Track Listing

1. Rockit
2. Future Shock
3. T. F. S.
4. Earthbeat
5. Autodrive
6. Rough
7. Rockit (Mega Mix)

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #167460 in Music
• Released on: 2000-02-08
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Original recording reissued, Original recording remastered

Amazon.com
The three electronic, hip-hop-influenced albums Herbie Hancock recorded during the 1980s--of which Future Shock was the first, followed by Sound System and Perfect Machine--have been the most maligned by fans of his enormously influential '60s-era jazz work. The reissue of all three albums, each newly remastered with bonus mixes and new liner notes, makes it clear Hancock was much more than simply a jazz pianist reaching for a pop crossover audience. To be sure, Hancock got his pop hit with Future Shock's "Rockit," and there's plenty on Future Shock that sounds dated, from the early 80's synthesizer tones to the almost consciously stiff-sounding hip-hop beats that permeate every track. But dig a little deeper, and it's clear this is supremely intelligent dance music, with a combination of producer-bassist Bill Laswell's Kraftwerk-influenced industrial production and Latin percussionist Daniel Ponce's Bata drum, Pete Cosey's screeching guitar--which echoes his work with Miles Davis's 1970s band--Sly Dunbar's rock-solid funk drumming, and Grand Mixer D.S.T.'s radical (for the time) turntable scratching. And, of course, there's "Rockit", the track that introduced a generation of young listeners to Hancock and break-dancing robots in music videos. All in all, a reissue well worth revisiting. --Ezra Gale

From Jazziz
Put on your parachute pants, roll up the sleeves on your Members Only jacket, and get ready to do The Worm. That's right: Our first track is "Rockit" from Herbie Hancock's crossover smash, Future Shock. When it was released in 1983, "Rockit" helped bring DJ scratching (courtesy of DJ DST) to mainstream America through its heavy rotation on top-40 radio and MTV. The song won five MTV awards and a Grammy for Best R&B Instrumental. It also helped launch the career of producer Bill Laswell, who wrote the liner notes for this reissue.

--- JAZZIZ Magazine Copyright © 2000, Milor Entertainment, Inc.

Customer Reviews

overcompressed remastering
Musically, I would give this CD 5 stars for 'Rockit'
the seminal track that fused DJ scratching with Herbie's
jazz tinged analog synthesizer experiments over a drum
machine. The amazing remix 'Rockit (Megamix)' is also
quite stunning with some very creative use of samples
(ahead of its time).

The problem is that whoever remastered the music follows
the modern trend of overcompressing the music, draining
all dynamic range out of it to increase the apparent loudness.
This makes the music jump out at you, but it's very
tiresome on the ears and drains the life out of it.
Personally, I can't even listen to the CD anymore.

I would recommend prospective buyers pick up one of the old
school hip hop compilations with Rockit on it instead
(the other tracks on the LP/CD haven't aged as well)

Excellent, risk taking album from Herbie Hancock
I'd like to defend this album, because between his more mellow jazz albums of the 70s and what he's doing now in 2005-2006, this 1983 album is still one one of my favorites from Herbie Hancock. Herbie took a big risk with going for the hip-hop sound and he succeeded. Every one of the six original songs are dynamite, are edgy and very creative for that period. I still love Rockit, perhaps one of Herbie's finest performances. Its mix of urban jazz and the turntable scratches of hip-hop was very unique. It has some hard hitting beats that could even rival most of Run-DMC and LL Cool J's albums. I couldn't stop playing the 45 single of the single and album versions for several months! It's still played over 2 decades later! The video for that song was phenomenal with the art direction and the marionettes moving to the song's beats. The album's very keyboard oriented, but Hancock kept the jazz style intact on most of the songs. I don't think he sold out,as some purists say. I think this album helped make him a more respected jazz musician and artist later on. Even if the album's massive success took him by surprise, he did it with class and he is still respected today. Very creative, chance-taking and wonderfully performed and done!

FUNKY AS YOU LIKE
I bought this album when it came out as an experiment and at first I really didn't know what to think. It was just completely alien to me being a teenage metalhead. Over the following weeks however, I became addicted to it, playing it regularly- something I've done ever since.

Rockit is fairly representative of the albums electro/hip hop content but other tracks such as Earthbeat and Rough go much deeper to incorporate ambient and even world music. The title track is like electro vs. a rather camp P-funk!

The main strength of this album for me is that has a completely unique atmosphere that it maintains throughout. It is rather like a strange alien landscape- it provides excellent escapism because of the inhuman feel created by the stiff rhythms and huge warm soundscapes. FUNK is the key word here, meaning that the album has only dated in an academic sense.

It is impossible to turn off. It is definately recommended for the car. In my opinion the Rockit megamix is the only track that has dated to the point of embarassment- the title gives it away! Every other track though remains classic electro. F-F-F-F-Fresh!