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Arthur Baker
Producer/writer/re-mixer
History: One of the few truly successful cross over
producers whose groundbreaking work is admired in both the dance and rock world
(alongside such luminaries as Paul
Oakenfold and Nellee Hooper),
Arthur Baker has enjoyed a hugely successful career.
Arthur first drew attention in 1982, discovering multi
platinum R&B group New Edition.
The following year he received the Billboard Trendsetter Award for producing,
writing and mixing ‘Planet Rock’ by Afrika Bambaataa & the Soul Sonic Force
- the record that transformed Hip Hop. This was followed by a string of seminal
electro killers including ‘Renegades Of Funk’, ‘Play at Your Own Risk’,
‘Looking For The Perfect Beat’ & ’Jazzy Sensation’, plus the Rocker’s Revenge all time club classic
‘Walking On Sunshine’ and ‘IOU’ by Freeez.
Indeed, Arthur produced arguably one of the first rap records with ‘Rap O Clap ’ on Salsoul Records with
Latin funk legend Joe Bataan and
made one of the first ‘cut ‘n’ paste’ records with ‘Put The Needle To The
Record’ with the Criminal Element
Orchestra.
As one of the original dance remixers (he has a DJ
background), in the 80’s he transformed such tracks as Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Dancing In The Dark’ and ‘Born In The USA’ and
Cyndi Lauper’s ‘Girls Just Want To
Have Fun’ into dance classics plus co-wrote and produced New Order s classic ‘Confusion’. Arthur then started the Criminal
and Minimal labels which scored with the Brooklyn
Funk Essentials, for whose lead singer Will
Downing Baker produced the stunning ‘A Love Supreme’ album. He is also responsible
for some legendary remixes including ‘Too Much Blood’ by the Rolling Stones, & ‘Big Love’ by Fleetwood Mac. Arthur mixed Babylon Zoo’s ‘Spaceman’ single (his
mix became the world-wide Number One and featured in the Levi’s TV advert).
He has gone on to amass a long list of production and mixing
credits, including gold and platinum albums by Bruce Springsteen, New Kids
On The Block, Quincy Jones, Hall & Oates and Taylor Dayne, Arthur has also produced
and mixed singles for artists such as Talking
Heads, Bob Dylan, U2, Suzanne Vega, The Pet Shop
Boys, Debbie Harry, Simply Red, Fleetwood Mac, David Bowie,
Paul McCartney and The Rolling Stones. He also
co-organised and produced the Grammy nominated ‘Sun City’ by Artists United Against Apartheid’.
Arthur has received awards for Producer of the Year from
Rolling Stone and helped produce the acclaimed documentary ‘Listen Up: The Lives Of Quincy Jones’. He has contributed songs
and/or been music supervisor on soundtracks for movies such as ‘Fried Green Tomatoes’,
‘Beat Street, ‘Something Wild’ ‘Pretty In Pink’, ‘Married To The Mob’, ‘The
Flintstones’, ‘Pretty Woman’ and ‘Salvation’.
Complete Discography available at: http://www.record-producers.com/main.html
Current Credits: Apart from tracks for his own Minimal Records label,
his recent work includes mixing Robbie
Williams and Suede, producing
hits for Ash (‘A Life Less
Ordinary’), The Warm Jets (‘Hurricane’,
Arkana and Mansun (‘Six’) and the last Senser
album ‘Asylum’. Arthur produced the recent Electronic.album ‘Twisted Tenderness’ and is Associate Producer on
the controversial clubbing film ‘Human Traffic’. He has recently taken most of the
last few months to work on his own solo album featuring Mogwai, Pharoah Saunders, Environmental Science, Mani from Primal Scream, Hooky from New Order, Astrid and Fridge, and has collaborated
with nu-skool breakbeat don Rennie
Pilgrim on a couple of devastating 12”s on TCR. Recently,
Arthur produced an international top 20, multi-artist charity project for The Children’s Promise . A cover of the
Stones classic ‘It’s Only Rock n Roll’, it featured performances from a who’s
who of the last 40 years of rock & pop.including Mick & Keith, James
Brown, Mary J. Blige, Jay Kay (Jamiroquai), Spice Girls, Kid Rock, BB King, Annie Lennox, Chrissie Hynde, The Corrs,
Iggy Pop, Ozzy Osborne, Herbie Hancock,
Womack & Womack, Ronan Keating, Natalie Imbruliga, Skin
(Skunk Anansie), Lionel Richie and
many others. Arthur is currently remixing Clint Boon, Ash and Alabama
3.
Arthur has also recently finished his own album which is
sparking interest from all the major dance imprints – a blend of his dance and
rock roots, he now has a weekly show on XFM radio and is looking to release a
compilation later this year of other artists and his own mixes, dubplates etc
that have previously remained unreleased. This should be out on Paul
Oakenfold’s Perfecto Records in the summer of 2001.
Contact: Stephen Budd Management
+44 (0)20-7916-3303 fn
+44(0)20-7916-3302 fx