There is one track that stands above everything else in my life—the most influential song for me, historically, emotionally, and spiritually:
Planet Rock
by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force.
Why this track changed everything
For me, the impact is twofold.
1. The sonic force
When Planet Rock arrived, it felt like a transmission from the future. Electronic sound, 808 drum machines, the CMI Failight synth and a lot of dynamic energy. It wasn’t just music, it was architecture, it was voltage.
2. The physical movement
At the same time, the break dance it'self pushed the body into entirely new territory. It was absolute extreme dance expansion. These two elements—sound and movement—have met before in Swing or The twist, when entire cultural waves built on that fusion. I know what it is like when these two elements come together I have witnessed it at least four times with breakdance and electro, with Rave music, Drum and Bass and finally as a swing dance teacher in Madrid, when I witnessed Swing arrive in Spain after 100 years of absence.
But honestly, I believe that what happened around Bambaataa’s movement was the last true convergence— the final moment where sound and body evolved together into something completely new.
To breakdance, to be in crews, to carry the ghetto blaster, to live inside that energy— that was one of the most electric experiences of my life. And I doubt it will ever be topped.
Afrika Bambaataa – the historical force
Lance Taylor was born on April 17, 1957, in the Bronx, New York, and passed away on April 9, 2026, following prostate cancer.
As Afrika Bambaataa, he became one of the defining pioneers of hip-hop culture— a DJ, producer, and visionary who helped shape electro music in the 1980s.
Emerging from the street gang Black Spades, he transformed that energy into something else founding the Universal Zulu Nation practically on the day I was born in 1973. A movement that spread hip-hop culture across the world.
Musically, everything changed in 1982.
With Planet Rock, alongside producer Arthur Baker, he fused:
- Kraftwerk-inspired electronics
- drum machines
- futuristic synths
- funk and hip-hop roots
It became a global club force and laid the foundations for electro-funk.
From there came:
- Looking for the Perfect Beat
- Renegades of Funk
- collaborations with artists like James Brown and John Lydon
- anti-apartheid work (Sun City)
- global tours, films like Beat Street, and historic performances
He wasn’t just making music—
he was building culture.
An acknowledgement
Whilst there are some serious accusations surrounding Lance Taylor, dating back decades. I want to be clear:
I don’t know the details, and I wouldn’t support anything harmful.
I have no comment on those matters. But I can separate that from my lived experience of the music.
Because the influence of Planet Rock— and that entire movement—
on my life and creative path is undeniable.
From Planet Rock to The Open Threshold
Last night, something happened.
I wrote a song called:
“The Open Threshold”
It came as a kind of breakthrough— a doorway opening. It’s about entering the boundless, realizing you already hold the key. Fragments of the lyrics came through almost fully formed:
You are free, child
You have entered the boundless
Through the dark days beyond the sea
Now you see—you have opened the door
You are on a new path now, with me
I am with you in the open threshold
This is a deeply spiritual piece. If I were to coin the genre it would be spiritology.
Spiritology
A merging beyond something ghost-like—into something unseen but held deep within the spirit. A convergence with the unseen—beyond the ghost, beyond form. Like the awakening of an inner force, rising from below, lifting the spirit into a higher state of being.
A strange alignment
What makes this even more powerful for me is this:
This song was written on the night that Lance Taylor passed away.
And I genuinely feel that something—some echo, some frequency, some residual energy—has been carried into this track, as if he was somehow transmitting through the liminal to me as he left.
What comes next
“The Open Threshold” will feature on my forthcoming project:
Jansky Noise & Friends Present: An Open Threshold
Planned for release this summer. This album is about one thing:
Stepping through.
Not being trapped.
Not looping.
But realizing— the door was always open and you already hold the key. It's a living dream, let you soul lead the way.
Comments
Post a Comment