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The Sound of Toys

Sponsored Project

  • Greg Poole, Director
  • Sacha Jenkins, Producer
  • Tony Pemberton, Producer
  • Nick Questa, Producer
  • Ahmed Barbary, Producer
  • Mark Malazarte, Producer
Musician Money Mark formerly of the Beasty Boys sits surrounded by various casios he uses to make his music.

About the Project

THE SOUND OF TOYS is a film about how Casio keyboards sparked a digital music revolution in the 1980s weaving together personal stories of amateur and professional musicians to show how these affordable instruments sparked a global digital music revolution that still reverberates today. It charts the story of the far-reaching influence of these affordable consumer instruments, both beloved and dismissed as cheesy toys. Through its interlocking narrative spanning decades and cultures, the film is also a re- examination of the history of popular music, its folklore and the global exchange of ideas between musicians and technicians.

While the story of THE SOUND OF TOYS is propelled by the Casio keyboard-often overlooked, yet an important cultural touchstone that's hidden in plain sight-the documentary takes the viewer on an exploration of sound and brings into focus our emotional connection with the synthesizer in popular music.

The film ultimately asks why we as humans make music at all, novice and professional musicians alike.