There is no doubt that music and technology have been closely linked for decades.

The way artists make and record their music has been influenced by technology developments for a long time.

The first hardware which allowed musicians to manipulate instruments and sounds was big, bulky and expensive. The software was just expensive.

But in the 1980s entire orchestras and real world sounds started to be crammed into and reproduced by computers.

Samplers, sequencers and synthesisers were still exotic back then, and only best-selling recording artists could afford them.

By contrast, aspiring musicians today have access the kind of technology that was once the preserve of professional recording studios.

For instance, the entry-level GarageBand software which comes bundled with Apple Macs can perform a lot of the audio editing tasks that would once have required a studio.

Other music software applications such as Logic Pro and Cubase can also fulfil the needs of many professional musicians.

Singer-songwriter Yusuf Islam, formerly known as Cat Stevens, released on Sunday a charity song whose proceeds will go towards assisting Palestinians in the war-ravaged Gaza Strip.

The new recording of the song 'The day the world gets round', originally recorded by George Harrison, features Yusuf on vocals and Klaus Voorman, known to many as the fifth Beatle, on bass.

The song can be dowloaded online at different rates and its proceeds will go towards the United Nations Relief and Works Agency and Save the Children to aid children and families in the Gaza Strip, UNRWA said in a statement.

Yusuf said on his website he hoped the recording will "help remind people of the immense legacy of love, peace and happiness we can share when we get round to looking at mankind's futile wars and prejudices."

As Cat Stevens, Islam, now 59, recorded several major hits in the late 1960s and 1970s. He converted to Islam at the height of his fame in 1977, devoting himself to education and philanthropy.

Israel's 22-day offensive in the Hamas-ruled territory, which ended on January 18, killed more than 1,300 Palestinians, including hundreds of women and children, medics say. It also left widespread destruction.

UNRWA said the song can be purchased online at http://www.jamalrecords.com/cgi-bin/commerce.cgi?display=home

US R&B star Sean Levert - one third of 1980s trio LeVert - has died at the age of 39 after falling ill in jail in Cleveland, Ohio.

Levert, the son of O'Jays vocalist Eddie Levert, was sentenced last week to one year and 10 months in prison for failing to pay child maintenance.

A coroner's spokesman said an autopsy was inconclusive, but added that foul play had been ruled out.

Grammy-nominated band LeVert had a UK top 10 hit with Casanova.

Levert died at Lutheran Hospital on Sunday, less than an hour after he was taken there from jail.

The coroner's spokesman said that Levert suffered from high blood pressure and had been hallucinating in jail.

Toxicology reports could take four to six weeks, he added.