Arthur Baker:
Looking For The Perfect Beat
8:00 PM - 10:30 PM
Conversation and Book Launch
Santa Fe Arts District
Limited Event
8 PM Reception
9 PM Conversation with Arthur Baker
10 PM Q&A and Book Signing
Arthur will join us in a live conversation to reflect on his extraordinary career and share stories behind the music. Featuring never-before-seen archival video, followed by a Q&A and book signing.
Books will be available for sale at event
Complimentary Wine, Beer, Spirits and Non-alcoholic beverages
RSVP required
Address and access details will be sent to confirmed guests
Request an Invitation: events@m-em.com
Notice: This event will be recorded
Afterparty:
ESP HiFi | 1029 Santa Fe Dr.
11:00 PM - 1:00 AM
Featuring Vinyl Selections by Arthur Baker — 21+
About Arthur Baker:
Arthur Baker is a pioneer of electronic music and hip-hop, while also making indelible impacts on modern rock, pop, and dance. He is renowned for his prolific studio work with a seemingly impossible range of artists, including New Order, the Rolling Stones, Al Green, Pet Shop Boys, Quincy Jones, Hall & Oates, Diana Ross, Fleetwood Mac, Mogwai, and the late Pharoah Sanders.
In 1982, Baker made modern music history by producing the iconic single Planet Rock for Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force — the first electro-rap record and one of the biggest dance anthems ever. His inadvertent discovery of the Roland TR-808 drum machine, which he used to create Planet Rock’s signature sound, led directly to the massive popularity of the 808 in studio production in the decades that followed. Baker effectively originated the use of modern sub-bass in hip-hop and dance music — a sound that shook the planet.
Multiple other innovations by Baker arguably changed the course of modern music. In addition to pioneering the “cut-and-paste” sampling technique, he foresaw the explosion of dance music culture and began hiring DJs to help him mix his own tracks for maximum impact on dance floors.
From participating in the halcyon days of New York City’s club culture to pulling all-nighters in the studio with Bob Dylan, Baker’s remarkable story is one of a self-made career fueled by audacious instinct, grit, and an untamable need to create new sounds. From the underground to the masses — with half a century of work under his belt — Arthur Baker is still looking for the perfect beat.
Special Thanks to:
Blue Marble Sound Atmos Studio
Banshee House
Looking for the Perfect Beat: Remixing and Reshaping Hip-Hop, Rock and Rhythms
Arthur Baker
Available Now at Booksellers Worldwide, via Faber
Electronic Music
History & Culture
All Rights Reserved.