A-Z: Afrika Bambaataa and The Soul Sonic Force - Planet Rock

After more than three years away (including a year and a half when RW/FF was inactive), the feature that journeys through the Rewind/Fast Forward record collection finally returns. We'll pick up from where we lift off. The previous entry from April 2015 was from Angels Die Hard. This time, it's the turn of hip hop legend Afrika Bambaataa. This track was released in April 1982.

This seminal record was built around a distinctive Roland TR-808 drum machine, an interpretation of the melody from Kraftwerk's 'Trans Europe Express', and percussion from another Kraftwerk track, 'Numbers'. It also contains a synth rendition of the whistling melody from Ennio Morricone's For a Few Dollars More soundtrack. 'Planet Rock' helped change the foundations of hip-hop and dance music, going on to be one of the most influential and iconic tracks in hip-hop, breakdance and electronic music cultures.