Casio Music UK, one of the world’s most renowned producers of musical instruments, will be marking its 40th anniversary this year with the launch of its very own, limited-edition fanzine.
Teased out over the coming months via a dedicated digital landing page and due for release in September, fans will be able to enjoy and recall some of the historic moments in Casio’s four decades that have influenced music and popular culture. Just launched, fans will be able to visit music.casio.co.uk/40th to start enjoying Casio’s musical legacy through the ‘80s and a taste of what’s to come.
The fanzine charts Casio’s impact on music and popular culture, ever since the inception of the world’s first digital keyboard built in 1980 – the original Casiotone. With a tagline of ‘Innovating the hits, the story of Casio instruments’, the ‘zine explores and recounts over four decades of Casio history and how some of its instruments have influenced some of the world’s most respected artists and songs. Kicking off in the ‘80s, the special publication delves into untold stories such as the birth of digital reggae – which came about almost by accident, from a keyboard preset on a vintage Casio MT-40. It highlights – moving into the ‘90s – how Casio helped shape some era-defining records, such as Pulp’s ‘Common People’ as well as how its instruments made their way into the production set ups of influential artists such as Fat Boy Slim, Blur, Beck, Nine Inch Nails, amongst others – and so much more.
It also provides a historic look at the company’s past with breakout pages including nostalgic, retro adverts from the ‘80s and ‘90s and a deep dive into the creation of its early instruments. The 20-page celebration concludes with a glimpse into the future and how the newly developed instruments continue to innovate – such as the Privia range, the world’s slimmest digital pianos.
In addition to the release of the upcoming fanzine, Casio has also created ‘Regeneration’ a new track that uses many of the company’s classic instruments. Not only does it include some early models such as the VL-1 and MT-205, but also the new CT-S300 and the esteemed Privia range. The CZ iPad app used within it emulates various CZ classics – such as the legendary CZ-101. The track perfectly captures Casio’s keyboards, synths and pianos which are celebrated in less than four minutes.
To kick off the fanzine, a dedicated digital landing page has launched offering fans a taste of what’s to come. Launching in three sections; first with the ‘80s, followed then by ‘90s and ‘00s & beyond – users will be able to navigate these three sections to enjoy and reminisce Casio’s lasting musical legacy. Browsers can then sign up to find out more details about the availability of the fanzine and to receive a free extract.
With the ‘80s digital section now accessible, ‘90s will launch in early August and ‘00s & beyond towards the end of that month – both showcasing more of what’s to come.
Casio Music Legacy
Hitoshi Ando, General Manager (and one of the original engineers from Casio’s golden age of synthesizer production) at Casio Electronic Musical Instruments, commented: “Toshio Kashio’s strong wish, as one of the founding four Casio brothers, was to create a musical instrument that everyone can play. I think that thought captured the hearts of many people who wanted to learn a keyboard instrument. Casio’s musical instrument business began with the Casiotone and it expanded from a friendly mini-size keyboard up to a synthesizer for professionals in only a few years!
“Today, 40 years later, Casiotone has evolved again, and I am grateful for the wide acceptance from entry-level musicians to professional Grand Hybrid pianists. Now, with the timing of this anniversary, I have reaffirmed our determination that we truly want to continue to provide electronic musical instruments that are loved by all musicians in the next 50 to 100 years.”
The brand new fanzine will be made available in September, fans can start enjoying a glimpse of what’s to come via the 1980s digital landing page now launched and sign up to receive an extract from the ‘zine, as well as details of its release. To find out more information and sign up, head to music.casio.co.uk/40th
