Future Shock (Columbia – 1983) is a revolutionary album that allowed Herbie Hancock to redefine his style, while pushing the boundaries of jazz
Herbie Hancock‘s Future Shock marks a bold turning point in his career. Designed in collaboration with producer Bill Laswell, the record fuses jazz, funk, and electronic music, opening Hancock to a wider, younger audience while pushing the boundaries of traditional music. The iconic track Rockit became an international hit and remains a mainstay of electronic music, thanks to its innovative synthesizer and scratch sounds. Hancock’s ability to innovate, adopt new technologies, and integrate elements of urban culture, allowed him to create a timeless and influential album, which captures the essence of musical experimentation and the desire to move towards the future, without forgetting the past and, at the time I am posting this, his music sells cars on tv-commercial…
Few Words about the Record
With Future Shock, Hancock ventures far beyond the acoustic sounds and jazz fusion that defined his previous work. The album, strongly influenced by the New York electro scene, explores new textures, thanks to synthesizers, drum machines, and the daring use of scratching, still rare at the time. The jerky rhythms, hypnotic loops, and synthetic sounds give a robotic and cybernetic dimension to the album, announcing the digital age while retaining the soul of Hancock. The eponymous title Future Shock, inspired by Alvin Toffler’s book on rapid modernity, illustrates this visionary and feverish spirit.
Rockit is arguably the album’s most iconic track, particularly for its groundbreaking scratch solo, performed by DJ GrandMixer DXT. This title becomes a bridge between the worlds of jazz, electro and hip-hop, marking the first real popular success of a composition integrating scratching in a mainstream production. The track remains an album highlight and a production masterpiece that continues to influence electronic music and hip-hop culture. Its innovative music video, directed by Godley & Creme, also became a classic for its surreal and robotic aesthetic, contributing to the title’s enormous visual and cultural success.
Future Shock‘s has influenced generations of artists in the fields of electro, hip-hop, and funk. He also helped democratize the use of synthesizers and digital sounds, proving that electronic music could be complex, expressive, and as captivating as more traditional genres. This album is an exploration of what the future can offer, and remains a milestone in contemporary musical history. His influence is still felt, whether in hip-hop, electronic music or the current jazz scene.
