John Robie is a musician, producer and songwriter who has produced and/or written for a wildly diverse array of artists such as
Chaka Khan,
New Order,
UB40,
Cabaret Voltaire,
Soulsonic Force,
Boy George
George Alan O'Dowd (born 14 June 1961), known professionally as Boy George, is an English singer, songwriter, DJ, author and mixed media artist. Best known for his soulful voice and his androgynous appearance, Boy George has been the lead singe ...
, C Bank,
Planet Patrol, Quadrant 6,
Laura Branigan, and
Freeez, among many others.
Career
Robie launched his career as the co-writer and synthesizer “wizard” on one of the most important and seminal records in Hip-Hop history,
Planet Rock Planet Rock may refer to:
* "Planet Rock" (song), a 1982 song by Afrika Bambaataa and the Soulsonic Force
** '' Planet Rock: The Album'', a 1986 album containing the song
* Planet Rock (radio station) Planet Rock may refer to:
* "Planet Rock" ...
by
Soulsonic Force. (“One of the most influential songs of everything, it changed the world”-
Rick Rubin
Frederick Jay Rubin (; born March 10, 1963) is an American record producer. He is the co-founder (alongside Russell Simmons) of Def Jam Recordings, founder of American Recordings, and former co-president of Columbia Records.
Rubin helped popu ...
in
Rolling Stone
''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its co ...
’s “Top 100 Hip Hop Records” issue.)
Robie subsequently went on to produce other groundbreaking hits for
Soulsonic Force;
Looking For The Perfect Beat and
Renegades Of Funk (later covered by
Rage Against The Machine
Rage Against the Machine (often abbreviated as RATM or shortened to simply Rage) is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California. Formed in 1991, the group consists of vocalist Zack de la Rocha, bassist and backing vocalist Tim Commer ...
), and continued to pursue an audaciously experimental approach towards electronic music, which resulted in his pioneering a completely new musical genre,
Electro''.'' “One More Shot” performed by C-Bank and “Body Mechanic” performed by Quadrant 6, both written and produced by Robie, were among the first to define this art form which continues to thrive.
His songs have also been sampled by hundreds of artists making them among the most widely sampled in history. A short list would include
City Girls
City Girls is an American hip hop duo consisting of Yung Miami (Caresha Romeka Brownlee; born February 1994) and JT (Jatavia Shakara Johnson; born December 1992). The duo originate from Miami, Florida, and garnered attention after making an un ...
,
Lunchmoney Lewis,
Snoop Dogg
Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. (born October 20, 1971), known professionally as Snoop Dogg (previously Snoop Doggy Dogg and briefly Snoop Lion), is an American rapper. His fame dates back to 1992 when he featured on Dr. Dre's debut solo single, ...
,
Calvin Harris
Adam Richard Wiles (born 17 January 1984), known professionally as Calvin Harris, is a Scottish DJ, record producer, singer, and songwriter who has released six studio albums.
His debut studio album, '' I Created Disco'', was released in June ...
,
Plump DJs,
Jamie xx,
LL Cool J
James Todd Smith (born January 14, 1968), known professionally as LL Cool J (short for Ladies Love Cool James), is an American rapper, songwriter, record producer, and actor. He is one of the earliest rappers to achieve commercial success, along ...
,
Black Eyed Peas,
Limp Bizkit
Limp Bizkit is an American rap rock band from Jacksonville, Florida. Its lineup consists of lead vocalist Fred Durst, drummer John Otto, guitarist Wes Borland, turntablist DJ Lethal and bassist Sam Rivers. The band's music is marked b ...
, and
Tag Team
Tag team wrestling is a type of professional wrestling in which matches are contested between teams of multiple wrestlers. Tag teams may be made up of wrestlers who normally wrestle in singles competition, but more commonly are made of establish ...
.
He has recently entered into the world of video/film production making his directorial debut with the short film THE FUTURE IS MINE, which was released at the birth of
Black Lives Matter (BLM) in the wake of
George Floyd's murder and on the eve of arguably the most important election of our lifetime.
John Robie’s songs are represented by
Downtown Music Services.
See also
*
Arthur Baker (musician)
Arthur Baker (born April 22, 1955) is an American record producer and DJ best known for his work with hip hop artists like Afrika Bambaataa and Planet Patrol, as well as British group New Order. He is also known for remixing the Jill Jone ...
*
Afrika Bambaataa
Lance Taylor (born on April 17, 1957), also known as Afrika Bambaataa (), is an American DJ, rapper, and producer from the South Bronx, New York. He is notable for releasing a series of genre-defining electro tracks in the 1980s that influence ...
*
John Benitez
References
External links
djsportal.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Robie, John
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Record producers from New York (state)
American audio engineers