Planet Rock

Recorded in New York at Intergalactic Studios with Afrika Bambaataa, the Soulsonic Force, Arthur Baker, and John Robie. The original 12-inch release credits Arthur Baker as producer and mixer, Tom Silverman as executive producer, and engineers B. Rosa, J. Burnett, and Jan D. Burnett. Released in 1982, the track fused hip-hop breaks, vocoder effects, and electronic sequencing into a futuristic club record that helped push rap into the mainstream. Contemporary coverage describes it as a seminal record that opened the door to electro and later dance genres. The record remains a foundational electro and hip-hop touchstone, widely cited as a blueprint for later dance music and as a track that influenced artists and producers across techno, house, and related styles. Its lasting stature is reflected in later critical canonization and its continued association with the early-1980s New York club sound.