I believe that many of us would think the first Techno-track ever was created by the hands of Kraftwerk or guys like Juan Atkins, and there is no doubt that these people influenced and shaped Techno as we know it today.
But actually in 1974, 11 Years before Model 500´s “No UFO´s”, none other than Herbie Hancock made a piece of music way ahead of his time that some people even claim to be the very first Techno-Track ever made.
It´s not a secret Herbie has always been a great innovator and developer of Jazz, such as Funk and Fusion. Due to his love for engineering and experimenting with new devices, a lot of his music was characterized by the use of electronic instruments and with the invention of the ARP 2600 Synthesizer in the 1970´s, Herbie found himself a new toy that clearly shaped the sound of “Nobu”, giving it a touch of Techno, which is amplified by the repeating chord-line in his left hand.
Without discussing further if it´s rather Jazz, Techno or something completely different, I just want to leave you with the track and let you build your own opinion about it. Personally I don´t think it really matters what we call it. What actually matters is that “Nobu” is a timeless masterpiece, which every electronic music enthusiast should know.
Text: Jannis