"To say its arrival was earth-shaking would be no exaggeration": why, 40 years on, the Yamaha DX7 was the most important release in synth history, even though it did "make your head dribble"

Yamaha DX7.

It's the 40th anniversary of the Yamaha DX7, so the ideal time to look back at its impact, legacy, and what reviewers thought of it on its release. You may not think it's the best synth of all time – and we'd agree with you there – but we'd definitely argue it was the most important, and not always for the right reasons. 

We might as well start with a stat – and what a stat. In 1986, up to 61% of the US chart was dominated by the electric piano preset from the DX7. Yes, we couldn't quite believe it – and more on that later – but just to give you a flavour of the DX dominance, the synth featured on this…