PRINCE PAUL'S CASIO RZ-1, USED FOR DE LA SOUL, BIG DADDY KANE, & OTHERS

[PRINCE PAUL]

CASIO RZ-1

Digital Sampling Rhythm Composer, ca. 1986

Sampling for the masses

This unit was used on recordings Prince Paul produced for Big Daddy Kane ("Hard to Be the Kane" and "No Damn Good"), 3rd Bass ("Gas Face"), Boogie Down Productions ("Drug Dealer" and "Sex and Violence") and Stetsasonic; he loved the machine so much, that he also used for De La Soul's album, 3 Feet High and Rising: "We made the whole of 3 Feet High and Rising for $13,000, using just a Casio RZ-1 drum machine/sampler and another gadget called an Eventide harmonizer, which allowed us to match songs that had totally different pitches—we could put Daryl Hall's voice over a Sly & the Family Stone record. It was amazing." (Prince Paul)

Featuring 12 sampled drum sounds including 3 toms, kick, snare, rim, open/closed high hat, ride, crash, cowbell and clap, the real innovation of the RZ-1 was it allowed the user to create their own, albeit short, percussive tracks via an on board sampler and loop them together. 

This affordable unit was key in allowing musicians to record at home, without the expense of booking studios and was a mainstay on many of Hip Hop's Golden Era recordings. 

PROVENANCE:

Courtesy Prince Paul