Most nights of club-hopping debauchery in Ibiza end with one thing: a warm bed. Not so for OG record producer Arthur Baker, whose Midas touch can be heard on records by Afrika Bambaata, New Order, Bob Dylan, and most recently, The Martinez Brothers. Two summers ago, after jaunts at Ushuaia and DC10, he was struck with an idea: why not mix his favorite rock classics with underground dance grooves? "Think Claptone, Hot Creation, or Monkey Safari versions of Petty, Dylan and Springsteen," is how Baker describes his project to THUMP.Baker picked up the phone and called his old friend Gregg Sutton, an old-school character and protean musician whose resume includes playing bass with Bob Dylan, touring with U2 in Lone Justice, and writing songs for Joe Cocker and Sam Brown. Oh, and who happened to be the best friend of the (possibly not dead?) comedian Andy Kaufman. "One quick phone call to LA later, Gregg threw down vocals and guitar in his LA home studio and sent them right back that night," Baker says. The result is a remix of Tom Petty's "Won't Back Down," co-produced with Kaz James—yes, that's the same song that embroiled Sam Smith and Petty in a royalty tiff earlier this year.Baker's remix is paired with a video shot by Jaakko Manninen in the hills of Hollywood, with Sutton channeling some serious Dylan vibes. The track will be out this summer on Baked Recordings, with remixes coming from RLP & SV, Life Exaggerated and Andrew Carra. Baker also promises that a full-length album is in the works, and will be out this fall.
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