Arthur Baker | |
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Background information | |
Born | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. | April 22, 1955
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Years active | 1982–1996, 2006–present |
Labels |
Arthur Baker (born April 22, 1955) is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa and Planet Patrol, as well as British group New Order. He is also known for remixing the Jill Jones song "Mia Bocca" on the 12" single, taken from her self-titled debut album Jill Jones (1987), released on Prince's Paisley Park Records, as well as remixing the Pet Shop Boys song, "In the Night". His remix of the song was used as the main theme for the BBC TV programme The Clothes Show between 1986 and 1994. He also remixed the "Massive Jungle Mix" for Tina Turner's UK top 40 single "Whatever You Want" (co-written by himself, Taylor Dayne and Fred Zarr). [2] [3] Arthur Baker's songs are represented by Downtown Music Publishing.
Born in Boston, Massachusetts, [4] on April 22, 1955, [1] Baker began working as a club DJ in Boston in the early-1970s, where he was known for playing crowd-pleasing soul and Philly soul. Nonetheless, he had little patience for DJing, saying in an interview: "[If] I didn't get a good reaction on a record, I'd just rip it off, break it up and throw it on the dancefloor." [4]
Baker's production career started off with a few disco recording sessions in Boston. Legendary disco remixer Tom Moulton, who was signed to Casablanca at the time, was required to release an album of his own as part of the deal for working for the label. Tom's brother Jerry came across the sessions written and recorded by Baker, Tony Carbone, and Larry Wedgeworth and bought them in a deal from Baker. Moulton then remixed the tracks and released them as his 1979 album "T.J.M" Baker talked about the album in an interview with Red Bull Music Academy in 2012.
"Well, when I was in Boston, I went into a recording studio...Intermedia Studios ... the first Aerosmith album was recorded there. I took an engineering course there....from there I kept on doing things.... I went to my family and I borrowed like a thousand dollars, from my grandmother, my father, just about anyone. Got money from them and I decided to make an album. Something like a Gamble & Huff album. It was like doing a full album with strings on every track. I mean it was crazy, and I probably spent like 15 grand. And then Tom Moulton's brother heard it and said "Oh we love the songs, we'll buy it from you but we're going to re-record everything." So this was the first time I got f***ed in the record business. Listen up for this one! So, basically he said: "Here's the money, you'll get publishing." Because you know, I'd written all the songs. And he said : " We just want the tapes, we're not going to use them but we just want them so we can listen to them better." So of course, I gave him the multitracks, and a year later it came out as T.J.M. He'd used everything I'd done, and he sort of remixed it or mixed it. So, I got a bit screwed on that one."
— Arthur Baker
Baker also released a single under the moniker "North End" on West End Records in 1979, "Kind of Life (Kind of Love)".
In 1981, Baker moved to New York, where he continued to DJ while pursuing a career as a producer. His first successful single was "Happy Days", which he released under the name North End on Emergency Records in 1981.
In the early 1980s, prior to digital recording equipment that would emerge a decade later, Baker and his contemporaries created remixes on analog tape. He worked closely with the Latin Rascals, which were influenced by the earlier work of Tom Moulton, John Morales (of Morales and Munzibai), and Walter Gibbons, the creator of the first commercially available twelve-inch single, a remix of Double Exposure's "Ten Percent". The Latin Rascals would eventually edit the work of every major United States dance-music producer active in the 1980s, but in the early days, the duo was part of Baker's circle.
Baker went on to work for hip-hop label Tommy Boy Records, where he produced Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force's "Planet Rock" single, which was a hit in the summer of 1982. [5] The record combined elements from two Kraftwerk recordings, "Trans Europe Express" and "Numbers", which were interpolated by studio musicians, rather than sampled. Later that year, using unused tracks from "Planet Rock", he later produced Planet Patrol's "Play at Your Own Risk" single in 1982, another group with a hit album in 1983.
Also during 1982, he produced the single "Walking on Sunshine" by Rocker's Revenge featuring Donny Calvin which hit number one on the US Dance chart on September 18 that year.
In 1983, Baker found work doing dance remixes of pop and rock hits, first with Cyndi Lauper's "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun", and Bruce Springsteen's "Dancing in the Dark", "Cover Me", and "Born in the U.S.A." from his Born in the U.S.A. album. Also during 1983, Baker produced the track "I.O.U." by Freeez, which was one of the biggest dance hits of the year in the UK. In 1984, Baker contributed his "Breakers' Revenge" to the Beat Street score and movie soundtrack, which he also helped produce. He is the remixer and additional producer for songs for Hall and Oates ("Out of Touch", "Method of Modern Love", "Possession Obsession", "Dance On Your Knees") and Diana Ross ("Swept Away", co-written and co-produced by Daryl Hall). In 1985, he produced three songs on Jennifer Holliday's album Say You Love Me, the biggest hit being "No Frills Love", a song he co-wrote, co-produced, arranged and remixed. The remixes for Pet Shop Boys' "Suburbia" followed in 1986.
Following these successes, Baker came to the attention of Manchester alternative dance group New Order, who co-wrote "Confusion" with him (and Baker can be seen prominently in the music video of the former). The 12-inch single "Confusion" was a crossover hit on the US dance charts, and established a relationship between Baker and the band that has continued since.
Narrowly missing out on signing the Beastie Boys to his Streetwise Records label, Baker did manage to sign the group New Edition, which had success with its single "Candy Girl".
In 1984, Baker worked with Hall & Oates as mix consultant on their album Big Bam Boom , and the result was a markedly urban and electronic sound for the duo. Baker co-wrote the opening instrumental, "Dance On Your Knees", with Daryl Hall. He also remixed that song and the album's other three chart hits: "Out Of Touch", "Method Of Modern Love", and "Possession Obsession". Baker also contributed three remixes to "Tease Me", the lead-off track on (Ohio Players and Parliament Funkadelic alum) Walter "Junie" Morrison's "Evacuate Your Seats" Techno-Freqs EP.
In 1985, Baker helped Bob Dylan complete his Empire Burlesque album as mixer and arranger, and with Little Steven Van Zandt organized and produced the anti-apartheid anthem "Sun City" by Artists United Against Apartheid. He was later honored by the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid for "high valuable contribution to the international campaign for the elimination of apartheid and the establishment of a non-racial and democratic society in South Africa".[ citation needed ]
In the late 1980s and later into the 1990s, Baker worked with soul star Al Green, writing and producing the international hit "The Message is Love" and the anti-handgun song "Leave the Guns at Home". In 1989, he released the album Merge on A&M Records as Arthur Baker and the Backbeat Disciples, and remixed Neneh Cherry's debut single "Buffalo Stance". He was also the music supervisor of the films Fried Green Tomatoes and Listen Up – The Lives of Quincy Jones . In 1991, he released a second album under Arthur Baker and the Backbeat Disciples, Give in to the Rhythm.
In the 1990s, following a break from production for some years, Baker moved to London, and established a chain of successful bars—The Elbow Rooms—across the city. He also owns the Tiny Robot restaurant and The Starland Social Club members bar in London, located in Notting Hill. He continues to work as a DJ and music producer and recently produced "Part-A" for the genre-busting London Electro Metal band Monsta.
The Arthur Baker remix of "Spaceman" by Babylon Zoo was used in the 1995 Levi's commercial "Planet".
In 2006, the financial services company Visa used a Baker-produced track from Afrika Bambaataa's "Looking For the Perfect Beat" as the backing music of a Visa Check Card commercial. In the ad, an animated worm drawn on the pages of a checkbook does the 1980s dance known as the Worm.
Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Dance [6] | NED | BEL (FLA) | UK [7] | |||
1986 | "Jummp-Back" | 16 | — | — | 83 | Don't Push Your Luck |
"Ain't Gonna Pay One Red Cent" | — | — | — | — | ||
"Turn Me Loose" | 5 | — | — | 60 | ||
1987 | "Private Party" | 39 | — | — | 57 | |
"Tighten Up (I Just Can't Stop Dancin')" | 23 | 13 | 11 | 24 | ||
1988 | "Sworn to Fun" (US only) | — | — | — | — | |
"Thieves" (UK only) | — | — | — | — | ||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Dance [8] | UK [7] | |||||||||||
1987 | "Put the Needle to the Record" | 10 | 63 | Locked Up | ||||||||
1989 | "When the Funk Hits the Fan" | — | — | |||||||||
1990 | "House Time, Anytime" (US only) | — | — | |||||||||
"Everybody (Rap)" (feat. Wendell Williams)(Criminal Element Orchestra credited on UK releases only) | — | 30 | The Best of Criminal Element Orchestra | |||||||||
"Could It Be I'm Falling in Love" (with Tkeylow)(US only) | — | — | ||||||||||
1991 | "What Is the Criminal Element? (La Da Dee La Da Daa)" (feat. Princessa)(US only) | — | — | |||||||||
1992 | "ABC/OPP" (feat. Tim Bryant)(US only) | — | — | |||||||||
1996 | "Go Around" (UK only) | — | 89 | Single only | ||||||||
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [9] | US R&B [10] | US Dance [11] | AUS [12] [13] | NZ | NED | BEL (FLA) | GER | AUT | UK [14] | |||
1989 | "It's Your Time" (feat. Shirley Lewis) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 64 | Merge |
"Talk It Over" (feat. John Warren) | — | — | — | 153 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"The Message Is Love" (feat. Al Green) | — | 84 | 39 | 46 | 10 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 38 | ||
1990 | "Last Thing on My Mind" (feat. John Warren) | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1991 | "Let There Be Love" | — | — | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | Give In to the Rhythm |
"Leave the Guns at Home" (feat. Al Green) | — | 69 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
"Kiss the Ground (You Walk On)" (feat. Adele Bertei) | — | — | 47 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1992 | "I O U" (feat. Nikeeta) | 93 | — | 19 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Year | Single | Peak positions | Album | |||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US Dance | NED | BEL (FLA) | UK | |||
1984 | "Breaker's Revenge" | 19 | — | — | — | Beat Street OST |
"Who You Stealin' From" (by Guru)(US only) | — | — | — | — | Singles only | |
1986 | "(I Want to Go To) Chicago" (by R.T. & the Rockmen Unlimited) | — | — | — | — | |
1987 | "The Opera House" (by Jack E Makossa) | 6 | 21 | 10 | 48 | |
1991 | "Over & Over" (by Pleasure Pump) | — | — | — | — | |
"Why Can't We See" (by Blind Truth feat. Táta Vega & Toney Lee) | — | — | — | — | ||
1993 | "Love Is the Key" (by Blind Truth feat. Táta Vega) | — | — | — | — | |
1994 | "Boombaata" (by Blind Truth) | — | — | — | — | |
1996 | "It's So Hard" (Angel Moraes re-presents Blind Truth) | — | — | — | — | |
"You're Mine" (Arthur Baker presents Blow Out Express)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | ||
"Down the Pub" (Blowout Express presents Norman & Christopher)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | ||
1997 | "Blowout Expressions" (by Arthur Baker presents Blowout Express)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | |
"Stop! Love Patrol" (by Baker/Robie Project) | — | — | — | — | ||
1998 | "The Break '98" | — | — | — | — | |
1999 | "Breaker's Revenge '99" (UK only) | — | — | — | — | |
2002 | "Hold Your Head Up" (by Arthur Argent)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | |
2003 | "Real Fookin' Noise" (by Arthur Argent)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | |
"Return to New York" (feat. Princess Superstar)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | ||
"1000 Years" (feat. Astrid Williamson)(US only) | 22 | — | — | — | ||
2004 | "This Feelin'" (by AB/DC)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | |
2006 | "Glow" (feat. Tim Wheeler)(UK only) | — | — | — | 82 | |
2009 | "Tear Down the Walls" (feat. Nona Hendryx & Ladonna)(UK only) | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released. |
Planet Rock: The Album is an old school hip hop album by Afrika Bambaataa & Soulsonic Force, released in 1986 as a collection of previous singles. The song "Planet Rock" was one of the earliest hits of the hip hop music genre and remains one of its pioneering recordings. The single's liner notes include members of Kraftwerk with the songwriting credits. In creating the track, portions of Kraftwerk's "Numbers" and "Trans-Europe Express" were interpolated, along with portions of songs by Captain Sky and Ennio Morricone.
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Planet Patrol is an American electro group originating in the 1980s. The members were Arthur Baker, John Robie, and a quintet of vocalists led by Herbert J. Jackson, Joseph Lites, Rodney Butler, Michael Anthony Jones, and Melvin B. Franklin. The group only produced a single album, the self-titled Planet Patrol in 1983, which peaked at #64 on the Billboard R&B Albums chart.
Jaakko Sakari Salovaara, better known by his stage name JS16, is a Finnish musician, DJ and record producer. He is best known for his work with Finnish hip hop group Bomfunk MC's, producing their most successful song "Freestyler", and for his work with Finnish DJ and producer Darude, as well as other solo productions and remixes. He released his debut studio album, Stomping System in 1998. He is part of the DJ duo Dallas Superstars with Heikki L, and owns the dance music record label 16 Inch Records.
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Gino Soccio is a Canadian disco record producer based in Montreal. His only US Billboard Hot 100 entry was the #48 hit single "Dancer" in 1979, but he did hit #1 on the US Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart twice. "Dancer" peaked at #46 in the UK Singles Chart in May 1979. Soccio's third biggest hit, "It's Alright" / "Look at Yourself", from his album, Face to Face, reached #2 for 5 weeks also on the Hot Dance Music/Club Play chart. "Turn It Around" was released only as a single in 1984.
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"Planet Rock" is a song by the American hip hop artists Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force. The song was produced by Arthur Baker and released by Tommy Boy Records in 1982. The recording came together after DJ and producer Baker met with Bambaataa and the two bonded over the idea of creating a song about their mutual appreciation for the band Kraftwerk. Baker and Bambaataa had worked together previously on the song "Jazzy Sensation" and decided to compose a more electronic based version of the hip hop song, as opposed to the more disco-oriented work popular at the time. Along with musician John Robie, the group recorded the single at Intergalactic Studios in New York. Robie duplicated the sound on the record and had Bambaataa's rappers in the Soul Sonic Force rap over it. To create the raps, the lyricist of the group, Emcee G.L.O.B.E., had to develop a style he called "mc popping", which involved rapping off time, an unusual style at the time.
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