For the past five years or so, the Bronx had been rocked solid with poverty and huge block parties where the kids who had nothing else would congregate to have a good time and dance to some tunes.
They were a lot like any party you'd find today - the DJs played the hits the crowd wanted to hear, and circles formed around the best dancers so people could gawk at the raw athletic skill on display.
Except these parties were much different from anything you'd attend today. These parties were the genesis of hip-hop: breakdancers spinning and twirling in the crowd, and each DJ extending the "break", or drum/bass solo of each record, to keep the energy high while the MC would shout with the beat.
This was before Biggie and Tupac, before Jay-Z and the East Coast/West Coast beef. This was a simpler time, when a bunch of kids just wanted to have a good time. Among the early stars of the scene was Afrika Bambaataa, a veteran organizer of block parties and flawless DJ.
Planet Rock: The Album, released in 1986, collects the early 12" singles released by Bambaataa on Tommy Boy records. It's a marriage of key breaks with synth/electro production and early B-Boy enthusiasm. When "Searching for the Perfect Beat" kicks in, you either get it or you don't.
2 comments:
now that's a worthy download. thanks.
this album has been removed.
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