11. Technology

A key area in the progression of “black music” was through the use of technology. From as early as the 50’s, electric pianos were used in jazz compositions before the “jazz fusion” genre came into play. For example, Duke Ellington used a Wurlitzer during a performance in 1955 (ABC Jazz, 2012) and Sun Ra used an electric piano extensively on his album Super-Sonic Jazz back in 1956. This lead the way for Ray Charles and his hit song What’d I Say, where Charles also used the Wurlitzer electric piano. Artists such as Jimi Hendrix played a role in the way instruments were used after his death in 1970. His flamboyant performances on the guitar, sometimes playing with his teeth, use of amplifier feedback and experiments with phasing pushed rock music out of the conventional pockets of 50s and 60s rock ‘n’ roll. Amongst the technological advances within instruments, there was also new improvement in the way sound was recorded and released. The introduction of long playing albums, or LPs, extended the limited amount of time music could be recorded on to vinyl from their 78-bpm counterparts, allowing artists like Miles Davis to create ambitiously long jazz compositions for release and multiple takes (Austin, Størmer, 2008, p.4). Magnetic tape technology also became more developed, which gave the impetus for musicians to add extra nuances that were previously inexplicable on older jazz recordings (Austin, Størmer, 2008, p.4). At the same time, Herbie Hancock broke out of jazz conventions during the 1970s with his polyrhythmic jazz funk albums Headhunters, Thrust and Man-Child. While many of the other jazz musicians to dabble in jazz-fusion incorporated more rock elements, Hancock went down the funk route. Hancock’s use of synthesizers continued into the 1980s and he reached his commercial peak with the album Future Shock. The album was notable for its use of turntablism and scratching, provided by Grand Mixer DXT. It was DXT who inspired a new generation of DJs to implement scratching as a rhythmic tool. Herbie was also a regular user of synthesizers in his work, a trait that worked well amongst the backdrop of synth-based music of the 80s in multiple genres, but particularly funk, electro and hip hop