The workstation concept has had a lasting influence on the keyboard market. It might be this ambiguous status of being “in and out of culture” simultaneously that recently inspired multidisciplinary artist Cory Arcangel to devote a cycle of compositions to the M1’s famously artificial piano sound. While entire documentaries have been filmed and books have been issued on other classic Japanese gear like Roland’s 808 and 909 drum machines, the story of the M1 has remained somewhat oblique. It is one of the most significant examples of an instrument and its presets shaping the sound of an era. Its set of presets is as wide-spread as the instrument itself: not just major pop hits like Sade’s “ No Ordinary Love” feature its sounds, but entire genres of “piano house”, the infamous piano breakdowns of early UK rave anthems and classics of Detroit techno have made extensive use of M1’s presets. The workstation integrated sequencing, sampled waveforms and effects into one piece of equipment – thus it allowed for sketching out arrangements with several parts with different sounds assigned to each. Korg’s M1 workstation keyboard was introduced in 1988 and went on to become one of the best selling synthesizers of all times, second only to Yamaha’s DX7. Members of the original Korg M1 developer team: Tomoko Itoh & Junichi Ikeuchi