For this installment of Fresh Since 79™, I want to honor a pioneer whose impact on music stretches far beyond beats per minute. One of the godfathers of electronic dance music—and a legend whose influence is felt across genres, cultures, and continents—Arthur Baker.
When most people hear electronic dance music, they immediately think of modern-day EDM. But real heads know: electronic dance is a lineage, not a trend. Long before the drops and neon stages, there were visionaries using technology to emulate and elevate the sounds live bands once brought to the floor.
Arthur Baker was one of them. But his story isn’t just one of innovation—it’s one of resilience, revenge, and revolution through rhythm.
From Mattapan to Manhattan
Arthur grew up in Mattapan, Boston, with a love for classic rock—but his soul was stirred by the lush orchestration and street-wise sophistication of the Philly Soul Sound. Legends like Gamble, Huff, and Thom Bell shaped his early palate. Philly didn’t just make records—it wrapped funk in a tuxedo and called it an experience.
That same elegance lived in disco’s DNA. As Baker watched DJs like John Luongo mix sets using two turntables, he began to DJ while in college, fully immersed in Boston’s growing club scene. Inspired, he stepped into music production.
But the game isn’t always pretty.
One of Arthur’s early projects was taken—lifted by associates connected to 12-inch remix legend Tom Moulton and repackaged under the project TJM. For most, that would’ve been the end. But Arthur? He chose revenge through reinvention.
From West End to Paradise Garage
Arthur regrouped and came back with North End—a project that landed him a deal on Mel Cheren’s West End Records. Their single “Kinda Life” found rotation in New York’s top discos, most notably at Paradise Garage, thanks to Cheren’s partner Michael Brody.
It was in these legendary spaces that Arthur learned club culture from the inside out—the sound, the energy, the community. There, he also connected with Donnie and Dwight, two Brooklyn record store owners who would help form his band Rockers Revenge.
The Bronx Meets the Machine
While Arthur was crafting grooves downtown, something raw and revolutionary was bubbling uptown: Hip Hop.
It wasn’t just rhymes—it was breakbeats, block parties, and a radical reclamation of space. Man Parrish once noted the difference: Hip Hop music leaned heavily on instrumentals and beat machines, while Rap music grew more from the live Disco DNA, emphasizing lyrical flair and showmanship.
Arthur’s real shift came when he was introduced to Afrika Bambaataa by Tom Silverman. They met at clubs like Ecstasy Garage, where Bambaataa was spinning everything from Apache to Kraftwerk—fusing funk, soul, and German electro in one mind-bending set.
Their first collaboration was “Jazzy Sensation”, a flip on Gwen McCrae’s “Funky Sensation,” released through West End. But it wasn’t until Arthur teamed up with John Robie, Soulsonic Force, and the iconic Roland TR-808 drum machine that the world would feel the quake.
Enter: Planet Rock
With samples from Kraftwerk’s “Numbers” and Babe Ruth’s “The Mexican”, the crew crafted something new, weird, and wildly futuristic: “Planet Rock.”
At first, even the Soulsonic Force wasn’t convinced—it took MC Globe to get them to embrace the sound. But once the track dropped?
History. Made.
“Planet Rock” wasn’t just a hit—it was an interplanetary transmission. It gave birth to genres like electro funk, bass music, and freestyle. It flipped the club scene, expanded the Hip Hop soundscape, and reshaped what dance floors felt like from New York to Tokyo.
Let’s pause for a second: this was made with the Roland TR-808, a machine Arthur and his collaborators used like a magic wand. That bass? That punch? The 808 became a cornerstone of not only dance music, but all modern beat-making—from Miami bass to trap to pop.
Arthur followed up with classics like “Looking for the Perfect Beat” and “Renegades of Funk”, plus club anthems like “Play At Your Own Risk.” These records rocked iconic venues like The Roxy, where skaters, ravers, Hip Hop heads, and New Wavers mixed and moved as one.
The Mentor, The Maverick
Arthur didn’t let betrayal in the disco era define him. Instead, he doubled down on creativity, crafting genre-bending music and building bridges between scenes. He collaborated with New Order post–Joy Division, tested music at The Funhouse with Jellybean Benitez, and launched two pivotal labels: Streetwise (home of New Edition) and Party Time, the seedbed for Rick Rubin’s Def Jam.
He mentored future giants like Marley Marl and even had MCA of the Beastie Boys interning under his watch. He didn’t just make music—he made movements.
Beat Street & The Theater of Legacy
Arthur scored the soundtrack for the iconic film Beat Street—a foundational text in Hip Hop’s global storytelling. I must’ve watched that film a hundred times growing up. So imagine how full-circle it felt to meet Arthur years later, introduced by my brother DJ Pierre.
The man behind the music wasn’t just brilliant—he was real. Humble. Funny. And unwavering in his values. He speaks truth without sugar coating it. He creates without compromise.
Today, he’s helping bring Beat Street to the musical stage, in collaboration with the legendary Michael Holman—ensuring that the blueprint keeps evolving.
Sun City: Sound as Protest
One of Arthur’s most powerful projects was “Sun City”, a musical rebellion against apartheid. Unlike the commercial-friendly tone of We Are the World, Sun City was aggressive, genre-defying, and clear in its stance: we will not perform in a system built on oppression.
It was global music with a moral spine—proof that artists can disrupt the system while still moving souls.
Final Word: The Spirit of Revenge
Arthur Baker has remixed Diana Ross, Bruce Springsteen, Hall & Oates, and Bob Dylan, and still—he gives credit to the dance floor that raised him.
What do I admire most? He never chased clout. Never folded for fame. He chose purpose over performance—and that’s what makes him legendary.
When I met him, I already knew his discography. But it was his ethics, his clarity, and his craft that left the real impression. Arthur reminded me: you don’t stay relevant by chasing trends—you stay fresh by creating truth.
Let that be a reminder to all creatives: when you’re rooted in integrity, fueled by love, and obsessed with innovation—you can’t be stopped.
That’s Baker’s Revenge.
#BakersRevenge #ArthurBaker #FreshSince79 #PlanetRock #TR808Legacy #ElectroFunk #HipHopRoots #CulturalAlchemy #WeBeenFresh #BeatStreetForever #SunCity #LegacyInMotion #KingEsseen