Casio Music UK launches limited-edition fanzine to mark 40th anniversary
- The Fanzine chronicles untold stories from 40 years of Casio, illustrating its influence on music and popular culture.
- New track released ‘Regeneration’ – a medley of classic Casio instruments.
- 1,000 copies of limited-edition ‘zine available for free
London, UK, 1st October 2020: Casio Music UK, one of the world’s most renowned producers of musical instruments, launches its very own, limited-edition fanzine to celebrate its 40th anniversary. Having been teased since June via a dedicated digital landing page, the full fanzine has been fully released with only 1,000 free copies made available.
Fans can 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 info.casio.co.uk/40th to claim a free copy and start enjoying Casio’s musical legacy since 1980.
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 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.
Fans can currently navigate the teaser digital landing page which offers browsers a glimpse of what’s inside the printed ‘zine. With three sections live, the ‘80s, ‘90s and ‘00s & Beyond, fans can reminisce through fan stories, dedicated playlists, the birth of the world’s first electronic keyboard and much more.
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 is now available for free, with only 1,000 copies up for grabs. Fans will be asked to share a favourite memory or a review of their current Casio instrument to claim a ‘zine. To find out more and to register for a copy, head to info.casio.co.uk/40th.
Whilst you are here, why not drop by our forum, or if you prefer to join the Facebook group we would love to see you there!