Mark Jones: Back to the Phuture - 30/08/2010

Record company boss and electronic music enthusiast Mark Jones continues his series exploring the roots of synthesised music. In this latest show Mark looks at the explosion of electronic music in New York during the 1980s, playing tracks by Afrika Baambaata, Hashim and Shannon alongside contemporary NYC tunes by Holy Ghost and LCD Soundsystem. In the second hour, Mark is joined by producer and pivotal figure in the NYC electro scene, Arthur Baker to discuss his musical influences. Best known in the UK for his work with New Order Arthur was a club DJ in Boston before moving to New York in 1981 and becoming involved in the music scene there. He went on produce Afrika Baambaata's seminal tune 'Planet Rock', have a number one single with Rockers Revenge 'Walking on Sunshine' and reinvigourate the career of British jazz funk band Freeez with his production on their worldwide hit 'IOU'. Arthur tells Mark about life in New York during that era and plays the music which inspired his production work, including tracks by The Undisputed Truth, Kraftwerk and David Bowie. In the final hour of the show, there's a guest mix from up and coming New York based artist Penguin Prison, who's debut album is out at the end of the year fusing electronic production with pop melodies.