Rockit

Recorded in 1983 as part of the Future Shock sessions, with the basic tracks cut in New York by Material—Bill Laswell and Michael Beinhorn, alongside Martin Bisi—at BC Studios in Gowanus, Brooklyn; Hancock overdubbed synthesizer parts in his home studio in Los Angeles, and the final mix was completed at Eldorado Studios in Hollywood. Grand Mixer D.ST provided the scratching, and Dave Jerden handled the Hollywood mix session. Released in the summer of 1983, the track pushed Hancock into the emerging electro and breakdance crossover, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart and helping define a new mainstream sound built from scratching, drum machines, and synths. It also became a major MTV-era statement, with the video winning five awards at the first MTV Video Music Awards. The track is remembered as a landmark in early hip-hop and turntablism, credited with helping establish the turntable as a solo instrument in popular music. Its video and sonic approach remained widely influential, and the song continued to be cited as a blueprint for later electronic, dance, and pop production.