Move over Roland DJ70
"This is one little Casio keyboard that I remember fondly from the early '90s!! Rap was at the top of its popularity then, and this fun keyboard allowed all of us to become instant rappers :-)This 32-key keyboard offers 25 preset tones, including piano, horns, guitar and sound effects; 30 Rap patterns, including rap, rock, house and more; a scratch disk that gives you control of up to four different scratch sounds by turning it with your hand, and three effect pads - three buttons on the console that give you one-touch access to a selection of exciting sound effects.One of the best features of the Rapman is the Voice Effector function: this changes the pitch of the sound being input through the microphone. Yes, there's an extra-cool Casio EM-4131 mini-microphone included!The on board speaker is powerful enough for home use, but there's an 1/8" output too, for when you need to kick it up a notch.
some review
Yo-ain't nuthin' mo' stupid-dope than rollin' wit da Rapman. It blows-up big; It's like blow-it's like BLOW-It's like BLIZZ-OW!!This thing was marketed when the first wave of old skool rap jumped the proverbial shark-and it shows. The dated sound of the Orchestra Hit and percussion pads, the goofy technology of the "Voice Effector," and the bogus preset "Funky Cold Medina" and "Super Freak" rap patterns make the Rapman one of the most amazing period-specific cultural artifacts of its time.On the other hand, like the Casio "SK" series of mini keyboards, a lot of us into the avant garde have explored this instrument, found its unique attributes, and have exploited them to make new and hypnotic crazy sounds. I'm here to tell you that, even though I have much lizzove for the circuit benders, you don't need to bend the Rapman or the SK's to get bizarre new tones and textures; they're already there.Casio's sampling and rap synthesizers are some of the most underrated musical instruments ever made, as well as being inexpensive and almost unbreakable. The Rapman is built Casio-tough!!So, in between working on the avant synthpunk masterpiece that I'm presently trying to write, I put on a cheeze rap pattern, plug my "Fry Cook" headset microphone into the "Voice Effector," and get stoopid wit' the prurient ill rhymes."
What? $40 because the seller thinks "it is very cool and kitchy" as he puts it. Get real. You can pick these up at goodwill shops for a dollar.
ReplyDeleteAnd you used to be able to find TB-303s for free. So what's your point? $40 is not something to complain about.
ReplyDeleteHe's putting it on Ebay available to the entire world. It's not sitting in some dumpy Goodwill in your dumpy little town waiting for the one nerdy circuit bender to discover it.
As one who hunts Goodwills, Salvation Armies, and Savers stores for gems like these, I can tell you that it's very, very hit-or-miss, and often the examples found there are of questionable quality. However, I have discovered and purchased several muscial gems for a couple of bucks over the past few years. The easier route is to pay a little bit more and go through ebay, where you're bound to find one. I see nothing wrong with that.
ReplyDeleteThe Casio Rapman is hands down the best synthesizer ever. More powerful and flexible than Moog could ever make.
ReplyDeleteIt ranks right up there with a Yamaha or Korg or Roland workstation, but blows every 80's analog away.
Demos:
http://synthmania.com/rapman.htm
"...from the early '90s!! Rap was at the top of its popularity then"
ReplyDeleteTop of it's popularity? I guess he hasn't turned on the radio lately.
Anyway... Maybe it's because I'm in LA, but I've never seen anything remotely synth related or cool at a Goodwill or Salvation Army - and I've gone a lot. Just 20-year-old toaster ovens and broken record players piled in the corner behind the bad ties. People make it sound like you can just cruise into one of these places and start perusing the $2 synthesizer rack.
I've gotten a $5 Nintendo Power Glove at the Goodwill; that's probably my coolest find. I haven't MIDI-fied it yet, but I'll get around to it at some point.
ReplyDeleteI used to have a collection of eye-wateringly bad ties from secondhand shops, too...
Ebay is for those so lazy that they never want to leave their house to find deals, They would rather pay 10 times more to have it delivered to thier door.
ReplyDeleteIts not only thrift shops, garage sales are golden! I have found no less that 7 casio sk1s in the past year at garage sales. Highest price paid: $2.50.
On the other hand, many Goodwills and Salvation armys are starting to get really greedy and shady and are now pricing items according to ebay prices which is hurting not only their sales, but the charities they benefit since the items just sit there with high price tags and nobody buys them. One local salvation army has an sk5 they have been trying to sell for $45 for over a year now.
Your argument against buying on eBay and forking out tens or hundreds of dollars for something that you might get lucky and find for a few dollars elsewhere, really shows an inherent lazy attitude towards money. Instead of going to extreme lengths to find an incredibly low price on a rare or collectible item, why can't you go to extreme lengths to increase your income so that you CAN fork out the big bucks on eBay and those sorts of places? The laziness you exhibit towards money rates far higher than the laziness found in buying on eBay and spending the extra money to secure an item.
ReplyDeleteInstead of complaining about people who can afford to shop online and spend big bucks on rare and collectible toys, get off your backside and do whatever it takes to be in the same position as them! Get a job, start a business, make money, invest money... plenty of things you can do to help you shed that poverty mentality of yours. I spend big dollars on mint condition keyboards from eBay and I have a decent income from an online business which brings in hundreds of dollars each and every day. There is no magic ingredient or luck involved in having more money in your life... just get out there and do something about it and stop wasting time online complaining!
There were two other rap-based musical toys released by Casio and they were the belt mounted RAP-10 drum machine and the much larger Rapman sequel, the DJ-1 keyboard. Here are some pics:
ReplyDeleteCasio Rapman RAP-10:
http://photos-a.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs214.snc3/22169_273368467188_742337188_4438072_2269843_n.jpg
Casio Rapman DJ-1:
http://photos-g.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc3/hs214.snc3/22169_273368472188_742337188_4438073_4656740_n.jpg
These two toys are extremely rare and are very rarely seen outside of Japan. You might see one or two appear on eBay in an entire year! I am currently negotiating a deal to make a purchase of both of these and can't wait to add them to my collection! Try finding THESE at a Goodwill store LMAO!
An album made using the Casio Rapman (RAP-1) and various things plugged into its microphone jack can be found here: http://www.somery.org/bonus.shtml
ReplyDeleteGoodwill is just as good as Ebay just nowhere near the volume...you can also get scammed through ebay very badly . either by ripped off completly..or roach infested goods...just shop thoroughly and cautiously....
ReplyDelete