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Casio Sightings


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British synthpop duo Blancmange, live at The Ritz in 1985. Keyboardist Stephen Luscombe's rig includes a Roland Jupiter 8, a Roland JX-8P (including additional PG800 programmer unit) AND above this, a Casio CZ5000! Many shots of the Casio being used during the gig, with a good back shot @32.36 showing "Casio" in big white letters, and @49.00 Stephen playing an arpeggio on it :2thu:

 

 

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In the video for Outkast's massive hit, "Hey Ya", "Benjamin Andre" (aka Andre 3000, who played all the parts in the video!) appears to have a little Casio SA76 on top of the large keyboard on a stand. I wonder if the catchy little riff in the song may even have used the Casio on the actual recording?

 

 

 

Outkast Casio SA67.png

Casio SA67.jpg

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On 7/13/2015 at 2:02 PM, Chas said:

Jarvis Cocker of Britpop band PULP, showing how he wrote one of their biggest hits - "Common People" - on his Casio MT500, and also saying how much he loves the little keyboard!

 

I took a look at the video of this song and if you look at the Keyboard players keyboard. is that a casio?

 

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2 hours ago, Larry said:

I took a look at the video of this song and if you look at the Keyboard players keyboard. is that a casio?

 

I don't think so Larry. The reverse coloured keys I'm pretty certain is something Casio has never done (major keys black, minor keys white). The stand also says "Farfisa", a well known Italian organ manufacturer, and using Google search comes up with a few similar looking keyboards/ organs to that in the video. See attached pics below, (and I've rotated the google image Farfisa upside down so it can be compared with the still shot from the video). 

 

Pulp Organ.jpg

Farfisa Professional 33d.jpg

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And another sighting! This time the mighty Depeche Mode, live at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, circa mid 1980's.

 

Martin Gore has a small white keyboard on top of his PPG Wave 2, with "FAIRLITE" badly written on the back of it. It's a Casio MT-30! Apparently it was a dig at ex-member Vince Clarke, who had allegedly spent a fortune on Fairlights while in Yazoo. Martin does also actually play the Casio, and it can be seen and heard quite clearly @ 27.20 or so.

 

 

Depeche Mode Casio Fairlite.jpg

Casio MT30.jpg

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7 hours ago, XW-Addict said:

I got totally into Kim Wilde music again and while watching I sighted a Casio.

Although its used for play backing playing the keyboard lol. 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice spot!

 

I can confirm that is a Casio HT3000 (one of the "SD" Spectrum Dynamics range of synths) being "played". Very unusual to see an HT on TV, even for playback. Most Casios seen on TV/ stage in the latter half of the 80's were either the full sized CZ's (3000/ 5000/ 1) or the FZ-1. I don't think the VZ-1 was ever spotted.

 

The HT range are quite the odd beasts. I've been playing around with my HT700 recently and it's a surprisingly warm little hybrid analogue/ digital synth (digital waveforms, analogue filter). Well worth grabbing an HT Casio if you ever see one come up for sale.

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I'm quite chuffed with this spot! I was watching the Human League's "Keep Feeling (Fascination)" video and wasn't even thinking of looking for a Casio, when all of a sudden, I got a glimpse of the keyboard in one shot. On closer looking, it had those classic early Casio characteristics - the large rocker switches, the rotary knobs and the square speaker cover. It was painted entirely grey, as were all the instruments in the video, so it wasn't initially clear what it could be. Around this period the band were using the Roland Jupiter 8, and it definitely wasn't one of those. Plus if it was, there's no way they'd have Roland's flagship (read very expensive) synth and paint it grey just to be in a video!

 

Here are some shots of the keyboard on the video:

 

5add7a44522a6_HumanLeagueCasio301.jpg.27d9dfa56effa8e6d29df8d6826e54a2.jpg5add7a45390e3_HumanLeagueCasio301i.jpg.1f1ef68ed153334e0077e48a5fa1c6b7.jpg5add7a45bee77_HumanLeagueCasio301ii.jpg.6121dae1aef2d687548e26f84fca6d88.jpg 

 

After a bit of searching through early Casio models, I recognised it as a Casio CT301 from 1981! Check the rotary knobs, rocker switches, music rest and square speaker!

 

5add7a996f388_CasioCT301i.jpg.0718910d1bde4beacb7f644f2d3b8e11.jpg

 

And here's the original video:
 

 

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There is a Casiotone 7000 on ebait right now. It looks like a larger version of the 301. Alot of organ type presets from what I've found on utoob. Oops, mistake. I meant this one....

 

https://www.ebay.com/itm/VTG-1981-Vintage-Casio-Casiotone-701-Keyboard-RARE-SYNTH-SYNTHESIZER/292800502477?_trksid=p2485497.m4902.l9144

 

 

 

 

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On ‎12‎/‎30‎/‎2015 at 8:28 AM, Brad Saucier said:

From the Beverly Hills Cop soundtrack, Bob Seger - Shakedown using a Casio CZ for some of the distinctive synth sounds in this tune.  

 

https://youtu.be/pk-W_i7Z59I?t=1m47s

 

https://youtu.be/3_A4dMxFE4w?t=1m51s

 

More than a few cretins, who would delight at ANY chance to use CASIO Keyboards as a common "punchline" to their stupid jokes, just did not REALIZE how far Casio was going, even in 1987!
In 1990, when somebody referred to CASIO Keyboards as "Fun Stations" I just had to laugh at them, because I knew what I was able to accomplish with my then main axe ,the CT-670.
Please refer to the "Share Your Music Here" section of these forums under the title of "One Paw...."

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