Skip to content

Just *WHO IS* Arthur Baker?

Archived

26 replies · 578 views

This is an archived legacy thread. Replies are closed, but the discussion is preserved.

I've read tons of things about how Arthur Baker is considered Englands number 1 producer. I even hear that he produced 90% of Afrika Bambatta's albums and basically created Planet Rock. I also hear(and this is very far fetched) that he is secretly one of the original members of Kraftwerk but operates under a different name.

So...can someone share some info behind the history of this extraordinary producer? How did he and NO get together? And what does Barney and Hooky think of him? Do you think NO music would've been the same without AB?

By the way...is there a way for me to receive email notifications of replies from threads I don't start? I look for the box to check but there isn't one:(

0 likes

He's the man on the right :nod:

:wink:

Arthur Baker was among the most visible and widely-imitated of the early hip-hop producers, masterminding breakthrough experiments with tape edits and synthetic beats before crossing over to introduce the art of remixing into the pop mainstream. He began his career as a club DJ in Boston, and landed his first production work at Emergency Records, debuting with Northend's "Happy Days." After relocating to New York in 1979, Baker quickly immersed himself in the nascent hip-hop scene; there he was recruited by the Salsoul label to helm a session for Joe Bataan which yielded the rap novelty "Rap-O-Clap-O." His stay in the Big Apple largely unsuccessful, he then returned to Boston, producing a handful of singles which went nowhere, among them Glory's "Can You Guess What Groove This Is?"

A move back to New York followed, at which time Baker joined the staff of Tommy Boy Records, where he teamed with co-producer Shep Pettibone to record Afrika Bambaataa's groundbreaking 1982 single "Jazzy Sensation," a remake of Gwen McCrae's "Funky Sensation." Assuming sole production control, Baker next reunited with Bambaataa for the classic "Planet Rock," a watershed in hip-hop's early evolution -- a wholly-synthesized record inspired by Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express, its programmed beats left an indelible imprint on the music released in its wake. Baker's success at Tommy Boy led to the formation of his own label, Streetwise Records; after helming underground club hits for Rockers Revenge, Nairobi and Citispeak, he signed a then-unknown New Edition, issuing the teen vocal group's debut single "Candy Girl" in 1982.

Baker's gradual absorption into the pop mainstream continued in 1983, when the cutting-edge British dance group New Order contacted him to produce their single "Confusion; " the record became an immediate club classic, even scraping into the American R&B charts. Remixes of the track also help pioneer the remix aesthetic throughout the rock mainstream, and soon Baker was producing material for Naked Eyes, Face to Face, Diana Ross, Jeff Beck and others. In 1989, he also assembled artists including Al Green, ABC and Jimmy Somerville to record the all-star LP Merge, credited to Arthur Baker and the Backbeat Disciples. After a follow-up, 1991's Give in to the Rhythm, he returned to production, albeit no longer exerting the same kind of influence as in the decade prior. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

0 likes

Originally posted by Spotnick He's the man on the right :nod::wink:Arthur Baker was among the most visible and widely-imitated of the early hip-hop producers, masterminding breakthrough experiments with tape edits and synthetic beats before crossing over to introduce the art of remixing into the pop mainstream. He began his career as a club DJ in Boston, and landed his first production work at Emergency Records, debuting with Northend's "Happy Days." After relocating to New York in 1979, Baker quickly immersed himself in the nascent hip-hop scene; there he was recruited by the Salsoul label to helm a session for Joe Bataan which yielded the rap novelty "Rap-O-Clap-O." His stay in the Big Apple largely unsuccessful, he then returned to Boston, producing a handful of singles which went nowhere, among them Glory's "Can You Guess What Groove This Is?" A move back to New York followed, at which time Baker joined the staff of Tommy Boy Records, where he teamed with co-producer Shep Pettibone to record Afrika Bambaataa's groundbreaking 1982 single "Jazzy Sensation," a remake of Gwen McCrae's "Funky Sensation." Assuming sole production control, Baker next reunited with Bambaataa for the classic "Planet Rock," a watershed in hip-hop's early evolution -- a wholly-synthesized record inspired by Kraftwerk's Trans-Europe Express, its programmed beats left an indelible imprint on the music released in its wake. Baker's success at Tommy Boy led to the formation of his own label, Streetwise Records; after helming underground club hits for Rockers Revenge, Nairobi and Citispeak, he signed a then-unknown New Edition, issuing the teen vocal group's debut single "Candy Girl" in 1982. Baker's gradual absorption into the pop mainstream continued in 1983, when the cutting-edge British dance group New Order contacted him to produce their single "Confusion; " the record became an immediate club classic, even scraping into the American R&B charts. Remixes of the track also help pioneer the remix aesthetic throughout the rock mainstream, and soon Baker was producing material for Naked Eyes, Face to Face, Diana Ross, Jeff Beck and others. In 1989, he also assembled artists including Al Green, ABC and Jimmy Somerville to record the all-star LP Merge, credited to Arthur Baker and the Backbeat Disciples. After a follow-up, 1991's Give in to the Rhythm, he returned to production, albeit no longer exerting the same kind of influence as in the decade prior. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Music Guide

YIIIIKES!!!!! Thanks for that truckload of info Spotnick! VERY informative! Him and Shep Pettibone together on the Tommy Boy label? No wonder they churned out so many bloody kickarse tracks!:)

0 likes

Originally posted by Spotnick He's the man on the right :nod:

where did that pic come from? we now know what the mysterious arthur baker looks like.

anyways, it looks like barney is showing off his watch there...and arthur looks absolutely fascinated...ahh...the musical innovators of our time have such important preoccupations...:rolleyes:

:lol:

0 likes

Oh, you can see Arthur Baker in the Confusion video pretty well, so every New Order fan knows what he looks like.

Except he lost a lot of weight it seems ;)

This pics is from Dazed & Confused magazine and was submitted to me by Nick King last week...

0 likes

Baker has his own website up, if anyone is interested in knowing the lastest news about him/his projects etc.. and other stuff

arthurbaker.net

0 likes

He was about 10-15 feet from me at the Shoreline Area One show last year with a woman (his wife/girlfriend)...

I recognized him immediatly...

Later in the show...Barney pointed him out to the whole crowd and gave him some shit (naturally :)

Baker danced to most of the set....not quite as interesting/bizarre as Barney's crazy leprechaun jig however....

0 likes

:jawdrop: what happened to him? is he ill? how has he became so damn thin? he was HUGE when confusion was recorded. I´m shocked!

0 likes

by the way... if barney is only 5´6" or 5´8" tall..... how tall is moby then?!?!?!?!? he´s a hobbit for christ sake!!! moby baggins! :lol:

0 likes

Moby is on his knees in this picture...

actually...moby isn't very tall...met him here in Dallas a few years back...and I was shocked that I was taller than him...

and I'm only 5' 8" so I'd put Moby at about 5' 5"...

0 likes

Originally posted by almanso :jawdrop:what happened to him? is he ill? how has he became so damn thin? he was HUGE when confusion was recorded. I´m shocked!

Me, Paula and JG chatted to him at Fabric in March - was it? - this year and he was wearing an overcoat and a woolly hat in a sweltering club, so that would perhaps help to explain weight loss?

However, to be honest, he still looked fairly solid.

0 likes

I was thinking it would turn out to be the mild mannered janitor.

0 likes

Originally posted by Al Jarvis > Originally posted by almanso :jawdrop:what happened to him? is he ill? how has he became so damn thin? he was HUGE when confusion was recorded. I´m shocked!

Me, Paula and JG chatted to him at Fabric in March - was it? - this year and he was wearing an overcoat and a woolly hat in a sweltering club, so that would perhaps help to explain weight loss?

However, to be honest, he still looked fairly solid.

Weight loss...no shit ! Bernard is fatter than him now....ho'ho'ho.....who ate all the pies.

0 likes

To think that Barney was as skinny as Moby during the "Confusion" era :lol: :laugh:

0 likes

DAMN! when was this picture taken? when he opened up for NO (as a DJ) at the glasgow barrowland last october i remember him being quite portly and dissheveled, with what appeared to be somewhat of a mullet. quite a transformation!

0 likes

YIIKES I didn't know he wrote and produced Looking for the Perfect Beat and Take it to the Max!!!!

0 likes

Arthur Baker and Rick Rubin... two of the most important producers of early hip-hop, while also changing all music forever... two ugly white guys???

0 likes

Originally posted by Spotnick Oh, you can see Arthur Baker in the Confusion video pretty well, so every New Order fan knows what he looks like.Except he lost a lot of weight it seems ;)This pics is from Dazed & Confused magazine and was submitted to me by Nick King last week...

I was thinking the same Spotnick, he appears to have lost a lot of weight from the Confusion days. I also saw Baker earlier this year in Sydney and he appeared a lot bigger then too. I wonder when this photo was taken.

0 likes

I think they must have swapped Barney and Baker's head and put them on different bodies. The same with Moby, that's really Macaulay Culkin's body.

0 likes

Originally posted by The Dick I think they must have swapped Barney and Baker's head and put them on different bodies. The same with Moby, that's really Macaulay Culkin's body.

hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha :lol: :clap:

0 likes

Wow, Arthur Baker lost a lot of weight! I remember him from the videos for "Confusion" and "The Perfect Kiss". He was big back then. Same beard, though.

And I remember the shot-out that Barney apparently gave to him at NO's first Area:One show in Mountain View, California (USA). He said something like "He's got a big cock, just like me."

0 likes

Originally posted by M. Domingo He said something like "He's got a big cock, just like me."

Nah, surely it was "He IS a big cock, just like me!"??

0 likes

That's not Arthur Baker - that General Zod from Superman 2 - KNEEL BEFORE ZOD!

MRK

0 likes

Well, I was WAAAAAY in the back of the venue, so I could have misheard it! :)

0 likes

Originally posted by M. Domingo Well, I was WAAAAAY in the back of the venue, so I could have misheard it! :)

Here's what I posted earlier...and you are right about what Barney said (I was lucky enough to have 7th row)

"He was about 10-15 feet from me at the Shoreline Area One show last year with a woman (his wife/girlfriend)...

I recognized him immediatly...

Later in the show...Barney pointed him out to the whole crowd and gave him some shit (naturally

Baker danced to most of the set....not quite as interesting/bizarre as Barney's crazy leprechaun jig however.... "

0 likes

Originally posted by M. Domingo Well, I was WAAAAAY in the back of the venue, so I could have misheard it! :)

Er, I was joking. Irony; forms a major part of British humour.

I was there too - and you para-phrased Barney perfectly. :thumb:

0 likes

Oh, it's all good! I figured you were joking. :)

Still, that concert will remain close to my heart...it was the very first time I got to see New Order live. I was a total git, too...I kept shouting "SALFORD RULES!!!" between songs, and all these (obviously non-New Order fans) people would look at me weird. Hopefully it won't be the last time I see them!

And I guess I was exaggerating about my seat at Area One. I wasn't in the lawn, mind you...but I was a few rows away from it! Lucky thing that a couple sitting next to me and my friend had binoculars! :p

0 likes

You're leaving NewOrderOnline

This link goes to an external website we don't operate, which has its own privacy policy and terms.

Destination:
Continue ↗