Future Shock
Herbie Hancock 1983 pioneering
electro-funk synth-funk hip-hop electro
The collision of jazz legend and hip-hop future: 'Rockit' brought turntablism to MTV and proved a 43-year-old jazz pianist could reinvent himself at the bleeding edge of electronic music.
Acoustic Profile
Production
Method: electronic-dominant
Fidelity: polished
Fairlight CMI samplingturntablism by Grand Mixer DXTBill Laswell productiondrum machine programmingsynth-bass sequencing
Vocal
Approach: instrumental
Lyrical Abstraction: 10/10
Mood & Theme
euphoria playfulness defiance
Territory: techno-futurism, hip-hop-jazz-collision, machine-groove
Emotional Arc: robotic-precision-erupting-into-human-expression
Era & Context
Produced by Bill Laswell with turntablist Grand Mixer DXT, Future Shock bridged jazz, electro-funk, and nascent hip-hop. 'Rockit' became a global phenomenon via its MTV video, one of the first mainstream exposures of turntablism and breakdancing to a worldwide audience.
Spiritual Links (15)
Computer World Kraftwerk (1981)
7/10 rhythmic-innovationcommercial-accessibility-meets-depth
Computer Games Parliament-Funkadelic (1982)
7/10 sonic-experimentationrhythmic-innovation
Trust in the Lifeforce of the Deep Mystery (The Comet Is Coming) Shabaka (2019)
6/10 genre-destructionsonic-experimentation
Trans-Europe Express Kraftwerk (1977)
6/10 rhythmic-innovationsonic-experimentation
Solid State Survivor Yellow Magic Orchestra (1979)
6/10 electronic-orchestral-fusionrhythmic-innovation
Graduation Kanye West (2007)
5/10 commercial-accessibility-meets-depthstudio-as-instrument
Hyper-Dimensional Expansion Beam (The Comet Is Coming) Shabaka (2022)
5/10 genre-destructionsonic-experimentation
1999 Prince (1982)
5/10 sonic-experimentationrhythmic-innovation
Yellow Magic Orchestra Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978)
5/10 electronic-orchestral-fusionrhythmic-innovation
A Funk Odyssey Jamiroquai (2001)
5/10 rhythmic-innovationsonic-experimentation
Automaton Jamiroquai (2017)
5/10 sonic-experimentation
Cold Blooded Rick James (1983)
5/10 sonic-experimentation
Kid A Radiohead (2000)
4/10 radical-reinventionalienation-of-fanbase
Demon Days Gorillaz (2005)
4/10 genre-destructioncommercial-accessibility-meets-depth
Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment Timbaland (1998)
4/10 rhythmic-innovationsonic-experimentation
Influences
Similar Albums (Cross-Artist)
1
Solid State Survivor Yellow Magic Orchestra (1979)
81% 2 Indecent Proposal Timbaland (2001)
81% 3 Cracker Island Gorillaz (2023)
80% 4 Tim's Bio: Life from da Bassment... Wait, Welcome to Our World Timbaland (1997)
79% 5 X 100PRE Bad Bunny (2018)
77% 6 Cheese Stromae (2010)
77% 7 Bird and Diz Charlie Parker (1950)
76% 8 Madonna Madonna (1983)
75% 9 Money Jungle Duke Ellington (1962)
74% 10 Motomami Rosalía (2022)
73%