Planet rock
By Afrika Bambaataa
If you look up the names involved in this track's production, you will know that it was meant to be something special from the start. Electronic music evolved together with an evolution of electronic instruments, and the timing for this one was perfect.
Inspired by Kraftwerk, producer Arthur Baker and Bambaataa, without any intention, developed a new genre, which was later categorized as "Electro."
Tommy Boy is the label where "Planet Rock" was first released, founded by Tom Silverman in 1981'. It was also perfect timing for a new record label to shine with an innovation. At that moment, the music industry was swarming with Disco, and most of the labels, clubs, and radio stations worldwide, which weren't funk or rock-oriented, appreciated it, but it was time for something fresh.
The electronic music scene was already familiar with the great sound of Roland 808, whose kick drum still stands for some of the most impressive-sounding kicks. Many bands and individual musicians have used it, but how TR-808 was used in Planet Rock wasn't heard before.
The programming of the drum pattern became legendary, and it defined the genre. 1-7-11-14 is the programming for the kick drum steps, and it is classified as standard "electro beat."
The long sub-bass in the kick of 808 is what made it so unique, and when played on a big sound system, the tail of the kickdrum is what makes you smile.
The man behind the drum programming is John Robie, who also programmed the drums for an LP later to come. To make the beat more impressive, he layered a short sweep filter over the kick drum to enhance the tail's effect and give a "sci-fi" impression of the song.
Composition and production-wise, Planet Rock was a pure innovation of electronic music.
From "Kraftwerkish" strings, "Moogish" leads, funk, and rap with party-infused lyrics for a dancefloor shaking to a breakdown that will incept your thought, this piece has it all. It marked one Era and a music genre that is still unique 40 years after.
Planet Rock's creation was a venture, a lot of people worked on this gem and gave their best creative thoughts to make it stand out.
It is produced to provide the best impression on the great sound systems, and trust me; this piece sounds big.
Also, some of the most outstanding audio engineers worked on this one.
Planet Rock was mixed by Bob Rosa and mastered by Herb Powers Jr.
The record has been sold in over 600 000 copies, and it made a significant impact on electronic music worldwide. There are dozens of Electro and Hip Hop artists and musicians who were influenced by this piece, and there isn't an old school DJ that didn't have this vinyl in the bag.