious about making music—or even just curious—you can’t go wrong with the MPC ONE+. It’s not the cheapest, but it’s far from the most expensive. And for what it gives you? It’s a damn bargain. You don’t need a whole studio. You don’t need a $3k macbook. You don’t even need wifi. Just this red box, a pair of headphones, and some time. The MPC ONE+ gives you freedom. Creative freedom, genre freedom, and most importantly, freedom from overthinking. Just tap in and go. If you're looking for a piece of gear that will grow with you, challenge you, and get you hyped every time you turn it on—the MPC ONE+ is that piece.

Go make some noise.

Jace Cottam