Arthur Baker Shows How He Produced Afrika Bambaataa's Iconic 'Planet Rock' @ IMS Ibiza 2022 

When did you first hear Planet Rock?

I'll be 53 years old soon and can still remember the very first time I heard Planet Rock. I remember loving it and wanting to hear everything and anything that sounded like it at the time. Just watching this got me feeling excited as the day when I first heard it back in 1982. Planet Rock along with Play At Your Own Risk will always be reasons why I fell in love with the Hip Hop culture at the time and still DJ this very day.

Arthur Baker is still one of the most underrated producers to ever walk this planet. Aside from all of his successful songs, his song "Breaker's Revenge" from the movie 'BeatStreet' became THE breakdancing anthem of the 1980s. The iconic "Roxy Battle" scene is still the best breakdancing movie scene ever!

This era of music has me in tears. That was my generation of music.

Kraftwerk is genius. “Trans Europe Express” is brilliant. “Numbers” is incredible.

This song changed my purpose for living! I became a DJ & a Dancer instantly. 💯🔥🔥🔥🔥

Fall of 1982...blew my mind. Lost whatever mind I had left when "Play At Your Own Risk' came months later. Those two songs it's so hard for me to contain myself...I danced so hard on them for years!

Authur Baker was the genius of 80s dance music. Growing up in NYC at that time I was about 16 . I remember, I was going to house parties, sneeking in to Fun House night club and you heard planet rock everywhere ! Fun times !

"It sounded like it was tomorrow" -Quest Love

One of the greatest songs of all time! 🔥🔥🔊🔊❤️❤️🙌 great watch and listen.

This track changed break dance music forever. I remember we used to dance to funk and soul played on real instruments, but as soon as this came out, Electro was born. It led to some incredible changes in dance music at the time, Al Naafiysh by Hashim is a direct descendant of this track, Hip Hop Be Bop by Man Parrish, another direct relation. All of a sudden the 808 was everywhere. Nobody had heard bass drums that heavy in a club before and people were wild for it. The Beat Goes On by Orbit was almost a rip off, but it worked. It reminds me of when Soul II Soul's Keep On Moving came out, and all of a sudden the 909 beat was everywhere. Good times man

Mannnn..... i'm 55 years old and I'm starting to move some furniture here! Give me some room and let me start poppin' on that "Play At Your Own Risk' riff! This is classic sounds here! Thanks for posting this historic moment!

“Numbers” blew my mind…. It was the biggest thing since Pac Man and Space Invaders…. No lie Bro

Arthur Baker needs a proper interview that encompasses his entire electro sound. I’ve now seen this one and the Red Bull academy interview but no one has connected the dots in his electro career. IOU/john rocco, Breakers Revenge, Tina B, Streetwise Records, all that which was “underground.” He needs a good documentary that covers all that before working with big artists.

i dont think people realize what a big deal this is. this guy spawned a whole genre, every freestyle record until 95 used the planet rock beat.

I worked with King Arthur at the start of this century. I'm proud that he requested me to work with. He's a wealth of knowledge and was there when history was being created. Such a down to earth character. I've got nothing but respect for him

Bought planet rock the week of release. Massive tune in 82. Then I got to meet Arthur 35 years later at the 808 movie

These tracks blew my mind in early 80's and they still blow my mind now, RESPECT to everyone involved and thank you for the joy you have given ☮❤☯👊🖐

I remember back then after Planet Rock, Egyptian Lover, White Pony, etc... I definitely thought we were listening/dancing to future music

Arthur Baker is my all time favorite producer. Way back when I would go to the record store every Saturday and go through the 12" singles and buy everyone that Arthur Baker produced or remixed... Yep I even had Bruce Springsteens' Cover Me 12" single.

AB is a GENIUS. This song changed my life, still gives me Goosebumps now!

Thank you so much Point Blank Team. This so great. As an electro lover - Arthur Baker breaking down "Planet Rock" is a dream.

I still remember the mind blowing experience of hearing Planet Rock on the radio for the first time. Dr. Sweet’s late night show on KSTN. The next day at school everybody was talking about it, and we all had our tape decks ready the next night to record it. Because the 12” didn’t hit the record stores for a week on the west coast. Massive!

Breakers Revenge!

This is fantastic, I always figured that “Play at your own risk “ was recorded in the same session. I didn’t realise it was taken from the actual track.

The late 70s to late 80s were a key transitional era in music production in general and especially in R&B, Funk, Disco and Hip Hop. DJs were experimenting with techniques for making improvised music using turntables and other equipment. Rap music was just starting out as an extension of the street acapella tradition often based on beating on various surfaces like a table or car to make beats. But the real source of most of the trends in music in this era were the studios and in Disco you had Sigma Sound Studios with Philly Sound and the Salsoul Orchestra, other studios were making trends in R&B and Funk. While in Europe you had the Euro Disco sound, plus the early experiments with electronic music, including Kraftwork and Cerrone. From these various sounds came the basic beat that DJs in Discos and parties were using for improvisation and Hip Hop was using to make break beats. But these DJs had to depend on the studios to produce the sounds from which they were making their beats, for the most part. One example of the earliest forms of synthesizer drums in rap was the break beat from Cerrone IV called "Look for Love". The only exception to this was Grandmaster Flash who released a tape called "Flash on the Beatbox" in 1981 where they were rapping over an improvised beat made in real time (and Afrika Baambata was part of some of these sessions). But beyond that they generally had no way to make these beats yet themselves and just depended on existing songs, such as that on "Rappers Delight" from Sugarhill Gang. So as the 70s moved into the 80s and more electronic music was being produced following the lead of kraftwerk and others, it was the studio engineer that was the one who would introduce this form of music into rap music album production. And thus Planet Rock was born and the 808 became a well known name among those beginning to experiment with electronic music production. And this led to the rise of house and techno in the late 80s and other various electronic instruments becoming integrated into the Hip Hop and rap repetoire for improvising music outside of a studio.

"Planet Rock" literally intrigued me on how that record was produced. 2 years later, Information Society's "Running" inspired me to buy my very first Casio micro keyboard! Today, i have Ableton Live 11...

They made Planet Patrols whole EP album in 24 hrs. From this! While trying to perfect Planet Rock!!!! just putting different melodies together experimenting and went back later and came up with Cheap Thrills, Play at your own risk, didn't know I loved you etc. I was a 11years old when Bay area Kid when Planet Rock came out. We were already Poppin, waving and strutting to Kraftwerk and other Funk stuff Like Parliament and Funkadelic. They took Funk, New Yorks Hip Hop Party style and Kraftwerk's structure and came up with the beginning of Electro Freestyle type Music. The 808 was the Nucleus of course

its an insane masterpiece, who on the ''Planet'' herd it and never bopped there head !?? endless love to Kraftwerk and Arthur / Afrika Bambaataa for having this track exist !

Great video. Planet Rock is the record I live for. It changed and affected my life forever. Growing up in the Bronx during this time, this record was and forever be our anthem. Besides hearing it on the radio, this record played loudly through every window in the Bronx. This was the record to play by the DJs in all the park jams when sound systems were hooked up to the near by light post. Every boombox you heard played Planet Rock and Play It At Your Own Risk. Thank you to Arthur Baker, Afrika Bambatta, The Soul Sonic Force, the inspiration of Kraftwerk music and Mr. Ikutaro Kakehashi (RIP) (founder of Roland) for the TR-808, for changing my life forever. 👍👍👍👍👍

Arthur Baker is a legend!!! #Period

This song was my anthem to break dance back in 84 , i was 14 years old

I wish I was at this event. Arthur Baker would have ran me off cause I have so many questions about the music, the technology, the programers, the musicians, the rappers, the equipment, and so much more!

Absolutely Amazing ~ thank you kindly for blessing the world with this Mr Baker

Amazing interview! This is seriously going classic. The 808, Kraftwerk, Arthur, Planet Rock, Electro, is the new classic music 🎵!

Sounds like this group of guys haphazardly fumbled thru the equipment in the studio and literally made history. Hearing this song blasting as I walked into the auditorium. I was with my high school wanna-be dj group and Tony G and the KDAY Mix Masters was on stage. I knew I would be a DJ until the day I croked… to this day as I type, I still own a set of scratching decks and a battle mixer…

Why is no one asking how they layered the kick so perfectly with the Lazer zaps and bass? There was so much things going on sonically that was interesting that they didn't touch.....how about how they got the "rock rock planet rock don't stop" to sound vocoded so different than the intro with a delay machine....

Awesome Interview thank you Mr. Baker, can't wait till the movie comes out. This man deserves his flowers.

Wow!! What an amazing panel to be at!! Thanks for sharing this!!❤❤❤

Beautiful History. I still own the original pressing on Vinyl Today. I was a huge Kraftwerk fan then this came out. I bought everything Arthur did. All this music is part of me. Getting me into production helped my drumming and keyboard playing. Years later playing live with a machine on stage as the drummer of Hiphoprisy then Meeting Kraftwerk in person. This has made my day. Thanks so much. #point Blank.

I like this guy, Arthur Baker. Great meeting

This is Epic! Thanks for posting! Respect to Arthur,and the Bambaataa crew,and to Point Blank as well. It’s really great for this to be shared,our Electronica history is still very enthralling and ever evolving,and it’s a beautiful thing.✨⚡️✨

Im 50 years old, Hip Hop is the music of my choice since I know I exist, watching this it's so enjoyable,to Learn the roots of my favorite music and all the work that makes it what it is, i can wait to see what this masters are going to come up with next,I hope is something amazing as well, thank you for keeping me happy listening and dancing to my favorite music.

The first time I heard this great track was at my Uncles wedding. I was eight years old and I’d never heard anything like it. The DJ played it all night I swear, and I make it a point to play it at my events all of the time. Great content and appreciate you posting this mini documentary.

This was awesome. In my opinion the instrumental “Rock at Your Own Risk” is the greatest produced melody of all time. It is absolute perfection. I wish the audience would have asked better questions. I also would have loved hearing what the concept was behind his song “Who You Stealin From” which is also one of my favorites. This man is an absolute genius

I was a kid living in New Jersey at the time this came out. My fam was originally from Brooklyn, Ny and when this stuff came out, it was a total game changer in music. I remember thinking wow, this is amazing, Because everyone started dancing whenever this came in the house or it was blasted out of my uncle's oldsmobile cutlass supreme. I was young then but it was still good times. My man was a geniuos creator with this stuff and thats what I love the most about it..the creativity. It's almost like it forces you to go off on the dance floor. Throw in the amazing job the rappers did and it was an instant classic!

Amazing. I grew up on Kraftwerk in the early 80's and when i heard Planet Rock when it first came out, was completely floored by it. Then fell in love with New Order and came to find Mr. Baker was the mastermind behind the scenes. Respect.

Kraftwerk tried to stop the recording . But by that time. ,THE WORLD HAD EMBRACED IT. ( it played everywhere) Hot Beats

That's the most incredible HIP-HOP song, and there will never be one that can come even close........

Daaaamn, I did not know AB produced this song. Looking for the perfect beat will never get old.

Thanks tho. Was amazing to hear a legend tell the amazing story of this amazing track.

Wow. We should do a show to share our memories on how it sounded to us in Ghana back in the day! 😅

This inspired me to want to be a DJ. I grew up going to record stores, crate digging for records for hours. I stayed in school, got a job as a teenager, stayed out of trouble, and used my money to buy DJ equipment. 40 plus years later, I still have my Planet Rock record nd my DJ equipment.

Loved this video!

Awesome lecture ! Listen to the original material on the tracks without edition is magic !

Both were super special, but that Play At Your Own Risk was one the ONE! EX-SO-LENT production!

The audience seemed very quiet there were so many questions to ask this guy is a legend.. it’s like they couldn’t wait to get out the room.. I love the fact they had the use of my dream machine a Fairlight yet no 808

Thank you for sharing this!

Arthur has had to tell this story 500 times over the years.

From the day I heard Planet Rock in the 80s I have continued to play this regularly in my car and when I'm at the gym. This track is epic and its impact on music at this time and beyond. From New Zealand

This was a great interview. The only thing wrong with it was the audience who are most likely too young and stupid to realize who he really is. I, as someone who grew up in the 80's and is a dj would have had so many questions to ask. Funny thing is, today before I even knew this video was posted, I bought New Order "Confusion" on 12 inch single because I knew he worked on it, and wondered if it sounded anything like "I.O.U." by Freeez . when I played it, the song came back to me remembering back in 1983 when I was 12 years old hearing it on New York radio. It was great to realize it was a song I liked back then that I never was able to buy and now have it in my huge record collection. Thank you Mr. Baker for all the hits you had me go out and buy in my childhood!

Very cool to hear and see how this is built up.

Imagine having those sounds tracked out like that. Amazing.

This song has one of the best beat drops of all time!

I heard it first in 1982 10th grade Skate city in Queens, it was Brooklyn Tech night.

Love Arthur Baker and other Electro tracks he produced.

Excellent piece, thx thx! I first heard 'Planet Rock' in 1982 at a summer sports calmp when one of the best poppers in our state did a few moves to it that blew my mind. I had been poppin to anything on Sugar Hill ('Apache') before then, after that we hunted anything on Tommy Boy ('Pack Jam')

Music Factory, Kings Hwy Brooklyn… Awesome record store. I used to I’ve in that place.

I had the orange Tommy Boy label 12" and saw the first one with the classic light blue label - dub version, bonus beats, all that became a new currency... ...oh, BTW, I just had my first Kraftwerk song numbers a couple of months before Planet Rock came by... A really cool moment in music history for me and many others...

Arthur baker true legend! How can people sit there so calm? I’d be up popping n locking!

Arthur baker and the musicians behind the project came right from another dimension and also the breakdance scène from the 80s.,because we don't experience such phenomena anymore in this time .🎹🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Dam! this is genius, legendary & inspirational. Another underated producer - using limited tools but tons of creativity

I’m in the U.K. & when Planet Rock came out it was a game changer, the first time I heard It had never heard anything like it before, I was hooked on the sound, here comes Electro, the soundtrack to my youth. At the time we had a DJ over here Greg Wilson, he fully embraced the sound & was criticised for playing electro as he was known for playing Funk, Soul & Jazz, Greg was our hero, I wasn’t old enough to go to clubs but we taped Greg’s mixes from the radio. Greg was so taken by electro he even managed a breakdance crew named Broken Glass. The amount of labels Arthur Bakers name was on was phenomenal. Just to mention back in the day a lot of tunes had remixes that included dub, a direct descendant from Jamaican versioning from King Tubbys, Scientist etc.

Changed the World, it did.

Shout out to Arthur Baker! Still one of the Dopest tracks I've ever heard! 👊👍

Arthur baker super music respect . Break, hip hop legend .

Among many, two songs shonuff engraved in the widespread phenomenon of hip hop...Planet Rock and Beat Box (Art of Noise). Till this day if either are playing, Im blasting it!

Paul Oakenfold's remix still stands unmatched. Till this day no other remix compares. Swordfish as an album is still some of his best work. To promote the track, I featured Planet Rock Swordfish remix in my set at the Heineken Green Synergy Dj competition back in 2007 when 'EDM' was mostly unpopular in my country.

I recorded at that studio the Ramones also did wow my homie Kenny (Ziggy) was Engineer there great video

@35:30 minutes…speaking of “ Looking for the perfect beat” What nobody has EVER mentioned is: John Carter (freeze force crew) the rapper on Man Parish “Boogie down Bronx “ throws a shot (diss) at Arthur and soul sonic force in his line that says “ You got the perfect beat I hear you say, but you better listen close cause I’m here to say “

1982 NYC Baker is a legend!

Beautiful Music 🎶. Great History Lesson on One of the Best Break Dance / Rap Songs of All Time. Salute 🙏

-> This proves even more that Kraftwerk deserves more credit for their undeniable influence on hip hop and totally changing the technology (sampling, drum machines, sound design).

Arthur Baker, the LEGEND! Crazy! How do you have a freaking FAIRLIGHT, but no drum machine? LOL

Jesus, this guy has been behind some of the most iconic music. His influence changed the landscape of music in the united states and beyond. Every reference he made I opened another tab and listened to the songs and groups. What a legend. Thank you Mr. Baker. Thank you!

watching after a random YT suggestion in August 2022...sounds cool so Im going give Planet Rock a try

That right there, changed my whole outlook on music forever. Back then I was never one to look too deep into the other name's behind the production of a track. Was totally surprised to discover jellybeans involvement in play at your own risk. It fits though. These folks are legends . Still on my playlist , and always will be.

This was cool. Funny, though, to hear him continually remarking that they 'didn't have much' when they were working with a Neve board, a Fairlight, a real 808, Moog, Lexicon, Prophet-5....

Back in 1982, this is the number-one song that changed my life. At long last I had found my music! Peace.

John Robie is soooooo fundamental to E L E C T R O

I first heard it in another famous Dj record shop in NYC called Rock n Soul on 7th ave in Manhattan. I remember it was the same blew me away affect like the first time I heard Smells Like Teen Spirit. I remember I bought Planet Rock that same day rushed home to begin bustin out my poppin moves to it. LOL!!! From that day after it was getting played all over the radio especially 92KTU. The following week weekend Iwent the FunHouse and Jellybean hit us with Planet Rock. 40 years later it still affects me the same. It never gets tired. Thank you all for bringing this masterpiece of Hip Hop to this planet.

Man I love this! I was 6 in 1982 My Dad and my uncle's played it for the first time, that's when I heard it. Respect to this man and appreciation. I've heard his name now I know who he is and what he contributed to Hip Hop. So dope. If you listen closely the reverb in that room sounds a lot like the effect used at the beginning of Planet Rock when Bam says "Party People". @ 22:16 when he says "boom, boom" you can hear it. So dope!

This is epic to me, I bought Planet Rock when it had the orange Tommy Boy label. I heard Planet Rock the first time bro my mixed with Trans Europe Express

CLASSSSSICCCC!!!!!!!! THIS JOINT CHANED EVERYTHING

Treasure this song, but i was born in 85… never knew he was from Boston.. super inspiring, hope to work together. 💎

Best Breaking song ever!. Would love to hear all isolated tracks! Just iconic.

Wow!!! This is phenomenal!!!

A legend telling alegend. Love this.

Beyond fascinating! Baker is the man!!! Shout out to Robie!

yes arther i remember buying the 12inch breakers revenge back in the day a tune and half my friend