Music of the early 1980s was strongly influenced by computer technology. We saw the arrival of the revolutionary Linn LM-1 drum machine, along with digitally controlled synthesizers and effect units. But the most radical innovation was the Fairlight Computer Music Instrument (CMI).
Created in Australia by Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel, the 1979 Fairlight was originally envisioned as a computer-based music synthesis system. But the Fairlight had other more influential tricks up its sleeve: it was the first digital sampling instrument, capable of recording snippets of real sound and playing them back at different speeds. This meant that incredibly complex and realistic sounds could be captured and performed by musicians.