Gust De Meyer

Casioworks’ by Gust De Meyer, originally released as a cassette on Ding Dong Tapes and Records in 1983. ‘Casioworks’ was made at home with only one instrument: the then very popular and cheap Casio VL Tone 1 synthesizer. Every track was recorded in one take on a porta-sound Fostex 250 4 track cassette recorder/mixer. Anyway, these minimalist pieces were produced under a strict guideline : the exclusive use of the Casio VL 1, a japanese monophonic synthesizer (and calculator). Between 1979 and 1984, the VL 1 was massively produced as a kid toy, but it was a charming cheap machine with unrealistic and low-fidelity sounds. Yet, many professional musicians used it as a very serious and singular instrument. But from this very inclusive condition, Gust De Meyer created a very large spectrum of sounds and emotions. Each track was recorded in a single take, which means no hesitations, no corrections, no second chance. This tape was De Meyer's only musical output, since he is now professor of social studies in Belgium.