Afrika Bambaataa Don't Stop...Planet Rock CD

An updated EP takes the by-now-ancient "Planet Rock" beat and runs it through the 1990s hip-hop production machine. The results aren't all that successful, even though the sound is now contemporary. But its hook was old-school, as was its charm. The newer version lacks bite. ~ Ron Wynn
Afrika Bambaataa's single "Planet Rock" has a special place in the pantheon of early hip- hop culture. On one hand its processed electronic drums, wiry synth riffs, and electro-boogie feel recall an early-'80s urban cityscape, complete with graffiti-strewn walls, breakdancers, poppers, and lockers. On the other hand it represents a leap forward for contemporary dance music: Bambaataa's classic track erases the wall between European experimental pop (that wiry synth riff is sampled from Kraftwerk's "Trans Europe Express") and black American music. The age of electronic dance music--including soon-to-be hugely popular house and techno-- was born.
This seven-song EP compiles various remixes of "Planet Rock" with a particular interest, it seems, in linking the song to the traditions it inspired. In addition to the original cut, and a "Classic Mix," "Planet Rock" is treated with contemporary production flourishes in the mode of house music ("House Mix II"), modern hip-hop ("Bass In the Planet Mix"), and tribal-trance ("Planet Rock 2000 Mix"). DON'T STOP?PLANET ROCK is an excellent textbook for understanding the wide-reaching influence of the track.