An Interview with Hip-Hop Producer Arthur Baker

Legendary producer and DJ Arthur Baker will be interviewed by Prince Charles Alexander in a special event presented in collaboration with the Africana Studies Department at Berklee College of Music.

Baker is one of those names you might not immediately know, but you’ve definitely heard his work. An American record producer and DJ, Baker helped shape the sound of the early hip-hop and dance scenes, collaborating with legendary artists like Afrika Bambaataa and Planet Patrol. He also crossed over into the pop and new wave world, working with the iconic British group New Order.

But Baker’s influence didn’t stop there. In the late ‘80s, he remixed Jill Jones’s track “Mia Bocca” from her self-titled debut album. Around the same time, he reimagined the Pet Shop Boys song “In the Night,” which went on to become the instantly recognizable theme for the BBC’s The Clothes Show—a track that defined the program’s vibe from 1986 all the way to 1994. Baker also cowrote Tina Turner’s single “Whatever You Want” with Taylor Dayne and Fred Zarr.

Today, his songs and remixes continue to resonate across generations. From hip-hop to pop to television, Baker’s fingerprints are all over the soundtracks of our lives.

All are welcome at this event, and books will be available for purchase.