"
Rockit" is a
songA song is a metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad....
recorded by
Herbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American jazz pianist and composer. He is regarded as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz...
. It was released as a
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
from his 1983 album
Future Shock. The song was written by Hancock,
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
ist
Bill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner. He is married to Ethiopian singer Gigi....
and
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument that is capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequencies...
/
drum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
programmer
Michael BeinhornMichael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
.
Constructed and composed during the recording process at various studios, including
Martin BisiMartin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter.He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth,Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning Rockit, Helmet Unsane , Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, and Angels of Light.
In 1979, Martin Bisi...
's in Brooklyn NY, "Rockit" was perhaps the first popular single to feature
scratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the 1990s, it has been used in some styles of...
and other turntablist techniques, performed by
GrandMixer D.STGrandMixer DXT is an American turntablist. "D.ST" is a reference to Manhattan, New York City's Delancey Street on the Lower East Side...
- an influential DJ in the early years of
turntablismTurntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer. The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
- using turntables as a
musical instrumentA musical instrument is an object constructed or used for the purpose of making the sounds of music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the beginnings of human culture...
.
"
Rockit" is a
songA song is a metrical composition intended or adapted for singing, especially one in rhymed stanzas; a lyric; a ballad....
recorded by
Herbie HancockHerbert Jeffrey "Herbie" Hancock is an American jazz pianist and composer. He is regarded as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century. His music embraces elements of funk and soul while adopting freer stylistic elements from jazz...
. It was released as a
singleIn music, a single is a short recording of one or more separate tracks. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats.-History:...
from his 1983 album
Future Shock. The song was written by Hancock,
bass guitarThe electric bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a plectrum....
ist
Bill LaswellBill Laswell is an American bassist, producer and record label owner. He is married to Ethiopian singer Gigi....
and
synthesizerA synthesizer is an electronic instrument that is capable of producing a variety of sounds by generating and combining signals of different frequencies...
/
drum machineA drum machine is an electronic musical instrument designed to imitate the sound of drums and/or other percussion instruments. Drum machines are very useful instruments for a wide variety of musical genres, not just purely electronic music...
programmer
Michael BeinhornMichael Beinhorn is an American musician and record producer.Beinhorn started his professional career as a musician, playing keyboards in Bill Laswell's Material during the 1980s...
.
Constructed and composed during the recording process at various studios, including
Martin BisiMartin Bisi is an American producer and songwriter.He is known for recording important records by Sonic Youth,Swans, John Zorn, Material, Bill Laswell, Herbie Hancock's Grammy-winning Rockit, Helmet Unsane , Cop Shoot Cop, White Zombie, Boredoms, and Angels of Light.
In 1979, Martin Bisi...
's in Brooklyn NY, "Rockit" was perhaps the first popular single to feature
scratchingScratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the 1990s, it has been used in some styles of...
and other turntablist techniques, performed by
GrandMixer D.STGrandMixer DXT is an American turntablist. "D.ST" is a reference to Manhattan, New York City's Delancey Street on the Lower East Side...
- an influential DJ in the early years of
turntablismTurntablism is the art of manipulating sounds and creating music using phonograph turntables and a DJ mixer. The word 'turntablist' was coined in 1995 by DJ Babu to describe the difference between a DJ who just plays records, and one who performs by touching and moving the records, stylus and mixer...
- using turntables as a
musical instrumentA musical instrument is an object constructed or used for the purpose of making the sounds of music. In principle, anything that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the beginnings of human culture...
. Later turntablists, such as DJ Qbert and
Mix Master MikeMix Master Mike is an American turntablist and contributing member of the Beastie Boys.-Life and career:His real name is Michael Schwartz. He was born in San Francisco, California. Mix Master Mike is of German and Filipino descent. He first came to prominence upon winning the 1992 New Music...
, cited "Rockit" as revelatory in the documentary film
ScratchScratch is a documentary film, directed and edited by Doug Pray. Scratch is a film that explores the world of the hip-hop DJ. From the birth of hip-hop, when pioneering DJ's began extending breaks on their party records , to the invention of scratching and beat-juggling vinyl, to its more recent...
, inspiring their interest in the instrument. The record GrandMixer D.ST. used for scratching in Rockit was
Change The Beat by B-Side, released in 1982 on Celluloid Records.
The single was a major radio hit in the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
but more of an underground hit in the
United StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The
music videoA music video is a short film or video that accompanies a complete piece of music/song. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings. Although the origins of music videos go back much further, they came into their own in the...
, directed by duo
Godley & CremeGodley & Creme was an English pop music duo comprising Kevin Godley and Lol Creme. The pair began releasing albums as a duo after splitting from the pop band 10cc. In 1979 they directed their first Music Video for themselves "An Englishman in New York"...
and featuring robot-like sculptures (by Jim Whiting) moving in time to the music, was among the earliest videos to feature African Americans on
MTVMTV is a cable television network based in New York City and launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs...
and garnered five MTV Video Music Awards in 1984, including Best Concept Video and Best Special Effects. Hancock himself appears and plays keyboard only as an image on a television, which is smashed on the pavement in the closing shot.
In The Cleveland Show, Cleveland confused it for The Beverly Hills Cop theme.
The song is featured in the game "THE iDOLM@STER Dearly Stars",
Dance Dance Revolution UNIVERSE 2Dance Dance Revolution Universe 2, or Universe 2, is a music video game for the North American Xbox 360. Released by Konami Digital Entertainment on December 5, 2007, Universe 2 is a sequel to Dance Dance Revolution Universe released earlier the same year...
, and will be featured in video game DJ Hero.
Charts
| Chart (2001) |
Peak
position |
| Swiss Singles Chart |
4 |
| Austrian Singles Chart |
7 |
| Dutch Singles Chart |
7 |
| Swedish Singles Chart |
10 |
External links