Ahead of his debut appearance at Booom Ibiza for Glitterbox this Saturday, Defected's Ben Lovett profiles the legendary DJ and producer.
“Well I was never really a DJ. Actually I was probably one of the worst disc jockeys ever” so claimed dance pioneer Arthur Baker in a famous interview a number of years ago. “No, I was. Because 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.”
Baker’s early running was in home city Boston, DJing to local crowds whilst learning record production. The latter quickly became his focus, a succession of disco outings on accomplished labels such as West End, Casablanca and Salsoul following his slick production debut in 1977, Heart Of Stone’s Losing You. In turn, constantly pushing himself to the creative edge, Baker would repurpose the futuristic sounds of Kraftwerk whilst producing Africa Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force’s seminal Planet Rock. Released in 1982, the record saw studio musicians interpolate (rather than sample) two Kraftwerk tracks, Numbers and Trans Europe Express, as part of its visionary electro-hop assault. It was a monster hit.
Baker followed Planet Rock by helming Rocker’s Revenge’s Walking On Sunshine and, in 1983, Freeez’ iconic IOU, both hugely successful club grooves innovatively cutting organic disco groove with the latest technological advances. The commissions got bigger, Baker taking on a variety of studio work for the likes of Hall & Oates, Cyndi Lauper, Bruce Springsteen, Al Green (global hit single The Message Is Love) and The Rolling Stones. It was Baker, too, who spicily remixed Neneh Cherry’s debut single Buffalo Stance (and trumped the original); who, in 1987, fired out Criminal Element Orchestra’s oft sampled bullet Put The Needle To The Record and who, despite his protestations otherwise, persuaded New Order to ‘vocally’ extend a forgotten instrumental Blue Monday – that particular record helped accelerate the cultural leap from heyday Seventies disco to electric Eighties house revolution.
Indeed, Baker’s greatest single achievement is in successfully clashing together the worlds of ‘black’ and ‘white’ music at a time when both were running separate courses. His fusion, throughout the Eighties, of urban New York club groove and European synths paved the way for club music’s major explosion over the following decades. His innovative cut ‘n’ paste experiments with disparate sounds, samples and breakdowns – all within the accessible framework of feel-good dance music – prompted thousands of imitators, none though as impactful as Baker.
In more recent years, Baker has tackled everything from running restaurants (with great music, of course) and scoring film soundtracks to releasing new material alongside UK techno hero Dave Clarke, Jimmy Somerville (2011 Defected-released hit I Believe In Love) and various other acts beyond the borders of dance. The DJing has also come back with a vengeance; of course, this has always remained important to Baker in one form or another: “Well, I mean if you’re making dance records you want DJs to play’em” he once commented. “If I hadn’t been a DJ I wouldn’t have known what to listen for.”
And that golden ear for the dancefloor that has served Baker so incredibly well in the studio is now, once again, serving him directly in the clubs. He’s come full circle, more in demand as a DJ than ever before. Notably, Baker plays Defected’s super-swish new Ibiza night Glitterbox on three occasions this summer – 5 July (this weekend!), 19 July and 27 September.
“I’ve got some new music coming this summer and it’s slammin! ;-)” he tweeted a few days ago, from a Twitter handle putting Ibiza as one of his main bases. “Come hear sum [sic] sat July 5&19 @glitterboxibiza.” These gigs follow heightened Baker activity on the island over the past few years. In 2010, Baker remixed the International Music Summit’s (IMS) official yearly anthem and, last year, gave a keynote speech and played several local gigs as part of promotional duties for his film on the history of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, Planet Rock And Other Tales Of The 808.
“I really want to document the heritage of dance music” he said at the time, “but in doing so inform and entertain both the kids and all the old school heads.” That mission boldly continues at Booom! Ibiza this weekend….
Words: Ben Lovett
For more info on Arthur Baker’s Ibiza appearances at Glitterbox visit www.glitterboxibiza.com
