Michael Beinhorn on the Making of Herbie Hancock's 'Rockit'

In the early 1980s, the music industry was caught in the midst of a cultural upheaval. The slick, heavily produced sounds of progressive and corporate rock were running headfirst into the raw power of punk and hip-hop, with upstart artists creating their own scene in major cities across the globe, and the birth of MTV bringing it to living rooms everywhere.

New York was one of the epicenters of this cultural melting pot, with an underground music scene that was rife with experimentation and inspiration. With then-partner Bill Laswell, Michael Beinhorn was one half of the production team Material, whose music was increasingly impacted by the burgeoning cultural shift. In 1982, a chance meeting led to collaborating on Herbie Hancock’s epic recording “Rockit” and the album Future Shock. This session will explore the birth of that recording and the impact of the music, culture and the MTV era.