Koto

In 1982, electronic dance music had emerged from the disco scene, eclipsing disco

at clubs and parties throughout the world. HI-NRG was blasting from American

speakers, and proto-house was emerging simultaneously throughout Europe. Even

Hollywood films were in on the trend, with many notable scores reflecting the

movement towards synthesizer dance. In Italy, however, there was an insular disco

scene that refused to go away, and it was here that disco went through its final

transformation. With three Italian music producers, recording under the name Koto,

the chrysalis of synthesizer dance was shed, and what was emerged was unlike

anything heard before. What emerged was the soundtrack to some futuristic sci-fi

freakout. What emerged was space synth.

 With the release of Koto’s 1982 single, “Chinese Revenge,” a new dance music hit

the Italian airwaves. The elements were familiar, much of its technicality had been

explored years before by Kraftwerk, and its sonic aesthetic borrowed freely from the

Space Disco scene. However, there was a splash of Neo-Tokyo futurism that catalyzed

the mix, and with it came a dance music that moved both bodies and minds. Here was

a synthesizer dance music that did not insult the intelligence, and instead filled the

mind with scenes of a technological revolution.

Koto was on to something huge. In

1984 they dropped their “Japanese War

Game” single, another massive hit for

them. They had honed their sound into

something immediately recognizable, the

soundtrack to a purely digital age. Without

uttering a single word on these earlier

recordings, they let their music and cover

art do the talking. The future could be really something! The cure for diseases, new

forms of transportation, the boundaries of space delimited! Were we man enough for

the future? It was coming whether we were ready or not.

A year later they released “Visitors,” considered by many to be their finest and most

futuristic track. While many would believe that the track is about aliens, the cover art

shows a member of Koto set against a space-background, and it’s clear that the

“Visitors” are going to be us. This is also the first Koto track to feature a human voice,

laughter sampled from Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.” The synth-stab melody is truly epic,
and still sounds like the future to many who hear it. How excellent and bright the future

is depicted, and so near.

In 1986 Koto had their biggest hit, “Jabdah,” which charted throughout Europe. A

Koto song with vocals! Well, someone mumbling in broken English about space in a

thick Italian accent (“Strong voice is coming from the space!”). The term “spacesynth”

itself emerges in the wake of Jabdah’s popularity, and many consider this track to be

the first great utterance of the new genre. The song was also marketed with a music

video featuring their composer Anfrando Maiola playing the synthesizer aboard a

spacecraft (in what appears to be the sickbay), with aliens and astronauts fidgeting

with unknown technology and displays. Also, for some reason Maiola is wearing a

Karate uniform.

Two years later, Koto had their final hit with

1988’s “Dragon’s Legend,” another space-

synth classic. This time around they borrowed

samples from the arcade game “Dragon’s

Lair,” an unusual but strangely effective choice.

However great and enjoyable this track is, any

fan of Koto will tell you that it is a bit of a

retread of their previous singles. This and all

subsequent singles begin to sound very similar to one another, and it is at this point

that many consider Koto to be eclipsed by spacesynth’s second generation, most

notably by the Dutch duo Laserdance.

 Today there are too many spacesynth artists to even count, although it is still widely

regarded as a European phenomenon. Today’s spacesynth luminaries such as Marco

Rochowski, Galaxy Hunter, and Electron all owe a tremendous debt to the great

spacesynth pioneers Koto, and it is rare to hear any spacesynth track that does not

borrow “the Koto bassline.” Koto is still recording music to this day in the style that

they invented, and perhaps the future that they prophesied is closer than we think.