Planet Rock: The Album [VINYL]

There is much to be said about Afrika Bambaataa the man, one of hip hop's progenitors, and an early proponent of melding electronic music and hip hop. Born Kevin Donovan, he grew up in the infamous Bronx River Projects historically plagued by devastating poverty and crime. Donovan was a founding member and division leader of violent street gang the "Savage Seven" (later known as the Black Spades). However, following an eye-opening trip to Africa, Donovan changed his name to Afrika Bambaataa Aasim, relinquished violence as a means of social justice, and formed the "Bronx River Association" as an alternative to gang life. "The Association" was reformed as the Zulu Nation, and attracted DJs, rappers, break dancers, and artists. Approximately twenty members of the Zulu Nation were assembled by Bambaataa to form the Soulsonic Force musical group, which began recording music in 1980. Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force released Planet Rock: The Album in 1986, which was a collection of their four previous singles and three additional new tracks. The album was dubbed the first electro funk album, and is also recognized as the most sampled record in hip hop. Reasonably so... it is incredible.
In 1982, the group began to experiment with electronic instruments and production, and created the electro funk genre with their hit song "Planet Rock." "Planet Rock" most audibly uses a keyboard melody from electronic music pioneers Kraftwerk's "Trans-Europe Express" (not sampled, but re-recorded the sample in the studio). The electronic beats fused with the melody were also borrowed from Kraftwerk's song, "Numbers" as well as from small parts of songs by Babe Ruth and Captain Sky. The track makes heavy use of a synthesizer, and notably, it was the first hip hop track to utilize the Roland TR-808 drum machine (released just a year prior), one of the first programmable drum machines. The futuristic/robotic/spacey characteristics of the song are what set it apart from hip hop then and hip hop even now. This track is catchy, rhythmic, funky, groovy, creative, and arguably one of the best hip hop songs of all time.
"Looking for the Perfect Beat" was released by the group a year later. The track, which is most recognizable to our generation as sampled in Common's hit "Universal Mind Control" features synthesizers, a drum machine, and the sounds of record scratching. The lyrics are nowhere near inspiring, but the melody, beats, and futuristic sound are undeniably addictive. Their third single, "Renegades of Funk" came soon after. The use of a drum machine is most prominent, making an aggressive beat to appropriately match the aggressive lyrics revering various historical renegades such as Malcom X. The lyrics also pay homage to electronica, stating, "We're blessed with the force and the sight of electronics." The synthesizer is crisp and clear, as it is in the rest of the album. "Frantic Situation" is the last of these four singles, and retains the same spacey sounds of the synthesizer and funky beats. Rapping is layered over top the melody and beat at the beginning, but smooth James Brown-esque singing comes in with the chorus, making this song a personal favorite.
The last three songs titled "Who You Funking With?" (featuring Melle Mel), "Go Go Pop" (featuring Trouble Funk), and "They Made a Mistake" (backed by the Sugar Hill house band) are notable songs in their own right, although they don't seem to rival the preceding singles. "Who You Funking With" is marked by a perfect funky, groovy bass line. "Go Go Pop" features the sounds of record scratching, a woman's singing voice, funky synth textures, and a powerful beat. "They Made a Mistake" is very reminiscent of Grandmaster Flash, so of course, it's upbeat, funky, and enjoyable.
The innovation seen in this album is amazing, and the masterful use of the Roland drum machine, as well as the Fairlight CMI Series II 8-bit sampler and the Roland Juno-60 created a clear sound quality. The album was immensely influential, and not only created its own genre, but assisted have the development of the genres dubbed freestyle or latin freestyle, miami bass, electronica, house, hip House, and techno. If you like hip hop and electronica, you'll like this gem from the 80s.

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For me, this one started it all. Thank you Kraftwerk for that inspiration (Trans Europe Express). I bought this on vinyl when it first came out at Sound Warehouse in Houston, TX. It took years to find the best version of Planet Rock on CD, which is available on the Planet Rock single from the 90's. The version here is the Vocal Version, still good, but the instrumental is better. Of course you can't leave out "Looking For The Perfect Beat" and "Renegades Of Funk". Sorry, Bambaataa's version is the best and the Original. If you listened to radio back in the 80's, you probably heard the instrumental version of Planet Rock, it is still my favorite track of all time. This CD is definitely one that you should own if you're a fan of Old School Hip Hop/Electro.

The record I ordered seemed to arrive in perfect condition--the album sleeve was exactly what I had purchased. Unfortunately, inside the sleeve I found a record by an artist completely unrelated to what I ordered.