Afrika Bambaataa – Planet Rock
Planet Rock is one of the most well known electro funk songs ever. Written by Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force in 1982, it paved the way for electro funk, techno bass, early rap and g-funk music.
Borrowing heavily from German electro pioneers Kraftwerk – the main string part is from Trans Europe Express, and the beat from Numbers – they put down one of the most memorable old school tracks of all time. Whether into hip hop, electro, techno and even other kinds of music, nearly everybody from anywhere will recognise and dig Planet Rock as soon as it is played.
In 2004, Rolling Stone placed it at #234 in their list of the 500 greatest songs of all time. It is a favourite of B-boys and girls from across the globe and has also been used in countless graffiti videos and video games as well as being sampled in many hip hop and Miami bass tracks over the years.
They call Afrika Bambaataa the Father of electro funk music – and this is why! Planet Rock is the jam!
There is an article from Mike Rubin of the NY Times on Kraftwerk in todays SMH Spectrum section, may be of interest.