Herbie Hancock – Sound-System

Herbie Hancock – Sound-System

Originally released in 1984 on Columbia Records, Sound-System is one of Herbie Hancock's most adventurous electronic albums of the 1980s. Following the breakthrough success of Future Shock and its iconic single Rockit, Hancock reunited with producer Bill Laswell for an album that pushed further into electro-funk, electronic jazz, hip-hop-influenced rhythms and experimental African percussion.

The album features an extraordinary ensemble of musicians, including guitarist Henry Kaiser, Nicky Skopelitis, turntablist Grand Mixer D.ST, percussionists Daniel Ponce and Aiyb Dieng, electronic drummer Anton Fier and Gambian multi-instrumentalist Foday Musa Suso, whose kora and other instruments provide an important African dimension to the record. Wayne Shorter also appears on soprano saxophone and Lyricon.

Hardrock opens the album with a hard-edged electronic funk sound that clearly follows the path established by Rockit, while Metal Beat combines programmed rhythms, synthesizers, turntables and percussion into a distinctly futuristic 1980s sound. Karabali changes direction, bringing Hancock's acoustic piano together with Wayne Shorter's soprano saxophone and African percussion, demonstrating just how broad the album's musical palette could be.

The second side contains some of the album's most distinctive material. Junku, written in connection with the 1984 Olympic Games, features Foday Musa Suso's electrified kora and represents an important meeting point between Hancock's electronic music and West African musical traditions. People Are Changing continues the fusion of programmed rhythms, keyboards and percussion, while the title track Sound-System brings together Hancock's synthesizers, Laswell's bass, turntables, African percussion and Suso's kora in a dense, rhythm-driven finale.

Sound-System is therefore much more than a straightforward follow-up to Future Shock. It captures Hancock at a fascinating point where jazz, electro-funk, hip-hop, electronic music, African music and experimental production were converging. The title track earned Hancock the 1984 Grammy Award for Best R&B Instrumental Performance, while the album itself reached the US Jazz chart.

For collectors of Herbie Hancock, Bill Laswell, electro-funk, jazz fusion, early electronic music and 1980s experimental jazz, this original six-track LP is an important part of Hancock's electronic period and a particularly interesting companion to Future Shock and the subsequent Village Life collaboration with Foday Musa Suso.

Side A

1. Hardrock – 6:08
2. Metal Beat – 4:53
3. Karabali – 5:17

Side B

1. Junku – 5:30
2. People Are Changing – 6:03
3. Sound-System – 5:51