PG-66, the musical alias of Pertti Grönholm, has been a prolific figure in the realm of electronic music since the early 1980s, focusing predominantly on ambient, techno, experimental, space music, elektro-kraut, and kosmische musik. His work spans various collaborations as well as solo endeavors, with a particular commitment to vintage Casio keyboards from the Casiotone MT and PT series.
In 2017, Grönholm released the compilation "PG-66: OCCASIONAL TUNES (VOLS. 1–4)" under Valimo Productions. This collection of instrumental tracks reflects his deep appreciation for the simplicity and nostalgic qualities of the early Casio keyboards. He recalls how, despite their sonic and technical limitations, these instruments were highly functional and integral to his early music-making experiences.
From 1982 to 1989, the Casiotone MT-40 served as the primary polyphonic instrument in his home studio. With its 9-voice polyphony and a diverse array of 22 analogue sounds derived from square waveforms, it allowed him to create a range of musical ideas. The MT-40's rhythm section offered basic yet effective beats with decent analogue percussion sounds, complemented by a robust bass accompaniment featuring its own mini-sized keys.
During this period, Grönholm primarily composed music for personal enjoyment and shared it with friends. The portability of the Casiotone was essential, as he worked with a couple of monophonic synths, a simple rhythm machine, and the Casiotone, enhanced with delay and chorus effects. This setup enabled him to maintain a musical diary on tape, experimenting with ambient and experimental tracks, crafting simple melodies, and performing modest covers of well-known synth-pop songs. However, in the early 1990s, upon acquiring computers, digital synthesizers, and samplers, he found the Casiotone becoming increasingly obsolete, leading him to give it away—a decision he later regretted.
In the mid-2000s, despite having limited time for music, Grönholm rediscovered the Casiotone when he encountered a few affordable models. He began collecting these keyboards, which many considered to be merely nostalgic artifacts. While he acknowledged the sentimental value, he was pleasantly surprised by the quality and enjoyment these instruments provided, inspiring him to create new compositions.
For "OCCASIONAL TUNES," Grönholm restricted himself to the sounds and features of Casiotones manufactured between 1981 and 1983. The compilation exclusively features the MT-45, MT-65, PT-30, and the Casio VL-Tone, a well-known novelty of that era. All music was performed using these keyboards without the aid of loops, samples, or external sequencers. He did, however, enhance the sound with both analogue and digital effects, many of which date back to the 1980s. Individual tracks were recorded on a digital multitrack recorder, edited digitally, and finally mixed and mastered in an analogue format.
The pieces included in this compilation were recorded between 2015 and 2017, although some melodies and ideas had lingered in his mind for years. Grönholm embraced a variety of musical styles and genres, finding it liberating to explore the rhythms and sounds of Casio keyboards. Many final tracks evoke the music he enjoyed in the early 1980s, drawing influences from new wave, synth-pop, movie soundtracks, ambient, industrial, experimental music, as well as the Berlin school of electronic music and 1970s krautrock, and even elements of late 1970s funk, reggae, and disco.
Despite the mass production of these keyboards, they were often overlooked as legitimate musical instruments, leading to their quick decline in popularity post-release. Grönholm reflects on the thousands of young musicians who, like him, appreciated the versatility and portability of Casiotones. This personal connection drives his desire to revive the sounds of these instruments, which he hopes resonate with others as well.
PG-66
