Planet Rock

Recorded in New York in 1982, the track paired Afrika Bambaataa and Soulsonic Force with producer Arthur Baker and keyboardist John Robie. The original Tommy Boy release was mixed by John Robie and Arthur Baker with Jay Burnett engineering. Released by Tommy Boy in 1982, Planet Rock became a defining early electro hip hop record and reached number 4 on the Billboard R and B chart and number 3 on the US dance chart. It fused Bronx hip hop culture with European electronic sources and changed the sound of club and street music. The record remains one of the most influential dance records of the 1980s and a foundation for electro, freestyle, Miami bass, techno and later hip hop production. Its rhythm programming, vocoder textures and Kraftwerk derived melodies became a template for electronic dance music worldwide.