#casio cz-101

[wikipediapictures]

Casio CZ synthesizers

[stone-cold-groove]

We engineered this synthesizer so you don’t have to be an engineer to play it. Ad for the Casio CZ-101 synthesizer - 1985.

[contac]

[thesunlounge]

Reviews 275: Whodamanny

Though his solo productions tend towards the weird, wild, and far-out, Raffaele “Whodamanny “Arcella has an incredibly well-honed pop sensibility, one that is often on full display during his energetic DJ sets and mixes. There you will find delirious collections of Italo dance magic spanning several decades, with Whodamanny cutting ecstatically between all manner of vocal oriented and neon-hued proto-house, synth pop, disco, boogie, and funk. And on the The Dance Sucker 12″, he perfectly combines his interests in futuristic sonic experimentation with the balearic euphorias of these club sets, resulting in some of the strongest and most surprising material yet to come from Periodica Records and the West Hill Studio. I say surprising for several reasons, not least of which is the presence of Arcella’s voice, which here is deliciously foregrounded…a sort of expressive croon moving through sultry serenades, summertime hooks, and sexual soul whispers. The 12” is also a marvel of synth programming, as every non-vocal sound here, including drums, has been sourced from the artist’s beloved Cazio CZ-101…a fact that is all the more remarkable given how colorful and physical everything is, with fat greasy basslines and infectious electro-rhythms dancing beneath a canopy of sci-fi squiggles, synthesized fusion solos, and pads that waver like a mediterranean mirage.

Whodamanny - The Dance Sucker (Periodica Records, 2019) We start with “Future Talk,” which sees space lasers firing as an energetic disco shuffle comes to life. Gooey spacefunk basslines wiggle and slide, tribal tom panoramas rocket through the mix, aquatic ripples flow upwards, and blasts of static billow through the background as Whodamanny drops smooth vocal magic, all sensual and hedonistic…his intimate and soulful murmur eventually erupting into an infectious chorus, with earworm repetitions of “oh I will speak to you” dancing in grooved out syncopation with the fat-bottomed bass motions. Blasts of static billow through the spectrum and layers of glowing space psychedelia drip over everything while elsewhere, the mix is cut down to boogie bass and disco drum minimalism. And near the end, Whodammany whispers “it’s alright” amidst other lyrical eroticisms, his confidence and vocal sass utterly irresistible as we glide and groove through a futuristic fever dream. In “Dance to the Bone,” quivering pads give way to squelching bass synths and drums locked into a downbeat boogie stomp, with claps blasting and disco hats supporting space age fusion leads that flow ear-to-ear…their melodies of yearning and midnight sexuality flowing over the body while sequences composed of smeared crystalline fire swim through the air. There are moments where we break down into pure rhythmic heat, with synthbass and laser squiggles sometimes dancing through sexual harmonizations above skeletal rhythms while at other times, kicks and claps fire together as tambourines rattle into the void. But we always return to the cosmic fantasy leads and the slithering basslines of funkfied grease, with Whodamanny hitting upon a mixture of romantic balearica and downtempo future funk that aligns closely with the recent work of his fellow tribesman Mystic Jungle.

“Troublemaker (West Hill Vocal)” starts right away on an infectious solar drum swing, with bouncey kicks sitting beneath pitch-shifting snares that fizzle through layers of reverb static. Laserbeams morph across the stereo field as lyrical basslines sing songs of summer romance, with Manny soon joining in on the mic and instructing you to “free your body”…the whole thing flowing effortlessly into balearic synth pop perfection. It’s like being transported to an 80s paradise beach, with a crowd dancing together aside crashing waves of blue and every hand raising together towards the shining sun. Vocals and bass intertwine and glide through blissed out motions while Whodamanny’s Casio mimics riffing funk guitars, with everything coming together and evoking the sound of Island Records and the work of Wally Badarou, especially the passages where fantasy pads alight on dreamy new wave adventures. And of course, as poppy as it all is, this is a West Hill Studio production, so Whodamanny naturally intercuts the mix with sci-fi tracers and all-consuming siren blasts. The Dance Sucker also includes “Troublemaker (West Hill Dub),” which sees Whodamanny completely reconfiguring the track a stunning piece of instrumental synth-pop sunshine. There are dramatic differences in arrangement, as the dub version starts with paradise pads and soft claps before the beats cut in, which are overlaid with the Casio synth-guitars in a way reminding me of Whodammany’s own “Dancing Ritual.” But the biggest difference, aside from the lack of vocals, comes via the tripped out percussion midtros…these stretches of mechanical drum ritualism, with claps blasting through cosmic caverns and tom-toms rolling all across the spectrum…like a swaggering tribal dub groove sourced by outer-dimensional androids.

(images from my personal copy)

[boxfanheroes]

Visit Original Link

Two year old improv on a 40 year old synth. (Casio CZ-101) It’s pretty shitty but I like the sound anyways. Also have this old picture of two Mikes from the beginning of 2014.

[halvtrak]

Advanced Art

[71tracks]

Track 08 - Daybreak

This one comes to us in collaboration with Charles Labarbara, and our project was called ARS - Alternative Reality Syndrome. What a horrible name. He played the keys and bass on this (basically everything), and I did the drum programming and ...wait for it... vocals! One of the few rare tunes from back in the day that I 'sung' on. No real singing, distorted, with chorus, with a sort of raspy rap delivery.

The gear used was sparse, but we made up for it with raw talent. HA! Charles had made a fretless bass -- so he used that, and we had borrowed our friend Ross' Casio CZ-101. Charles had an Alesis HR-16b which we also used, and we recorded it all on his 4 track Tascam porta-studio. Recorded in Charles' bedroom in an overnight session we worked on it until, yes, you guessed it, the break of day.

There is something nostalgic and special about this track that is really haunting me. The bass playing is really inspired, and the lyrics are quite telling of my state of mind at the time. I hope that you don't judge this one too hard. And don't worry, better quality more current tunes will be coming up once we pass the 10 track mark, but for now enjoy the way-back past.